Erik Klemetti

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Rocky Planet

M7.9 earthquake in Tonga

(Image Credit: Matt Makes Photos/Shutterstock) 

Transantarctic mountains

Learn more about the rock librabry that holds ancient rocks and clues from 

Rock Library Reveals the Mysteries of the Transantarctic Mountains

hot spring at Yellowstone

Learn more about some of the microbes found in Yellowstone National Park hot springs and how they may hold the secrets to how life evolved on Earth. 

Yellowstone Hot Springs Create Perfect Environment for Ancient Microbes 

Looking southeast at the hydrothermal feature that formed in August 2024 just north of Nymph Lake. Steam is emanating from a vent that is partially full of water to create the frying pan feature nestled in the newly formed vent. A thin grey layer of silica mud covers the vent area. (Image Courtesy of: Jefferson Hungerford, Yellowstone National Park, August 2024/Public Domain) 

2024 Roadside Springs feature closeup

Learn more about the new hydrothermal feature that appeared last summer in Yellowstone National Park, and how, even though it went dormant over the winter, it could appear again this summer. 

Could Yellowstone National Park Visitors See New Thermal Feature Again This Summer? 

Bison in Grand Prismatic

Find out how some animals at Yellowstone National Park make fatal mistakes,  and learn about the real reason why hot springs are so dangerous.

Yellowstone Bison Meets Tragic End at Hot Spring, Showing the Danger of Hydrothermal Features

(Image Credit: Danita Delimont/Shutterstock) 

Hudson bay

Discover how scientists found and dated the oldest rocks on the planet, and why studying them can help explain how life on Earth first began.

The Oldest Rocks on Earth Are in Canada, and They’re 4.16 Billion Years Old

Looking out into the Main Ethiopian Rift, taken at Boset Volcano in Ethiopia. (Image Credit: Prof Thomas Gernon, University of Southampton)

Main Ethiopian Rift in Afar, Ethiopia in Africa

Learn more about the pounding plume of molten rock that’s beneath Ethiopia, forcing its three tectonic plates to separate.

Deep Pulses Beneath Africa Are Breaking the Continent Apart, Creating a New Ocean

M7.9 earthquake in Tonga

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