When the plate sinks into the mantle it melts to form magma. The pressure of the magma builds up beneath the Earth's surface. The magma escapes through weaknesses in the rock and rises up through a ...

Lake Turkana in northern Kenya is often called the cradle of humankind. Home to some of the earliest hominids, its fossil-rich basin has helped scientists piece together the story of human evolution.

Scientists have long known about a major fault off the Pacific Northwest coast that could potentially cause a major ...

Dive into the hidden forces that shape our planet—tectonic plates, magma, and the restless energy beneath the crust. This ...

Ethiopia’s Afar and Oromia regions have been hit by several earthquakes and tremors since the beginning of 2025. The strongest, with a magnitude of 5.7, struck on 4 January. The US Geological Survey ...

An earthquake-generating chunk of tectonic plate has been discovered beneath Northern California. It’s attached to the bottom of the North American plate like gum stuck to a shoe. Using abundant, tiny ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover the history of science and exploration. This week’s massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake in eastern Russia, which triggered ...