Editor’s Note: Today’s story is the answer to the October Puzzler. From above, the mere appearance of a curious geologic feature in Western Australia is enough to cause a fright. The aptly named Spider Crater, the product of a meteorite impact followed by hundreds of millions of years of erosion, sprawls across the landscape in
The curving, parallel mountain ridges of the Sierra Madre Oriental are an eye-catching feature of northeastern Mexico’s landscape. The spot where these folds nestle up against Mexico’s second-largest metropolitan area captured the attention of an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, who took this photo on August 26, 2026. Monterrey, the capital of the state
Editor’s Note: Today’s story is the answer to the September Puzzler. Several of the outcrops at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area in Southern California jut from the arid landscape of the Soledad Basin at remarkable angles. Geologists estimate that the tilt of sedimentary rock strata found in the area averages 50 degrees, steep enough that many
One of the major rivers of Europe, the Elbe flows more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) across the continent before reaching the North Sea. At its mouth, the low-lying landscape is continually reshaped by the rise and fall of the tides. These dynamic tidal flats are a boon to biodiversity while sometimes posing challenges for
The Wabanaki people have a wealth of creation myths that explain the rocky shores of the Bay of Fundy, Downeast Maine, and Acadia National Park. Many involve Glooscap, a magical figure said to have floated around the Bay of Fundy in a stone canoe, sculpting coastal features by scraping the boat across the landscape and
Editor’s Note: Today’s story is the answer to the July Puzzle. Call it an alluvial showdown. At the southern tip of Severny Island in the Russian Arctic, rivers descend from rugged terrain flanking a wide valley. Upon reaching flatter terrain, the waters slow down and distribute the sediments in the shape of cones called alluvial