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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Geoscience: Earthquakes
Published Scientists reveal an explosive secret hidden beneath seemingly trustworthy volcanoes
(via sciencedaily.com) Volcanologists working on remote islands in the Galápagos Archipelago has found that volcanoes which reliably produce small basaltic lava eruptions hide chemically diverse magmas in their underground plumbing systems - including some with the potential to generate explosive activity. These volcanoes might undergo unexpected changes to sudden such activity in the future.
Published What happens in Vegas, may come from the Arctic?
(via sciencedaily.com) Ancient climate records from Leviathan Cave, located in the southern Great Basin, show that Nevada was even hotter and drier in the past than it is today, and that one 4,000-year period in particular may represent a true, ''worst-case'' scenario picture for the Southwest and the Colorado River Basin -- and the millions of people who rely on its water supply.
Published Earliest humans stayed at the Americas 'oldest hotel' in Mexican cave
(via sciencedaily.com) A cave in a remote part of Mexico was visited by humans around 30,000 years ago - 15,000 years earlier than people were previously thought to have reached the Americas. Excavations of Chiquihuite Cave, located in a mountainous area in northern Mexico controlled by drugs cartels, uncovered nearly 2000 stone tools from a small section of the high-altitude cave. Analysis of the sediment in the cave uncovered a new story of the colonisation of the Americas.
Published Neanderthals of Western Mediterranean did not become extinct because of changes in climate, study shows
(via sciencedaily.com) According to paleoclimatic reconstructions analyzing stalagmites sampled in some caves in the Murge plateau (Apulia, Italy), Neanderthals might have become extinct because Homo sapiens employed more sophisticated hunting technologies.
Published Caves tell us that Australia's mountains are still growing
(via sciencedaily.com) Research shows Buchan Caves to be about 3.5 million years old and that Victoria's East Gippsland has remained tectonically active for long times, even into the present-day, which is why residents occasionally report earthquakes. Basically, the uplifting Southern Alps in New Zealand have made stress and strain on the Australian tectonic plate, stress that is then expressed as earthquakes and rising landscapes in Victoria. It's rather amazing that the caves recorded this geological signal all the way from NZ.
Published Human-driven pollution alters the environment even underground
(via sciencedaily.com) The Monte Conca cave system in Sicily is showing signs of being altered by pollution from above.
Published 9,900-year-old Mexican female skeleton distinct from other early American settlers
(via sciencedaily.com) A new skeleton discovered in the submerged caves at Tulum sheds new light on the earliest settlers of Mexico.
Published Ocean temperatures impact Central American climate more than once thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers examined the rainfall history of Central America over the last 11,000 years. The results provide context for the development of tropical rainforest ecosystems in the region, and long-sought answers to what has been controlling rainfall in Central America for several millennia.
Published Early North Americans may have been more diverse than previously suspected
(via sciencedaily.com) Ancient skulls from the cave systems at Tulum, Mexico, suggest that the earliest populations of North America may have already had a high level of morphological diversity, according to a new study.
Published Game-based virtual archaeology field school
(via sciencedaily.com) Before they can get started at their field site - a giant cave studded with stalactites, stalagmites and human artifacts -- 15 undergraduate students must figure out how to use their virtual hands and tools. They also must learn to teleport.
Published Driven by Earth's orbit, climate changes in Africa may have aided human migration
(via sciencedaily.com) New research describes a dynamic climate and vegetation model that explains when regions across Africa, areas of the Middle East, and the Mediterranean were wetter and drier and how the plant composition changed in tandem, possibly providing migration corridors throughout time.
Published Sea-ice-free Arctic makes permafrost vulnerable to thawing
(via sciencedaily.com) New research provides evidence from Siberian caves suggesting that summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean plays an essential role in stabilizing permafrost and its large store of carbon.
Published Illumination drives bats out of caves
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have investigated how the illumination of bat caves affects the animals' behavior and whether the color of light makes a difference on their flight. Although red light irritates the small mammals somewhat less than white light, from the researchers' point of view neither the entrance nor the interior of bat caves should be illuminated if bats are present.
Published Human migration out of Africa may have followed monsoons in the Middle East
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study by geoscientists and climatologists provides evidence that summer monsoons from Asia and Africa may have reached into the Middle East for periods of time going back at least 125,000 years, providing suitable corridors for human migration.
Published Bats in attics might be necessary for conservation
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers investigate and describe the conservation importance of buildings relative to natural, alternative roosts for little brown bats in Yellowstone National Park.
Published Megadrought likely triggered the fall of the Assyrian Empire
(via sciencedaily.com) The Neo-Assyrian Empire, centered in northern Iraq and extending from Iran to Egypt -- the largest empire of its time -- collapsed after more than two centuries of dominance at the fall of its capital, Nineveh, in 612 B.C.E. Despite a plethora of cuneiform textual documentation and archaeological excavations and field surveys, archaeologists and historians have been unable to explain the abruptness and finality of the historic empire's collapse.
Published Can machine learning reveal geology humans can't see?
(via sciencedaily.com) Identifying geological features in a densely vegetated, steep, and rough terrain can be almost impossible. Imagery like LiDAR can help researchers see through the tree cover, but subtle landforms can often be missed by the human eye.
Published Evidence for past high-level sea rise
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists, studying evidence preserved in speleothems in a coastal cave, illustrate that more than three million years ago -- a time in which the Earth was two to three degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial era -- sea level was as much as 16 meters higher than the present day.
Published Field research in Turkmenistan's highest mountain reveals high biological diversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Well-known for its unique landscapes and rare wildlife, the Koytendag State Nature Reserve was yet to reveal the scale of its actual biodiversity when a series of international expeditions.
Published Cave secrets unlocked to show past drought and rainfall patterns
(via sciencedaily.com) Global trends in cave waters identify how stalagmites reveal past rainfall and drought patterns.