GEOLOGY

Tennis Ball-Sized Diamond Expected to Fetch More Than $70 Million at Auction

The 1109-carat stone is the largest gem-quality diamond discovered in more than a century and the second-largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found.

The Largest Blue Diamond Ever Up For Auction Could Be Yours for $45 Million

The 14.62 carat gem is one of the rarest in the world.

New USGS Earthquake Forecast Maps Include Tremors Caused by Humans

Earthquakes caused by human activity—mostly gas and oil operations—have become too common to ignore.

Hot Days and Cool Nights Can Trigger Rockfalls

Rapid temperature cycles can stress the faces of mountainsides to their breaking point.

What's the Oldest Object Ever Found?

Hint: It wasn't made by humans.

Scientists to Drill Chicxulub Crater for Clues to Mass Extinction Event

The 100+ mile wide, 12-mile deep impression might have been left by the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.

Ahodges7, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

12 Amazing Balancing Stones Around the World

In some cases, no one really knows how these things stay up.

6 Beautiful Photos of Impact Craters—Where Space Rocks Met Earth

El’gygytgyn might sound like the name of Cthulhu's kid brother, but it's actually an impact crater on the Chukotka peninsula in Russia.

Image Composite: Wikimedia Commons // Wikimedia Commons // Wikimedia Commons

15 Gorgeous Cave Paintings

While most cave paintings remain enigmatic, they provide important clues to daily life, religious beliefs, and culture change among prehistoric humans.

Norway Wants to Give Finland a Mountain for Its Birthday

An Apple Watch is nice, but a mountain is the gift that keeps on giving.

China’s Lunar Rover Discovered a New Type of Rock on the Moon

This marks the first time rock has been sampled on the moon in 40 years.

Dinosaurs Evolved Faster Than We Thought

Recent radioactive dating shaves several million years off their evolution timeline.

Massive 'Gash' Splits Open Foothills of Bighorn Mountains

The chasm stretches for 2250 feet and is 150 feet wide.

These Atomic Tourists Have Visited 160 Forgotten Nuclear Sites Across the U.S.

Diamonds Are This Park's Best Friend

Study Suggests That Life on Earth Began 300 Million Years Earlier Than We Thought

Carbons that pre-date rock records were found in ancient minerals in Australia.

Ildar Sagdejev, Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-SA 4.0

2015 is the Year of Mud

There’s still plenty of time to celebrate mud and mud-related activities.

The Science Behind Super Rare (and Totally Amazing) Volcanic Lightning

A "dirty thunderstorm" might sound like a bad cocktail, but it's actually one of nature's most radical events.

880-foot Megatsunami Slammed an Island off West Africa 73,000 Years Ago

The giant wave was so powerful that it dislodged boulders from the island's shores and swept them onto its mainland.

Bass Harbor Lighthouse at Acadia National Park.

11 Facts About Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park in Maine may not be as renowned as some of its Western brethren, but it’s every bit as spectacular.

UCLA Uses a High-Tech Sandbox to Teach Topography

Researchers at UCLA have turned an ordinary playground sandbox into a powerful (and fun!) research tool.

Fish Feces Builds Beautiful Beaches

If you ever find yourself in the Maldives laying on a gorgeous white sand beach, thank a parrotfish. They built that beach for you, though you might not like the way they did it.

Chris857, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

No One Knows Where This Minnesota Waterfall Goes

The Brule River in Minnesota splits just before it enters Lake Superior. One side becomes a 50 foot waterfall, and the other pours into a giant pothole. Where it goes from there is a mystery.

New Research Suggests There Are Active Volcanoes on Venus

Temperature spikes on boiling-hot Venus have scientists thinking the planet has active volcanoes.

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