The processes that form continental crust from the denser basaltic rocks of the upper mantle may make the lower lithosphere denser than the underlying mantle. One theory holds that the lower lithosphere splits away and sinks into the mantle in a process called foundering.

From the flamboyant blossoms and birds of rainforests to the living rainbows of coral reefs, Earth’s surface is teeming with life. But some of its most diverse and fascinating biomes are thriving in the darkness below.

A new way of measuring structures deep inside Earth has highlighted numerous previously unknown blobs within our planet's mantle. These anomalies are surprisingly similar to sunken chunks of Earth's crust but appear in seemingly impossible places.

Plate tectonics give Earth its mountains, earthquakes, continental drift and maybe even helped give rise to life itself. But do other planets in the solar system have them too?

Crucial to all life on Earth, the 15th element of phosphorus remains a real puzzle for astronomers. Specialized space telescopes are needed to shed light on the issue.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit has snapped a striking shot of the super-bright comet racing past our planet for the first time in 160,000 years, as it lit up the night skies across the globe.

In the world’s coldest town—where even boiling water can freeze in seconds—around 900 residents find normalcy in a life defined by extreme temperatures. This is their story.

A tiny asteroid loitering in a near-Earth orbit for a few months last year may have an intriguing origin on our moon. Its characteristics led scientists to ask: is it a chip off the old lunar block, making a pass by Earth for a visit?

Earth’s magnetic north is not static. Like an anchorless buoy pushed by ocean waves, the magnetic field is constantly on the move as liquid iron sloshes around in the planet’s outer core.

NASA proposes a faster, cheaper plan to bring Mars samples to Earth, aiming for delivery by the 2030s while cutting costs significantly.

"Once again, the temperature record has been shattered — 2024 was the hottest year since record keeping began in 1880."

A 2023 satellite image captured a pair of peculiar phenomena painting parallel swirls in the sea and sky around Norway's Bear Island, which is surrounded by extremely radioactive waters left behind by a doomed Soviet submarine.