We tend to think of the ground beneath our feet as solid, steady, and unchanging. But forces all around us are constantly at work shaping Earth's surface—usually at a pace too slow to be noticed but occasionally in cataclysmic fits that leave no doubt about their power. Explore the forces that move and shake our dynamic Earth.
Dynamic Earth Topics
More About the Dynamic Earth
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The Next Big One
We understand earthquakes better than we did a century ago, when San Francisco was flattened. Now we would like to predict them.
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Wrath of the Gods
The relentless tectonic forces that have rocked the regions around Turkey for millennia nurtured myths of Poseidon and tales of Troy, and may explain why Noah had to build an ark.
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Anatolia—A History Forged by Disaster
Crossroads of both peoples and tectonic plates, the Anatolian region is a place rich with stories of cultures accommodating themselves to a violent geologic landscape.
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Yosemite—Grace Under Pressure
It attracts more than three million visitors each year. But beyond the herds of tourists there is another Yosemite—less familiar, but charged with a power of its own.
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2012 Emerging Explorers
ScienceBlogs Picks
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Explorer Moment: Ray of Hope
Biologist Andrea Marshall leads her team in discovering new and conserving known manta ray species.
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Sylvia Earle on Women in Science
Sylvia Earle reflects on her scientific career and on gender obstacles she faced along the way.
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Genographic
Phenomena: A Science Salon
National Geographic Magazine
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Longevity Pictures
Our genes harbor many secrets to a long and healthy life. And now scientists are beginning to uncover them
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Element Hunters Pictures
All the elements found in nature—the different kinds of atoms—were found long ago. To bag a new one these days, and push the frontiers of matter, you have to create it first.
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Good Gas, Bad Gas
Burn natural gas and it warms your house. But let it leak, from fracked wells or the melting Arctic, and it warms the whole planet.
Genographic
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Explorer Moment: Ray of Hope
Biologist Andrea Marshall leads her team in discovering new and conserving known manta ray species.
-
Sylvia Earle on Women in Science
Sylvia Earle reflects on her scientific career and on gender obstacles she faced along the way.
