"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Scientists know that the world’s continents emerged during the Archean eon, which stretched from about 4 ...

How did the continents form? Although to a certain extent this remains an open question, the oceanic plateau of the Kerguelen Islands may well provide part of the answer, according to a ...

For much of modern geological history, the number of continents seemed fixed and unquestioned. Yet a mostly submerged landmass in the South Pacific has disrupted that familiar picture. Zealandia, ...

Far beneath the South Pacific, a continent the size of India has finally stepped out of the cartographic shadows. After ...

Earth is the only planet we know of with continents, the giant landmasses that provide homes to humankind and most of Earth’s biomass. However, we still don’t have firm answers to some basic questions ...

Both life and geological processes get their start in the Archaean era amidst a brew of atmospheric gases that probably includes methane and ammonia but little or no free oxygen. As Earth cools, a ...

Chris Kirkland receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Geological Survey of Western Australia. Tim Johnson receives funding from the Australian Research Council (DP200101104) and ...

Thomas Gernon receives funding from the WoodNext Foundation, a component fund administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation. In 2005, I was navigating winding roads through the Drakensberg ...

A vast, mostly submerged landmass in the South Pacific, Zealandia, is now recognized as Earth's eighth continent. Recent mapping confirms its continental crust, scale, and ancient origins, challenging ...