Petrology is a branch of geoscience focused on the origin, composition, texture, and evolution of rocks within the Earth and other planetary bodies. It integrates mineralogy, geochemistry, and thermodynamics to interpret phase relations, melting and crystallization processes, and metamorphic reactions under varying pressure–temperature–fluid conditions. Petrologists distinguish igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology, using tools such as petrographic microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, isotopic and elemental geochemistry, and experimental petrology to reconstruct magmatic differentiation, crust–mantle interactions, metamorphic facies, and basin evolution, thereby constraining geodynamic processes and the physico-chemical state of the lithosphere and mantle.
New findings from NASA's Perseverance rover have revealed evidence of wave-formed beaches and rocks altered by subsurface water in a Martian crater that once held a vast lake—considerably expanding the timeline for potential ...
Astrobiology
Jan 27, 2026
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152
An analysis of feldspar crystals within the oldest magmatic rocks in Australia has provided a unique insight into Earth's ancient mantle and continents, and the early beginnings of the moon.
Planetary Sciences
Nov 3, 2025
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9
When astronauts returned from NASA's final Apollo moon mission in 1972, some of the samples they collected were sealed and carefully stored away in the hope that future researchers using advanced equipment might analyze them ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 6, 2025
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103
In 2024, NASA's Mars rover Perseverance collected an unusual rock sample. The rock, named Sapphire Canyon, features white, leopardlike spots with black borders within a red mudstone and might hold clues about sources of organic ...
Space Exploration
Aug 12, 2025
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3
On June 3, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover ground down a portion of a rock surface, blew away the resulting debris, and then went to work studying its pristine interior with a suite of instruments designed to determine its ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 25, 2025
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73
Scientists with NASA's Perseverance rover are exploring what they consider a veritable Martian cornucopia full of intriguing rocky outcrops on the rim of Jezero Crater. Studying rocks, boulders, and outcrops helps scientists ...
Planetary Sciences
Apr 10, 2025
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71
A team of geologists at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, the Institute of Space Sciences and the Shandong Institute of Geological Sciences, all in China, has found evidence in soil samples collected from the far ...
Perseverance's drives over the last few weeks have doubled back several times. Why such an unconventional route? Team scientists have been delighted to find new kinds of rocks that could be the oldest ever found on Mars and ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 18, 2025
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17
Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in a 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ore deposits. This is ...
Astrobiology
Oct 3, 2024
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