geology

Hikers watch Kīlauea erupt from the safety of the trail.

if you want explosive drama with your hiking adventures, there’s nothing like walking on a volcano. Here are 10 trails that will take you there.

A police car guards a section of a Los Angeles freeway cracked by the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake in 1994.

A future mega-earthquake in the Pacific Northwest could lead to the “Big One” along the San Andreas fault in California—or vice versa—according to clues found in sediment cores.

A few of the incredible prehistoric stone alignments at Carnac in France.

From the mysterious human-made structures at Bolivia’s Tiwanaku Archaeological Site to the prehistoric megaliths at Carnac in France, these rock formations inspire awe and curiosity.

Every second counts when it comes to earthquakes, and Android‘s AEA system is changing how people prepare for one of nature’s most unpredictable disasters.

Is anyone shocked that the Grand Canyon tops the list?

These stunning U.S. canyons drew massive crowds in 2024. Find out which natural wonders topped the list, based on National Park Service data.

Tourists are damaging the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.

Visitors stuffing coins into Northern Ireland’s famed basalt columns are unintentionally damaging this natural wonder and costing the country thousands.

An aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef near Queensland, Australia.

Australia’s biggest natural wonder is a huge draw for tourists and fish alike. Here’s everything you need to know about the world’s most famous reef.

People now have the privilege of seeing Uluru and Kata Tjuta after the sun goes down.

The new overnight guided tour through Uluru-Kata Tjuta is filled with nature, history, and culture.

An aerial view of a sinkhole in Wales that appeared in December 2024.

Sinkholes have gulped down suburban homes, Corvettes, the White House lawn, a sizable chunk of Louisiana, and even people. How does the ground just open up like that?

Yellowstone‘s Castle Geyser is doing its thing.

A newly discovered vent at Yellowstone National Park has caught the attention of researchers and tourists.

The ‘school fossil boulder’ originating from Dunn Creek Mining Area, Callide, Queensland.

A rock slab displayed at Biloela State High School contains some of the most densely packed dinosaur footprints ever discovered in Australia.

It’s easier to forecast earthquakes than predict them.

To predict quakes, scientists have to understand how they occur, what happens just before and during the start of one, and whether it shows signs that movement is imminent. So far, none of those things is known.

Gabriel Ugueto‘s illustration of Ahvaytum bahndooiveche.

A surprising discovery in Wyoming has challenged long-held ideas about dinosaur migration.

The online database covers nearly all the fossils discovered in New Zealand.

New Zealand’s open-access fossil database makes it easier for scientists to collaborate.

Mount Everest is slowly getting more challenging for climbers.

The world’s tallest peak is experiencing an 89,000-year-long growth spurt.

The knight’s tombstone rediscovered at Jamestown.

Scientists examined microscopic fossils in the tombstone and suggest the jet-black slab with an English knight’s insignia could have come only from one place.

The newly-discovered diamond weighs about a pound.

The impressive gemstone comes in at 2492 carats.

Watch an explorer share what it's like to descend into the Darvaza Gas Crater, also known as the “Gates of Hell.”

Chemical signatures from the Chicxulub asteroid’s impact—which caused a mass extinction on Earth 66 million years ago—match those of carbonaceous meteorites formed beyond Jupiter.

The San Andreas Faultline north of Los Angeles.

The nightmare scenario described in an influential 2008 study may end up being less destructive than scientists thought, but Angelenos still shouldn't get too comfortable.

If you measure it a certain way, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is taller than Mount Everest.

The title of “tallest mountain” depends on how—and where—you make your measurements.

A photo of the Bayou Corne sinkhole taken shortly after it appeared on August 3, 2012.

The residents of Bayou Corne, Louisiana, woke up one morning in 2012 and found a gigantic sinkhole devouring their town.

In the 1960s, one in 35 movies featured someone getting sucked into quicksand.

There's much more to the Wyoming landmark than what you saw in ’Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’

10 Fascinating Volcano Trails

“It’s Movie Territory”: Huge Cascadia Earthquakes Can Trigger the San Andreas Fault, Scientists Say

7 Amazing Rock Formations That Could Rival Stonehenge

How Your Android Phone Can Alert You to Earthquakes Before You Feel Them

The 10 Most Popular Canyons to Explore in the U.S

Ireland Begs Tourists to Stop Wedging Coins Into the Giant’s Causeway

15 Big Facts About the Great Barrier Reef

Travelers Can Spend the Night Near Uluru in Australia for the First Time Ever

What Causes Sinkholes?

Yellowstone’s New Thermal Vent May Be Easy to Spot This Summer

66 Dinosaur Footprints Discovered on Rock Gifted to an Australian High School Decades Ago

Why Can’t We Predict Earthquakes?

Dinosaurs Arrived in the Northern Hemisphere Earlier Than We Thought, Fossil Suggests

New Zealand Is the First Country to Open Its Fossil Database to the Public

Mount Everest Keeps Growing—a New Study May Help Explain Why

Jamestown’s Mysterious Black Tombstone Originated in Belgium, Archaeologists Say

World’s Second-Largest Diamond Uncovered in Botswana

What It’s Like at the Real-Life ‘Gates of Hell’ in Turkmenistan

Asteroid That Wiped Out Dinosaurs Likely Came From the Outer Solar System

Los Angeles May Survive the Worst of the “Big One,” According to a New Earthquake Simulation

3 Mountains Taller Than Mount Everest

When a Lake Swallowed the Earth: The Story of the Louisiana Sinkhole

8 Fascinating Facts About Quicksand

7 Majestic Facts About Devils Tower