Earth Sciences
Why parts of Earth have barely changed in 3 billion years
University of Melbourne geologists have shown how strong cratons formed billions of years ago, when Earth transitioned from a volcanic state to plate tectonics.
Creating Pandora on Earth
China’s famous Zhangjiajie rocks may look like scenery from Avatar, but University of Melbourne research finds water, tectonics and time created this wonder.
Stories from the field: Madagascar
PhD student Catherine Wheller visited this enigmatic African island of Madagascar in search of rocks that hold the key to the formation of Gondwana.
Turbulence: Not as dangerous as you think
Many people think turbulence causes major damage or can even bring down a passenger jet, but the truth should sooth nervous flyers.
Earthquakes: The lessons learned
Earthquake researcher Associate Professor Mark Quigley on the lessons learned from recent major earthquakes and how to better prepare regions at risk.
Bushfires: How politics is compromising safety
As Australia's fire seasons become longer, more complex and damaging, an industrial dispute is the last thing fire-prone communities need.
Is Bhutan’s earthquake hiatus over?
After centuries with no major earthquake, new research suggests Bhutan’s luck may be running out.
How we can link some extreme weather to climate change
Increasingly, we see human factors on not just the climate but the weather, and Australia is at the forefront of research in this rapidly developing science.
A long climatic affair
New research by the University of Melbourne has traced the human impact on record-breaking hot temperatures as far back as the 1930s.
The not-so-plain Nullarbor
The Nullarbor Plain, one of Australia's driest spots, was once a forest packed with gums and banksias as little as 3.5 million years ago, research shows.