Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
The composition of Earth's oldest crust is uncertain. Comparison of the most ancient mineral grains with more recent analogues suggests that formation of the earliest crust was heavily influenced by re-melting of igneous basement rocks.
Glaciers and ice sheets are retreating in response to climate warming. An analysis of drainage patterns of a huge glacier in Yukon, Canada shows that glacier retreat has led to a drastic change in the destination of its meltwater in spring 2016.
Unlike Earth, Venus lacks discrete, moving plates. Analogue model experiments suggest that observed hints at plate recycling do indeed indicate current, localized destruction of the Venusian surface.
Dehydration of subducting slabs could create a reservoir of water in the overlying mantle. A synthesis of thermal model results, however, shows that slab dehydration is slow over geological time scales, so such reservoirs are probably rare.
Organic carbon fluxes from glaciers are a key control on biogeochemical cycles in polar regions. Two analyses of carbon cycling in glaciers show the importance of glacier–surface microbial communities in setting these inputs.
Over 70% of the volcanism on Earth occurs beneath an ocean veil. Now, robotic- and fibre-optic-based technologies are beginning to reveal this deep environment and identify subaqueous volcanoes as rich sources of sulfur, carbon dioxide and life.
The atmosphere can hold more water in a warming climate, which may lead to more extreme rainfall events. An analysis suggests that links ofrainfall extremes with daily temperature variations do not provide a reliable basis for projections.
Mineral dust particles interact with solar and terrestrial radiation. Statistical analyses of observational data and global simulations reveal that atmospheric dust is coarser than previously thought, and could cause warming of the atmosphere.
The geological record preserves scant evidence for early plate tectonics. Analysis of eclogites — metamorphic rocks formed in subduction zones — in the Trans-Hudson mountain belt suggests modern-style subduction may have operated 1,800 million years ago.
Freezing and thawing of soils leads to large pulses of nitrous oxide release. An empirical model shows that cropland winter nitrous oxide emissions are substantial, calling for a revision of the global nitrous oxide budget.
External metal inputs to oceans affect ocean productivity and metal cycling. A synthesis of researchreveals that internal processes such as metal retention, recycling and remineralizationare also important.
Hints from seismic tomography and geochemistry indicate that Earth's mantle is heterogeneous at large scale. Numerical simulations of mantle convection show that, if it started enriched in silicates, the lower mantle may remain unmixed today.
Dissolved iron is mysteriously pervasive in deep ocean hydrothermal plumes. An analysis of gas, metals and particles from a 4,000 km plume transect suggests that dissolved iron is maintained by rapid and reversible exchanges with sinking particles.
Variability of iron isotopes among planetary bodies may reflect their accretion or differentiation histories. Experiments suggest nickel may be the ingredient controlling iron isotope signatures, supporting fractionation during core formation.
Atmospheric oxygen was maintained at low levels throughout huge swathes of Earth's early history. Estimates of phosphorus availability through time suggest that scavenging from anoxic, iron-rich oceans stabilized this low-oxygen world.
A global cooling trend culminated in the glaciation of Antarctica during the Eocene–Oligocene transition. Simulations suggest that ocean circulation changes and enhanced drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide can explain this climate shift.
The net carbon flux on land comprises emissions from land-use change and uptake by vegetation. An evaluation of vegetation models suggests that emissions from land-use change, and thus the terrestrial sink, may be substantially underestimated.
Groundwater resources are directly affected by climate variability via precipitation, evapotranspiration and recharge. Analyses of US and India trends reveal that climate-induced pumping indirectly influences groundwater depletion as well.
