Author Archive
Haiti Quake Occurred on Previously Unknown Fault
The devastating quake that slammed Haiti on Jan. 12 occurred on a previously unrecognized fault zone, report scientists who are still trying to determine the implications for the region’s long-term seismic risk.
Dark Dust Trails Form When Whirlwinds Suck Sand Grains Clean
The ephemeral dark trails left in desert sand by dust devils are produced when the whirlwinds blow tiny particles of lighter-colored silt and dust off larger sand grains, a new study shows.
Meteor Crater Discovered With Google Earth
Researchers poring over Google Earth images discover one of Earth’s freshest impact craters — a 45-meter-wide pock in southwestern Egypt that probably was excavated by a fast-moving iron meteorite no more than a few thousand years ago.
Ancient Whale + Killer Shark = Hypercarnivorous Whale
What would you get if you crossed a whale with a shark? Maybe something like Leviathan melvillei, a long-extinct, hypercarnivorous whale with teeth longer than any T. rex ever had.
Before the Mississippi: Ancient Rivers Flowed West
A new study of ancient sand grains suggests that a continent-spanning, Amazon-like river system once carried sediments west across North America.