Marine geology is the branch of Earth sciences that investigates the composition, structure, and evolution of the ocean basins and continental margins, integrating methods from sedimentology, geophysics, geochemistry, and tectonics. It examines processes such as seafloor spreading, subduction, sediment transport and deposition, volcanic and hydrothermal activity, and the formation of features like mid-ocean ridges, trenches, seamounts, and passive margins. Marine geological research relies heavily on seismic reflection profiling, coring, dredging, and remote sensing to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions, quantify sediment budgets, and constrain models of plate boundary dynamics and crust–mantle interactions beneath the oceans.
The seafloor plays an important ecological and societal role. Understanding the processes that shape this environment will help guide conservation policy and decision-making about underwater infrastructure and geohazards.
Earth Sciences
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An international expedition including University of Sydney researchers has pieced together the clearest picture yet of how the Great Barrier Reef responded to dramatic environmental change over the past 30,000 years. Multiple ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 29, 2026
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The number of icebergs in the Arctic has increased sharply since the 2000s. This is due to the destabilization of large glaciers in northeast Greenland and parts of the Russian Arctic, as well as the increasing mobility of ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 10, 2026
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From Australia's remote deserts to the surface of Mars, geological mapping underpins how we understand landscapes, natural resources, and the processes that shape our planet and others beyond it.
Earth Sciences
May 28, 2026
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In the crushing darkness of the hadal zone—deep ocean trenches plunging 6,000 m to nearly 11,000 m—scientists have uncovered a hidden community. A study published in Science on May 14 reports the discovery of a protist-dominated ...
Plants & Animals
May 22, 2026
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University of Delaware geologist Jessica Warren has contributed to research that brings us one step closer to better understanding how earthquakes operate. Situated along a stretch of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, between ...
Earth Sciences
May 15, 2026
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Caltech researchers have identified geological features on Mars that could point to the existence of a long-dried ocean that once covered a third of the Red Planet's surface. The research was conducted by former Caltech postdoctoral ...
Astrobiology
Apr 15, 2026
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A new study published in the Biodiversity Data Journal provides a profound look at life up to nearly 10 kilometers below the ocean's surface in the Japan, Ryukyu, and Izu-Ogasawara trenches. The research catalogs at least ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 7, 2026
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The rocks beneath our feet are leaving a hidden signature in the shells of marine snails along Australia's ancient coastline, according to new research led by Adelaide University scientists. A study published in Proceedings ...
Ecology
Mar 18, 2026
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Navigating monolithic icebergs, massive ocean waves and sub-zero snowstorms, CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator is a workhorse for Antarctic science. In just over 11 years and spread across seven voyages, the vessel ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 16, 2026
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