Orogeny

Atop the Oregon Cascades, UO team finds a huge buried aquifer

Scientists from the University of Oregon and their partners have mapped the amount of water stored beneath volcanic rocks at the crest of the central Oregon Cascades and found an aquifer many times larger than previously estimated — at least 81 cubic kilometers.  The finding has implications for the way scientists and policymakers think about water in the region — an increasingly urgent issue across the Western United States as climate change reduces snowpack, intensifies drought and strains limited resources. 

These Revolutionary Maps Are Revealing Earth's Geological Secrets

This work paves the way for more precise and comprehensive geological models

Himalayas formation may have destroyed at least 30% of continental crust in collision zone

Earth's continents are slowly moving across the planet's surface due to plate tectonics, culminating in regions of crustal expansion and collision. In the latter case, high temperatures and pressures lead to the reworking of the crust, affecting its composition, as well as that of the underlying mantle. Furthermore, when two continental plates collide, distinct topographic features are produced, namely mountain ranges, which are surficial manifests of Earth's thickened crust.

Scientists Unveil Mysterious Origins of Earth’s Largest Igneous Rocks

A geochemistry study led by Rice advances our understanding of ancient rock formations. A team of researchers has advanced our understanding of massif-type anorthosites, mysterious rocks that formed exclusively during Earth's middle history. These igneous formations, rich in plagioclase and spannin