plate tectonics
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Girl Talk Is Making Waves
In honor of International Women’s Day, we highlight a new workshop that engages women of all backgrounds in ocean sciences.
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Cutting Confederate Ties, the U.S. Navy Names Ships for a Pioneering Female Oceanographer and a Daring Enslaved Pilot
Marie Tharp was a marine scientist in a man’s world. Robert Smalls was a skilled sailor, but held as a slave. Both are now being honored by the U.S. Navy.
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How Does a Major Subduction Zone Get Started? It May Begin Small.
A study of an emerging zone off New Zealand suggests that the process, vital for life on Earth, may at first be localized and then develop into something much larger.
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Join Us in Celebrating #MarieTharp100
July 30 marks 100 years since the birth of Marie Tharp, a pioneering geologist who created some of the first maps of the ocean floor. We’re celebrating her achievements and legacy with blog posts, giveaways, and more.
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Walter Pitman: Discovered a Key to Plate Tectonics
Walter Pitman, a seagoing geophysicist who spotted a crucial piece of a huge puzzle that revolutionized the earth sciences, has died.
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A Seismologist Present at the Discovery of Plate Tectonics
Lynn Sykes, a pivotal figure in the development of plate tectonics, discusses a new memoir of his career.
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Photo Essay: On an Island, a Lost Part of the World Is Found
On the volcanic Indian Ocean island of Anjouan, scientists are investigating a rock that apparently formed on a far-off continent.
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On a Remote Island, a Lost Part of the World Is Found
On a small volcanic island in the Indian Ocean lies a geologic enigma—a mass of pure white quartzite sandstone apparently formed on a faraway continent long ago. How did it get there?
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Renowned Seismologist Lynn Sykes Receives Honorary Doctorate from Columbia University
Sykes helped to establish plate tectonic theory in the 1960s. He is professor emeritus at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More
