Magnesium oxide: From Earth to super-Earth

The mantles of Earth and other rocky planets are rich in magnesium and oxygen. Due to its simplicity, the mineral magnesium oxide is a good model for studying the nature of planetary interiors. New work from a team led by ...

Phenomenon of plate tectonics explained

Transform faults subdivide the mid-ocean ridge into segments. Up until now, it was thought that these faults were ruptures that formed in less stable crust areas. Taras Gerya has recorded a model of the dynamics that lead ...

Water on the moon: It's been there all along

Traces of water have been detected within the crystalline structure of mineral samples from the lunar highland upper crust obtained during the Apollo missions, according to a University of Michigan researcher and his colleagues.

Scientists to Io: Your volcanoes are in the wrong place

(Phys.org) —Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active world in the Solar System, with hundreds of volcanoes, some erupting lava fountains up to 250 miles high. However, concentrations of volcanic activity are significantly ...

The more we learn about Mercury, the weirder it seems

For such a tiny planet, Mercury is a pretty big puzzle for researchers. NASA's MESSENGER probe already has revealed that the planet is surprisingly rich in elements that easily evaporate from the surface, such as sulphur, ...

Study sheds new light on strange lava worlds

Lava worlds, massive exoplanets home to sparkling skies and roiling volcanic seas called magma oceans, are distinctly unlike the planets in our solar system.

Studying the moon's oldest geologic imprints

New Curtin research has found the moon may have been subjected to much greater impacts from asteroids and other bodies than previously thought, building on our understanding of the moon's earliest geologic evolution.

page 2 from 6