Tag: Geology

Scientists Uncover More Information About Ancient Supercontinent

Link — Tech

Known as Zealandia or Te Riu-a-Māui, an ancient supercontinent exists underneath New Zealand. “Only recently recognized by scientists, Zealandia is the most submerged, thinnest, and youngest continent yet found,” and geologist Rose Turnbull is dedicated to unraveling its secrets. While the landmass was believed to be relatively young, with a crust roughly 500 million years old, the discovery and testing of crystals of zircon collected …

Via nationalgeographic.com

Posted on

Mount Everest’s New Height

Link — Culture

Officials from Nepal and China, the two nations that border Mount Everest, just announced a new official height for the mountain. Now documented as standing at 8,848.86 meters (29,031.69 feet) tall, Everest measures three feet more than the previous height, which was recorded in the 1950s. A number of facts impact Everest’s official height: earthquakes can cause it to sink somewhat, while shifting tectonic plates …

Via washingtonpost.com

Posted on

Earth’s Oldest Asteroid Impact is Two Billion Years Old

Link — Culture

The oldest asteroid collision on the planet, the Yarrabubba impact crater in Western Australia, is a whopping 2.229 billion years old. After analyzing minerals at the crater site, researchers have found the asteroid hit at the end of an era called Snowball Earth (one of the planet’s ice ages). Scientists, led by Dr Timmons Erickson (a geochronologist at Houston’s NASA Johnson Space Center), studied around …

Via nytimes.com

Posted on