Geophysics

The Aurora, often called the northern or southern lights, are caused by interactions between Earth's upper atmosphere and charged particles from the Sun.

Jul 24, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

Earth's interior structure includes the crust, mantle, inner core, and outer core. The crust and mantle are rocky. The inner and outer cores are metallic.

May 9, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

With 80% of its surface covered with volcanoes or solidified lava flows, Venus is very tectonically active, but tectonics on Venus differ from plate tectonics on Earth.

Apr 21, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

Venus has over 1600 large volcanoes and many more smaller ones. Comparing the types of volcanoes found on Venus to Earth's volcanoes helps scientists understand both.

Apr 21, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

The Moon's surface is littered with meteorite impact craters, but Earth has very few because geologic and plate tectonic activity destroyed ancient impact craters.

Apr 20, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

Earth has very active plate tectonics shaping its geology and features. Other planets and moons in the solar system have varying degrees of tectonic activity.

Feb 23, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

Mars has some of the largest known geologic features in the solar system because Martian tectonic and geologic processes are different than plate tectonics on Earth.

Feb 17, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

Plate tectonic theory grew from Wegener's continental drift hypothesis and is the unifying theory underlying modern geology and geophysics.

Feb 3, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

Scientists indirectly deduce the interior structure and composition of Earth and other planets using the density, seismic waves, and the magnetic field.

Jan 22, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

Scientists indirectly deduce the interior structure and composition of Earth and other planets using the density, seismic waves, and the magnetic field.

Jan 22, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert

Density is one of the tools scientists use to indirectly deduce the interior structure and composition of Earth and other planets.

Jan 22, 2009 - Paul A. Heckert