Death Valley Crater May Be Younger and More Active Than Previously Thought

Death Valley’s half-mile-wide Ubehebe Crater turns out to have been created 800 years ago—far more recently than generally thought. (Image credit: Brent Goehring/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory)

In California’s Death Valley, geologists have determined that the half-mile-wide Ubehebe Crater, formed by a prehistoric volcanic explosion, was created far more recently than previously thought—and that conditions for a sequel may exist today.

Up to now, geologists were vague on the age of the 600-foot deep crater, which formed when a rising plume of magma hit a pocket of underground water, creating an explosion.

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On Exhibit: The Silent Strength of Artist Liu Xiaslide show

The Silent Strength of Liu Xia

Columbia's Alliance Program and the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, in cooperation with the Ville de Boulogne-Billancourt, will present the only U.S. exhibition of artist Liu Xia's work.

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Scientists See Possible Link Between La Niña Weather Pattern and Flu Pandemics

Scientists Link La Niña Weather Pattern to Flu Pandemics

A new study examining weather patterns around the time of worldwide influenza pandemics finds that each of them was preceded by La Niña conditions in the equatorial Pacific.

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Organizers talk about the development of Social Forces Visualized, an exhibit that explores the pioneers of documentary photography. (3:14)
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