geochemistry

Nature Communications, Published online: 04 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72672-6 This study reconstructs Earth’s temperature over the past 539 million years by integrating rock chemistry and climate models, showing that global temperatures remained within ~10–30 °C, challenging ideas of anomalously high early Paleozoic climates.

Nature Communications, Published online: 04 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72807-9 Hydrous magnesium silicates are key mantle water reservoirs. Here, the authors show a hydrogen site transfer in wadsleyite reduces conductivity, indicating higher transition zone water storage, and discover a double superionic state.

New research suggests that the Appalachian Mountains may hold enough lithium to support the United States for decades, possibly even more than a century. According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, large amounts of lithium are buried in rocks across both the southern and northern parts of the region. Scientists estimate there are […] The post Massive lithium discovery in Appalachians coul…

Nature Communications, Published online: 02 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72563-w 3D mineral stopwatches reveal multi-stage magmatic history before the 1820 lava fountaining eruption at Kīlauea volcano, Hawai’i. Magmas can be stored for decades then mobilized over days before ascending to the surface in a matter of hours.

Nature Communications, Published online: 02 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72049-9 Sedimentation processes in the Japan Trench control seafloor residence of organic carbon, shaping its subsurface degradation and burial. These processes may influence how much carbon is ultimately transferred from Earth’s surface into subduction zones.

Diabetes remains disproportionately prevalent in Appalachia, and macroenvironmental contributors remain poorly understood. Guided by spatial epidemiology, this quantitative, cross-sectional ecological study examined whether county-level environmental factors including distance to mine, distance to landfill, distance to water, mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, forest classificati…

Constraining Plio‐Pleistocene Shifts in Northwest African Hydroclimate, Ecosystem Distributions, and Marine Productivity: New Paleo‐Records Across the Mid‐Pleistocene Transition O’Mara, Nicholas A; Skonieczny, Charlotte; McGee, David; Winckler, Gisela; Bory, Aloys J‐M; Bradtmiller, Louisa I; Malaizé, Bruno; Polissar, Pratigya J Northwest Africa transitioned from a wet/vegetated landscape toward d…

Possible Eoarchean Records of the Geomagnetic Field Preserved in the Isua Supracrustal Belt, Southern West Greenland Nichols, Claire IO; Weiss, Benjamin P; Eyster, Athena; Martin, Craig R; Maloof, Adam C; Kelly, Nigel M; Zawaski, Mike J; Mojzsis, Stephen J; Watson, E Bruce; Cherniak, Daniele J Recovering ancient records of Earth's magnetic field is essential for determining the role of the magnet…

Modeling Cosmogenic Nuclides in Transiently Evolving Topography and Chemically Weathering Soils Reed, Miles M; Ferrier, Ken L; Perron, J Taylor Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN) are widely employed to infer denudation rates in mountainous landscapes. The calculation of an inferred denudation rate (Dinf) from TCN concentrations is typically performed under the assumptions that denudation rates…

The geologic carbon cycle has been an important tool for balancing carbon dioxide and stabilizing the climate of Earth over billions of years. The authors of today’s bite explore why dry planets may be missing this critical climate-stabilizing thermostat.

Scientific Data, Published online: 30 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41597-026-07321-0 Database of Generated Rock Microstructures and their Computed Geometrical and Hydraulic Properties

Horizontal Wind Fluctuations in the Stratosphere During Large Scale CyclogenesisChan, R., et al. (1991), Horizontal Wind Fluctuations in the Stratosphere During Large Scale Cyclogenesis, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 17,425–17. The Effect of Various Surface Features on Polarized and Specular ReflectanceGrant, L., C. S. T. Daughtry, and V. Vanderbilt (1991), The Effect of Various Surface Features […] The …

Reactive Nitrogen Oxides and Ozone Above a Tiaga WoodlandBakwin, E. A., and H. Singh (1994), Reactive Nitrogen Oxides and Ozone Above a Tiaga Woodland, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 1927–1936. The Anomalous HNO3/NOx Ratio of Remote Tropospheric Air: Conversion of Nitric Acid to Formic Acid and NOx?Chatfield, R. (1994), The Anomalous HNO3/NOx Ratio of Remote Tropospheric […] The post 1994 Ames Earth Scien…

Estimation of aerosol radiative effects over the mid-latitude North Atlantic region from satellite and in situ measurementsBergstrom, R. W., and P. B. Russell (1999), Estimation of aerosol radiative effects over the mid-latitude North Atlantic region from satellite and in situ measurements, Geophysical Research Letters, 26, 1731–1734. Microphysics and chemistry of sulfate aerosols at warm stratos…

Geothermal heat flow is an important control on the dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets. In Greenland however, the exact magnitude and distribution of geothermal heat flow under the ice sheet is largely unknown as only few direct measurements exist at the locations of the deep ice cores. For this reason, several studies have attempted to constrain geothermal heat flow under the ice sheet through …

The claystone in the Guide area of the Qaidam Basin on the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau contains lithium resources. This paper adopts geochemical and isotopic geochemical approaches to analyze the paleoenvironment, tectonic setting, sediment provenance, weathering processes, and lithium sources of the lithium-bearing claystones in the study area, and summarizes the genetic me…

Combined flow in the 11-meter-long flume of the Experimental Sedimentology Laboratory, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin. Credit: D. Mohrig

A framework for NASA's state-of-the-art Earth system models to advance Earth understanding and deliver actionable insights for societal benefit The post Integrated Modeling Virtual Institute (IMVI) appeared first on NASA Science .

From cameras pressed against spacecraft windows to the most powerful radar ever flown, imaging technology has taken giant leaps since 1968, but the drive to understand our home in the cosmos has remained. The post Advancing Earth Observation at NASA Since Release of Earthrise Photo appeared first on NASA Science .

This study reconstructs the fluvial dynamics of the Bras de Fer distributary in the Rhône Delta (France) during the Little Ice Age (LIA) in response to short-term climatic forcing. A multiproxy approach combining historical cartography, sedimentology, geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility, and hydrological archives reveals accelerated meander migration and extensive overbank accretion between the…