geology

In photographs, scientists revel in the world they seek to discover

7:00am June 11, 2025

The magazine Nature announced the results of its annual Scientist at Work photography contest. The six winning entries are a set of dramatic, intimate portraits of research from all over the globe.

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Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in the U.S., is surprisingly young

6:00am May 27, 2025

Hells Canyon is the deepest river canyon in the United States. Now scientists have solved the mystery of when it formed.

Environment

Carolina Curious: How were the Sauratown Mountains formed?

5:00am May 12, 2025

by Paul Garber

While the Triad area is part of the foothills, we do have a mountain range we can call our own. It includes the landmark Pilot Knob. For this week's Carolina Curious, WFDD's Paul Garber was wondering: How did the Sauratown Mountains form here, and what sets them apart?

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The iron ore mine in Kiruna, north of the Arctic Circle, is one of the world's largest iron ore mines.

It's a journey to the center of the rare earths discovered in Sweden

9:01am July 18, 2023

by Jackie Northam

Sweden says it found the largest deposit in Europe of rare earths — ingredients in a host of technologies from e-vehicles to wind turbines. Mining and processing them is another story.

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A thin, polished slice of a rock collected from the Jack Hills of Western Australia, viewed through a special microscope equipped with a gypsum plate that shows the rainbow spectrum of quartz that makes up the rock. Whereas the rocks at the Jack Hills are greater than 99% quartz, the remaining 1% of material includes the precious zircons.

To peer into Earth's deep time, meet a hardy mineral known as the Time Lord

5:00am December 29, 2022

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Geologists rely on tiny crystals of the mineral zircon to understand the timing of key events in Earth's early days, like the rising of continents and the emergence of oceans.

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Astronaut Charlie M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, is photographed collecting lunar samples during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity at the Descartes landing site.

Science

NASA is set to return to the moon. Here are 4 reasons to go back

7:01am August 28, 2022

by Scott Neuman

NASA's Apollo missions already sent astronauts to the moon from 1969 to 1972. But scientists say there's still lots of good science to do there. The moon also could be an ideal stepping stone to Mars.

A portion of Australia's Great Barrier Reef photographed from the International Space Station. The Flinders Reef area of the Great Barrier Reef is one of 11 sites around the world where scientists are looking for decisive geological evidence of a new epoc

Science

Drawing A Line In The Mud: Scientists Debate When 'Age Of Humans' Began

5:50am March 17, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Scientists on five continents are hunting for geological evidence to pinpoint exactly when humans became a major force shaping life on Earth. But settling on the date could unleash a larger debate.

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Science

Earthquake Study Helps Prepare For Future Geological Events

3:00pm August 28, 2020

by Eddie Garcia

Members of the North Carolina Geological Survey visited the site of t

Studying active volcanoes can be dangerous. Which is why a group of 40 scientists and engineers from all over the world came together to simulate volcanic blasts. What they're learning will help them at a real eruption.

To Safely Study Volcanoes, Scientists Bring The Blast To Them

1:31pm May 21, 2019

Studying active volcanoes can be dangerous, which is why a group of scientists from around the world came together to simulate volcanic blasts. What they're learning will help them at a real eruption.

A new analysis of what were initially thought to be microbial fossils in Greenland suggests they might instead just be mineral structures created when ancient tectonic forces squeezed stone. While most of the structures point in one direction, the red arr

Science

Geologists Question 'Evidence Of Ancient Life' in 3.7 Billion-Year-Old Rocks

4:29pm October 17, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A new analysis of what were initially thought to be microbial fossils in Greenland suggests they might instead just be mineral structures created when ancient tectonic forces squeezed stone.

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