While analyzing strong-motion data close to fault lines, a group of researchers at Kyoto University noticed something unexpected: a negative phase in the waveforms, a pattern that did not conform to the existing interpretations of rupture dynamics. Its regular appearance in the records near rupture end points suggested that the team might be seeing something new. The study has been published in Science.
Scientists have discovered a Jurassic tectonic plate boundary that could help to predict what the planet might look like millions of years into the future. Dr. Jordan Phethean, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the University of Derby, is part of a team of researchers that has unveiled a previously unrecognized, major tectonic feature of Earth, in East Africa. The new structure, which has been likened to an ancient version of the San Andreas fault in California, was partially responsible for the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana 180 million years ago in the Jurassic period.
Central Mongolia's Hangay Mountains rise more than four kilometers above sea level, forming a dramatic dome that shapes the region's climate. But for decades, geologists have been puzzled: What caused this massive mountain range to form so far from any active plate boundary? Unlike the linear Himalayas, which are still rising from the collision of India and Asia, the dome-shaped Hangay Mountains show little internal deformation, suggesting a different and previously unknown mechanism.
The South Asian summer monsoon sustains billions of people today. For a long time, the prevailing scientific view has held that the formation and intensification of the South Asian summer monsoon were primarily controlled by the rapid uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. However, geological records present a long-standing puzzle from the Early to Middle Miocene (25 to 15 million years ago): the South Asian monsoon rainfall was remarkably strong, even though the Somali Jet—the primary wind system transporting moisture—was relatively weak.
Thousands of slips in Tairāwhiti in January. The loss of eight lives in the Bay of Plenty later that month. And, days ago, landslides that damaged homes, forced evacuations and blocked roads across the North Island.
Michigan and parts of Wisconsin are in the midst of a historic flooding event in spring 2026. Days of heavy rainfall on top of snow have sent lakes and rivers over their banks and threatened several dams in both states, forcing people to evacuate homes downstream. By April 20, 2026, nearly half of Michigan's counties were under a state of emergency. In Cheboygan, Michigan, large pumps were brought in to lower pressure on a century-old dam in the city.
Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-largest city, lies within a network of narrow valleys in the country's northern highlands. Though the historic city is known for panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, clear skies have become less common. In recent decades, smoke has increasingly darkened the skies during the dry season, particularly in March and April.
A massive ice block on the route just above the Mount Everest base camp has forced hundreds of climbers and their local guides to delay their attempt to scale the world's highest peak, officials said Friday.
Flames from raging wildfires in northern Japan were spreading towards the center of a town Friday, with authorities urging more than 2,500 people to evacuate their homes, media reports and the government said.
The El Niño weather phenomenon, which pushed global temperatures to record highs the last time around, is expected to return in mid-2026, the UN said Friday.
Imagine your favorite sunny beach. Anywhere will do. You look out and see the ocean stretching to the horizon. To a glaciologist, that view is not just water; it's melted ice. Our new study shows that the best case sea-level rise scenarios may now be out of reach. The work is published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.
A new article published in Science argues that governments should adopt three integrated energy demand goals by 2035, warning that climate policy will fall short unless it focuses not only on how energy is produced, but also on how it is used.
A study led by Wageningen University & Research shows that human interventions have significantly changed tides in river estuaries over the past centuries. In many regions around the world, the difference between high and low tide has increased, and the tidal wave is moving inland faster. These changes often appear to have a greater impact than the effects of sea-level rise.
An El Niño event is expected to develop from mid-2026, impacting global temperature and rainfall patterns, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The latest monthly Global Seasonal Climate Update from WMO signals a clear shift in the Equatorial Pacific: sea-surface temperatures are rising rapidly, pointing to a likely return of El Niño conditions as early as May-July 2026. Forecasts indicate there is a "nearly global dominance of above-normal land surface temperatures" in the upcoming three-month period, and regional variations in rainfall patterns.
In February, mining company Alcoa was hit with a $55 million penalty for illegally clearing about 2,000 hectares of WA's Northern Jarrah Forest. About $40 million was earmarked for so-called "permanent ecological offsets," for Alcoa to repair the damage in terms of ecology lost.
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