The subduction zones where oceanic plates sink beneath the continents produce volcanic arcs such as those that make up the “rim of fire” around the Pacific Ocean. The volcanoes are fed by molten rock ...

(a) Tectonic setting background in the Tonga-Lau-Fiji region. (b) Schematic diagram of the upper mantle structure beneath the Tonga-Lau-Fiji region. A landmark study published in Geoscience—a leading ...

Earth’s deep interior may hold water equal to today’s oceans, challenging long-held views of how the planet became habitable.

TEMPE, Ariz. — Seismologists in recent years have recast their understanding of the inner workings of Earth from a relatively benign homogeneous environment to one that is highly dynamic and ...

The big picture: Theia is a hypothetical ancient planet that orbited the Sun during the formation of the solar system. According to the giant-impact hypothesis, this protoplanet collided with Earth ...