Despite wide differences in ecology and geology, rivers around the world share certain fundamental features. Physicists study these characteristics by creating small-scale rivers in the laboratory, like the experiment featured Keep reading
Tag: geology
Dissolving Caramel
In nature, erosion patterns are driven by the interactions of flow and topography. Here, researchers study that process in the lab by placing an inclined block of caramel in quiescent Keep reading
Exploring Martian Mud Flows
When looking at Mars and other parts of our solar system, planetary scientists are faced with a critical question: if what I’m looking at is similar to something on Earth, Keep reading
Tektites and Spinning Fluids
Tektites, like obsidian, are a naturally-occurring glass formed from molten rock. But tektites are often dumbbell or figure-8-shaped because they form in midair from spinning bits of fluid sent skyward Keep reading
Where are Titan’s Deltas?
Saturn’s moon Titan is the only other planetary body in our solar system known to have bodies of liquid on its surface. But where Earth has lakes and seas of Keep reading
When the Mediterranean Dried Up
Geological evidence shows that millions of years ago, the Mediterranean Sea nearly dried out. In fluid mechanics, we’d describe this problem using one of our fundamental equations: conservation of mass, Keep reading
Martian Landslides
Sometimes there are advantages to studying planetary physics beyond Earth. Mars does not have plate tectonics, vegetation, or the level of erosion we do, allowing geological features like those left Keep reading
Falling Drops and Forming Stalagmites
The vast stalactites and stalagmites found in caves take millennia to form. Mineral-rich water seeps down the icicle-like stalactites and then drips onto stalagmites below, each drop depositing a little Keep reading
Inside the Earth’s Mantle
Plate tectonics is a relatively young scientific theory, only gaining traction among geologists in the late 60s and early 70s. One key tenet of the theory is subduction where plates meet and one Keep reading
Anak Krakatoa Landslide
Last December, the collapsing flank of the Anak Krakatoa volcano caused a deadly tsunami in Indonesia. Using satellite imagery, scientists have now constructed a timeline of the island’s dramatic restructuring. In the Keep reading