State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

plate tectonics3

  • Ancient Faults & Water Are Sparking Earthquakes Off Alaska

    Ancient Faults & Water Are Sparking Earthquakes Off Alaska

    Ancient faults that formed in the ocean floor millions of years ago are feeding earthquakes today along stretches of the Alaska Peninsula, and likely elsewhere, a new study suggests.

  • Climate Change Leaves Its Mark on the Sea Floor? Maybe Not

    Climate Change Leaves Its Mark on the Sea Floor? Maybe Not

    A new study in Science questions the provocative idea that climate change may shape the texture of the sea floor. A Snickers bar helps explain what’s really going on.

  • Come Aboard: A Look at the R/V Marcus Langseth

    Come Aboard: A Look at the R/V Marcus Langseth

    A new video produced by Columbia University tells the story of what the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth is all about.

  • Photo Essay: Rising Islands, Monster Wave

    Photo Essay: Rising Islands, Monster Wave

    Researchers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have published a new study showing that a tsunami of unimaginable size swept over the Cape Verde Islands some 73,000 years ago. The discovery may have implications for the potential for modern hazards.  READ THE FULL SCIENTIFIC STORY

  • Orogenous Zones: How Rock Flows

    Orogenous Zones: How Rock Flows

    The architects of Columbia’s modern Northwest Tower, at the corner of Broadway and 120th Street, made good use of some beautiful stones. In their polished and swirling surfaces, they tell a story of the clash of continents and the processes by which mountains are made.

  • What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming

    What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming

    The most important lessons drawn from geology are that the earth’s climate can change radically, and rapidly. We can’t say precisely at what CO2 level we’re in danger of melting Antarctica, but that threshold could be reached in 150-300 years, if CO2 levels keep rising at the current rate.

  • The Dawn of Plate Tectonics

    The Dawn of Plate Tectonics

    An ancient grain of zircon found In Jack Hill sandstone north of Perth, Inside its crystal lattice bound: Secrets of our planet’s birth.

  • Terry Plank: Volcano Maven

    Terry Plank: Volcano Maven

    “It just looked like black rock, but every once in awhile a boulder at the end would fall off and you’d see it was completely red inside. And it made all these cool sounds and you’d feel these little earthquakes… It was totally cool. How could you not like that?”

  • A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director

    A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director

    “The Observatory has remained a powerhouse in Earth science research and a very special place. The scientists here are true explorers—creative and fiercely independent.”

  • Ancient Faults & Water Are Sparking Earthquakes Off Alaska

    Ancient Faults & Water Are Sparking Earthquakes Off Alaska

    Ancient faults that formed in the ocean floor millions of years ago are feeding earthquakes today along stretches of the Alaska Peninsula, and likely elsewhere, a new study suggests.

  • Climate Change Leaves Its Mark on the Sea Floor? Maybe Not

    Climate Change Leaves Its Mark on the Sea Floor? Maybe Not

    A new study in Science questions the provocative idea that climate change may shape the texture of the sea floor. A Snickers bar helps explain what’s really going on.

  • Come Aboard: A Look at the R/V Marcus Langseth

    Come Aboard: A Look at the R/V Marcus Langseth

    A new video produced by Columbia University tells the story of what the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth is all about.

  • Photo Essay: Rising Islands, Monster Wave

    Photo Essay: Rising Islands, Monster Wave

    Researchers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have published a new study showing that a tsunami of unimaginable size swept over the Cape Verde Islands some 73,000 years ago. The discovery may have implications for the potential for modern hazards.  READ THE FULL SCIENTIFIC STORY

  • Orogenous Zones: How Rock Flows

    Orogenous Zones: How Rock Flows

    The architects of Columbia’s modern Northwest Tower, at the corner of Broadway and 120th Street, made good use of some beautiful stones. In their polished and swirling surfaces, they tell a story of the clash of continents and the processes by which mountains are made.

  • What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming

    What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming

    The most important lessons drawn from geology are that the earth’s climate can change radically, and rapidly. We can’t say precisely at what CO2 level we’re in danger of melting Antarctica, but that threshold could be reached in 150-300 years, if CO2 levels keep rising at the current rate.

  • The Dawn of Plate Tectonics

    The Dawn of Plate Tectonics

    An ancient grain of zircon found In Jack Hill sandstone north of Perth, Inside its crystal lattice bound: Secrets of our planet’s birth.

  • Terry Plank: Volcano Maven

    Terry Plank: Volcano Maven

    “It just looked like black rock, but every once in awhile a boulder at the end would fall off and you’d see it was completely red inside. And it made all these cool sounds and you’d feel these little earthquakes… It was totally cool. How could you not like that?”

  • A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director

    A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director

    “The Observatory has remained a powerhouse in Earth science research and a very special place. The scientists here are true explorers—creative and fiercely independent.”