Tag: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
New prehistoric bird species discovered
A team of Rochester geologists has discovered a new species of bird in the Canadian Arctic. At approximately 90 million years old, the bird fossils are among the oldest avian records found in the northernmost latitude.
Searching for more insights on Earth’s magnetic field
Geophysicist John Tarduno has taken a group of students to Africa and Australia this summer to continue his groundbreaking work on the strength and direction of Earth’s magnetic field. The students are live-tweeting from their research sites, sending photos from the field.
Fate of marine carbon confirms importance of polar oceans
A new study shows that the polar seas are much better than other regions of the ocean at trapping carbon from marine plankton.
Robert Poreda honored as fellow of Geological Society of America
Geochemist Robert Poreda, professor of earth and environmental sciences and an expert in the field of noble gases, was honored earlier this month as a newly elected fellow of the Geological Society of America (GSA).
International research team to explore whether the loss of CO2 caused earth to cool 3 million years ago
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $4.24 million to Carmala Garzione and John Tarduno, both professors of earth and environmental sciences, to launch this joint U.S.-China research project.
Ancient crystals show Earth’s magnetic field switched on early
To probe the origin of Earth’s magnetism, a team led by John Tarduno retrieved rock samples from the Jack Hills in Western Australia – home to some of the oldest rocks on the planet.
Earth magnetic shield is older than previously thought
The Earth’s magnetic field, which shields the atmosphere from harmful radiation, is at least four billion years old, according to scientists.
Researchers find that Earth’s magnetic shield is 500 million years older than previously thought
Since 2010, the best estimate of the age of Earth’s magnetic field has been 3.45 billion years. But now the Rochester researcher responsible for that finding has new data showing the magnetic field is far older.
First measurements taken of South Africa’s iron age magnetic field history
Combined with the current weakening of Earth’s magnetic field, the data suggest that the region of Earth’s core beneath southern Africa may play a special role in reversals of the planet’s magnetic poles.
Ancient huts may reveal clues to earth’s magnetic pole reversals
Patches of ground where huts were burned down in southern Africa contain a key mineral that recorded the magnetic field at the time of each ritual burning.