plate tectonics Archives - State of the Planet

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.

by |March 16, 2023

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.

by |February 15, 2022
Marie Tharp with one of her maps

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.

by |July 23, 2020

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.

by |October 2, 2019

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.

by |June 6, 2019

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.

by |February 12, 2019

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?

by |February 12, 2019
lynn sykes portrait

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.

by |April 6, 2018

Expedition Explores Undersea Rift off Greece

The Corinth rift is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe. Starting this month, researchers will drill into the rift to discover its past and future.

by |October 19, 2017

Learning from Slow-Slip Earthquakes

Off the coast of New Zealand, there is an area where earthquakes can happen in slow-motion as two tectonic plates grind past one another. These slow-slip events create an ideal lab for studying fault behavior along the shallow portion of subduction zones.

by |December 15, 2016