News archive
Faults shape Earth’s surface far beyond the fault lines itself
Active faults do more than uplift mountains: they weaken rocks over distances of up to 100 kilometres, making landscapes erode easier than previously thought.
Deep iron nanoparticles prove the Earth's mantle never mixed
Hidden within volcanic rocks from Hawaii, Iceland and Samoa lies a chemical relic from the earliest history of our planet.
Weakening ocean currents could have intensified ice ages
About a million years ago, a slowdown in North Atlantic ocean circulation intensified and prolonged ice ages. The findings may also sharpen predictions of how ocean currents could shape future climate change.
Scotland's ancient heart: how water built the Earth's first continent
How did Earth’s first continents form? Geologists have long studied Northwest Scotland for clues. Now ETH researchers show its foundations are about 500 million years older than thought, and that water was the crucial ingredient behind their formation.
A new study improves prediction of shallow landslides
Weathered rock layers beneath the soil influence how groundwater moves during storms. The findings help explain when and where shallow landslides occur and could improve hazard prediction.
Deep in Earth’s mantle, melting begins the same way worldwide
Volcanoes are the surface expression of magmas that begin their journey at about 200 km depth. How these deep magmas form has now been investigated by a team of researchers from ETH Zurich and the Carnegie Institution for Science.
Congratulations to the Judith McKenzie fellows!
We are pleased to welcome three outstanding early-career researchers, recipients of the 2026 Judith McKenzie Visiting Early Career Researcher Fellowship. Their diverse projects in geoscience will further enrich our research environment.
How ocean sediments shape Earth’s oxygen and climate balance
A new study identifies the key environmental factors that control how the mineral pyrite forms and is buried in ocean sediments, revealing its outsized role in regulating Earth’s oxygen and climate.
The Swiss underground contains numerous indications of critical raw materials
A re-evaluation of georesources data shows that there are indications of occurrences of numerous critical raw materials such as copper, rare earths elements and lithium in Switzerland. Could their exploration mining be worthwhile?