The asthenosphere exists as a soft layer of solid but malleable rock that can cause the tectonic plates to move and shift. Researchers have wondered what factors make the asthenosphere soft and ...

Here’s how it works. Earth's layers can be assigned according to chemical composition (what they're made of) or mechanical properties (rock strength and elasticity). Earth is made up of several ...

Layers of volcanic rock in eastern Oregon, the Willamette Valley and the Columbia Basin have created fertile soil for farming and ranching, but in the future it could provide fruitful ground for a ...

By analysing the seismic energy that vibrated through the planet after the impact, researchers have discovered a layer of molten rock that envelops Mars’s liquid-metal core. The finding ...

Researchers have detected a previously unknown layer of partially molten rock beneath Earth's crust. The discovery could help scientists learn more about the movements of Earth's tectonic plates ...