Zealandia, considered a candidate for the Earth’s eighth continent, was mostly lost to the sea. Geologists say they’ve now ...

Disregard what you learned in geography class—Earth may not have seven continents after all. From the earliest of grades, schoolchildren around the world have memorized the same lineup: Africa, ...

The formation of a sixth ocean, and the tectonic shifts that lie ahead, are proof that Earth is a dynamic, ever-evolving ...

Researchers discovered that continents don’t just split at the surface—they also peel from below, feeding volcanic activity in the oceans. Simulations reveal that slow mantle waves strip continental ...

Deep beneath your feet, far beyond where any drill can reach, something strange is hiding. Two continent-sized blobs of rock ...

Earth is the only known planet which has plate tectonics today. The constant movement of these giant slabs of rock over the planet’s magma creates continents – and may have even helped create life. In ...

The phenomenon has happened before and is due to an active continental rift zone Toria Sheffield joined the PEOPLE editorial staff in 2024. Her work as a writer/editor has previously appeared in ...

Fresh evidence suggests early Earth wasn’t locked under a rigid stagnant lid but was already experiencing intense subduction.