Research suggests Mars has far fewer minerals than Earth

Nearly 6,000 different minerals are known to exist on Earth, but after more than 50 years of investigations, only 161 minerals have been recorded on Mars—a dramatically lower number for a planet that shares much in common ...

Earth's most ancient impact craters are disappearing

Earth's oldest craters could give scientists critical information about the structure of the early Earth and the composition of bodies in the solar system as well as help to interpret crater records on other planets. But ...

Ocean skin helps regulate ocean carbon uptake, study finds

At less than one millimeter thick, the ocean skin—the ocean's uppermost layer—plays an outsized role in marine processes, orchestrating heat and chemical exchange between the sea and sky via diffusion. The water of the ...

Study of Uranus' large moons shows four may hold water

Re-analysis of data from NASA's Voyager spacecraft, along with new computer modeling, has led NASA scientists to conclude that four of Uranus' largest moons likely contain an ocean layer between their cores and icy crusts. ...

A new origin story for Burns formation on Mars

There is a reason that NASA's Opportunity rover explored Mars's Meridiani Planum region for 14 years: The locale could hold crucial hints about the Red Planet's early geology and environment.

Prospecting for copper with machine learning and zircons

Zircons are common, hardy minerals that can be found in rocks up to 4 billion years old. Their structure and texture can reflect the conditions in which they formed, earning them a reputation as nature's time capsules. And ...

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