Unexpected earthquakes within continental plates pose challenges

Earthquakes that occur on "passive" continental margins, such as the August 2011 magnitude 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake, surprise people because they expect earthquakes to occur only on plate boundaries. But, in fact, ...

The biggest crash on Earth: India slides under Tibet, but how?

During the collision of India with the Eurasian continent, the Indian plate is pushed about 500 kilometers under Tibet, reaching a depth of 250 kilometers. The result of this largest collision in the world is the world's ...

Jade sheds light on Guatemala's geologic history

The shifting of tectonic plates in Central America has been poorly understood -- until now. New research on jade found along fault lines in Guatemala is helping geologists piece the puzzle of the past 130 million years.

Earth's crust melts easier than previously thought

A University of Missouri study published in Nature this week has found that the Earth's crust melts easier than previously thought. In the study, researchers measured how well rocks conduct heat at different temperatures ...

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