Geological thermostat too slow

Reactions between rocks, rain and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have helped to stabilize the climate throughout Earth’s history, but they won’t help prevent our carbon emissions from causing severe warming, a new study shows. However the results could help us find better ways to trap CO2 and slow climate change. 

Global river carbon cycle

In a new study, EPFL professor Tom Battin reviews our current understanding of carbon fluxes in the world’s river networks. He explains their central role in the global carbon cycle and warrants for the creation of a global River Observation System. 

Earth’s first mass extinction

A new study conducted by Virginia Tech geobiologists suggests that the cause of the first known mass extinction of animals was decreased global oxygen availability, leading to the loss of a majority of animals present near the end of the Ediacaran Period roughly 550 million years ago. 

What is the Anthropocene?

Geologists are looking for a site that best demonstrates how humans have changed the structure of our planet’s surface. This place will best illustrate when a new epoch called the Anthropocene was born and its predecessor called the Holocene came to an end.