Tag: plate tectonics3
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Come Aboard: A Look at the R/V Marcus Langseth
A new video produced by Columbia University tells the story of what the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth is all about.
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Photo Essay: Rising Islands, Monster Wave
Researchers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have published a new study showing that a tsunami of unimaginable size swept over the Cape Verde Islands some 73,000 years ago. The discovery may have implications for the potential for modern hazards. READ THE FULL SCIENTIFIC STORY
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Orogenous Zones: How Rock Flows
The architects of Columbia’s modern Northwest Tower, at the corner of Broadway and 120th Street, made good use of some beautiful stones. In their polished and swirling surfaces, they tell a story of the clash of continents and the processes by which mountains are made.
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What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming
The most important lessons drawn from geology are that the earth’s climate can change radically, and rapidly. We can’t say precisely at what CO2 level we’re in danger of melting Antarctica, but that threshold could be reached in 150-300 years, if CO2 levels keep rising at the current rate.
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The Dawn of Plate Tectonics
An ancient grain of zircon found In Jack Hill sandstone north of Perth, Inside its crystal lattice bound: Secrets of our planet’s birth.
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Terry Plank: Volcano Maven
“It just looked like black rock, but every once in awhile a boulder at the end would fall off and you’d see it was completely red inside. And it made all these cool sounds and you’d feel these little earthquakes… It was totally cool. How could you not like that?”
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A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director
“The Observatory has remained a powerhouse in Earth science research and a very special place. The scientists here are true explorers—creative and fiercely independent.”
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Rolling into Open Water in the Central Pacific
We nicknamed our project NoMelt because we seek to characterize a mature, pristine oceanic plate far from its volcanic origin at a Mid-Ocean Ridge, and away from areas of pronounced volcanism and melting that subsequently alter the structure of the plate. Our site in the central Pacific fits these scientific needs. However, one downside is…
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Probing an Oceanic Plate
Everything that we understand about the rhythms of the Earth’s surface – the slow growth of mountain chains, the creeping expansion of the ocean basins, the abrupt upheaval of a major earthquake, the explosive eruption of a volcano – is viewed through the context of plate tectonics. This simple yet highly successful model for describing…