Lake Baikal is 25 million years old, making it the oldest lake on the planet. (Photo courtesy of Tatyana Andreeva via Shutterstock) Like mountains, lakes on Earth can be very old, or more than 1 million years old. There are…
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the most powerful ocean current on the planet. (Photo credit: European Union, Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service) Melting ice in Antarctica is slowing the planet’s most powerful ocean current, according to a new study. An…
Fossils in China suggest the Great Dying was not so devastating in some areas. (Photo: YANG Dinghua) The mass extinction that wiped out 80% of all life on Earth 250 million years ago may not have been so catastrophic for…
The Mount Washington Observatory records wind speeds and weather conditions at the summit of Mount Washington. (Photo by Jose Azel/Getty Images) Mount Washington is the highest point in the Northeast and is known for its extreme weather, with winds exceeding…
Two huge lumps deep in the Earth’s interior are apparently the remains of oceanic crust that was submerged into the mantle. (Image credit: Yuri_Arcurs/Getty Images) We’ve finally figured out where the two giant clumps in Earth’s middle layer are coming…
Kawachi Volcano is considered one of the most active underwater volcanoes on the planet. (Photo credit: NASA/Landsat/Joshua Stevens) This stunning image shows a large column of discolored water rising to the surface of the Pacific Ocean from the Kawachi volcano,…
Cold weather could hit millions of Americans as polar vortex shifts (Image credit: LPETTET via Getty Images) Forecasters warn that a shifting polar vortex could send Arctic air into millions of Americans in the second half of March. The polar…
Scientists have created a map of the ‘megarabes’ formed after the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago. (Image credit: Aunt_Spray/Getty Images) A new study shows that ocean-floor “mega ripples” caused by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs are…
The world’s oldest meteorite impact crater has been found in remote Australia. (Photo credit: John White Photos/Getty Images) Researchers in Australia have discovered the planet’s oldest meteorite impact crater, thanks to preserved structures left behind by the blast in the…
Mount Roraima is often shrouded in clouds, giving it the appearance of a floating island. (Photo by Martin Harvey/Getty Images) Mount Roraima is a plateau with nearly vertical slopes located at the junction of the borders of Brazil, Venezuela and…
People and wildlife depend on sea ice for survival. (Photo credit: SeppFriedhuber via Getty Images) The world’s ice cover was at its lowest level on record last month, new data show, providing a stark reminder of how quickly our planet…
Mesyatsev Island (pictured) was a floating mass of ice dust that broke away from the larger Eva-Liv Island at some point before 1985. (Photo credit: Alexandra Barymova/Lomonosov Moscow State University Marine Research Center) A group of school and college students…