For years, scientists have used mineral, sediment, and ice layers throughout geologic time to track the global climate record. These can come from ice sheets. But over the course of the last decade, a new method has been developed for geoscientists to assess global climate history in almost any arid landscape. The technique relies on testing a thin, sometimes only millimeters thick, layer of calcite that precipitates on rocks as rainwater filters through the ground. [Read More]

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce the release of the Geoscience Handbook: AGI Data Sheets, Fifth Edition. For more than 40 years, AGI’s Data Sheets have been a critical tool for the geoscientist in the field, the lab, and the classroom. The book evolved into its current, full-color and spiral bound format with the 2005 debut of the fourth edition. Now AGI has tapped some of the best minds in the geosciences to produce this fifth edition. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is sponsoring four contests in celebration of Earth Science Week 2016, with this year’s theme being “Our Shared Geoheritage.” This year’s competitions will feature the traditional photography contest, visual arts contest, and essay contest – as well as a new video contest. Photography Contest Students, geoscientists, and the general public are invited to participate in this year’s photography contest, “Our Heritage in Earth Systems. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - EARTH Magazine plunges into the depths of the ocean with scientists seeking whether Earth’s climate and sea-level history are intrinsically linked with tectonics at mid-ocean ridges. Since these ridges are not as well studied as terrestrial volcanoes, largely given the challenge to access them, teams of researchers are using tectonic models, evidence from high-resolution mapping of different spreading ridges and sediment cores to examine the evidence. When a potential link between climate, sea-level change and mid-ocean ridge volcanism was first proposed, it was met with considerable push-back from leading experts in the field. [Read More]

“Connecting earth, science, and people” Alexandria, VA - Between Utah and Colorado lies a geographical diamond that contains a rich collection of fossils and dinosaur footprints. This region records the history of when dinosaurs inhabited this area, with all major ages of dinosaur life represented here. Paleontologists have debated for over a hundred years which dinosaurs existed based on bones and abundant dinosaur tracks, which provide clues that allow geoscientists to interpret dinosaur daily life. [Read More]

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce the first seven recipients of the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) Diversity Grants. Congratulations to Elizabeth Padilla (University of Tennessee Knoxville), Celina Suarez (University of Arkansas), Marina Suarez (University of Texas San Antonio), Jeremy Williams (Kent State University), Yadira Ibarra (Stanford University), John Paul Balmonte (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill) and Matthew Medina (University of Michigan). These grants support geoscience researchers with travel funds to national and international conferences to present DCO-affiliated research, travel funds to attend DCO-related workshops, conferences and events, funds for supporting lab or fieldwork that advances DCO-aligned research, or instrumentation time at DCO-affiliated facilities. [Read More]

Leading up to Earth Science Week 2016, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to invite students to enter its new “One Shared Place” contest. Each team will submit a 30- to 90-second video about an outdoor place that is special in terms of geoheritage (natural features, settings, and resources formed over vast periods) and geoscience (the study of Earth systems). Places selected for videos may range widely, including school yards, nature center grounds, parks, recreation areas, cultural landmarks, past industrial sites, and other locations. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - This issue, EARTH Magazine explores the world’s top weather-related killer: exposure to extreme heat. Human response to extreme heat leads to heat stress, an illness related to the body’s inability to cool down. Humidity plays a crucial role, because as humidity increases, the ability of sweat to evaporate and cool the body decreases. When past studies have looked at potential heat stress vulnerabilities in a warming world, they only considered projected air temperatures. [Read More]

Educators and students worldwide will celebrate Earth Day 2016 on April 22 with cool experiments, and investigations exploring how our world works – and those in the know can take advantage of a wealth of education resources available through Earth Science Week. Although Earth Science Week 2016 will be celebrated on October 9-15, this international public awareness program offers education materials, information, and tools throughout the year. Since the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) founded the program in 1998, Earth Science Week has supported teaching and learning about Earth system science, the study of how the planet’s geosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and biosphere (life) interact. [Read More]

Iceland, located in the North Atlantic, is a prime geological environment for volcanoes due to its position straddling a mid-ocean ridge and possibly riding over a Hawaiian-style hot spot. With more than 100 volcanoes, 33 of which are active, Iceland is home to examples of every type of volcano on Earth, each with its own eruptive pattern. This makes the island nation a special challenge to volcanologists and an ideal natural laboratory for studying how volcanic processes evolve. [Read More]