Geology

Deep beneath the northeastern United States, a massive geological mystery has been hiding for millions of years. Scientists call it the "Northern Appalachian Anomaly" - a region hundreds of kilometers wide where rocks in the Earth's mantle are abnormally hot. A 2025 study even suggested that this mass is slowly moving southwest, and if the model is correct, its center could pass under the New York...

A study published in the journal "Scientific Reports" has revealed the history of the "Rio Grande Rise" in the Atlantic Ocean. Researchers found that this area, now submerged hundreds of meters below sea level, was once land with a tropical climate.

The flow of water through porous basalt rocks caused accelerated heat removal from the Earth's depths, cooling the crust and causing the seabed to subside, upon which layers of sediment about 8 km thick accumulated. This process changes the way scientists understand the development of continental margins, the assessment of oil and gas resources in oceanic basins, and the reconstruction of ancient...

A study receiving renewed attention this week brings Zealandia back to the headlines — a vast area almost entirely hidden beneath the South Pacific Ocean that researchers have proposed defining as Earth's eighth continent. Zealandia spans about 4.9 million square kilometers, but about 94% of it is below sea level.