geosciences
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The Machines That Spy On Antarctica’s Hidden Lakes
The solar panels stood tall against the icy expanse as the four-person team approached on snowmobile. GZ20 hadn’t seen visitors in a year, having endured yet another brutal Antarctic winter since the last time its human caretakers checked in. But the fact that its power source could be seen from over three kilometers out —…
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A Second Giant Crack Has Appeared On Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf
A 130km-long crack along Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf has remained stable since February, but scientists have now detected a new branch, one that’s extending about 10km from the main rift. It seems like only a matter of time before the 5000 square kilometre ice shelf plunges into the sea.
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Some Good News About The Worst Mass Extinction In Earth’s History
If the fact that the Earth is careening toward a sixth mass extinction event makes you uncomfortable, good news: it turns out, the biosphere may have rebounded “quickly” after the worst mass extinction in history. That, at least, is the implication of one remarkable fossil assemblage formed less than 2 million years after the so-called…
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Huge Cracks In The West Antarctic Ice Sheet May Signal Its Collapse
Last year, a 580 square km chunk of West Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier broke off and tumbled into the sea. Now, Earth scientists at Ohio State University have pinpointed the root cause of the iceberg calving event: A crack that started deep below ground and 32km inland.