Despite seeming like a relatively stable place, the Earth's surface has changed dramatically over the past 4.6 billion years. Mountains have been built and eroded, continents and oceans have moved ...

In the late 1700s, while inspecting a coal mine in southwest England, a young surveyor named William Smith noticed a surprising pattern: from one location to the next, rock layers (or "strata") were ...

For millions of years, the land we now call the United States has been home to towering prehistoric beasts, strange sea creatures, and lush ancient forests that no longer exist. Evidence of this ...

Learn how the fossils of ancient organisms help scientists navigate deep time — and uncover Earth’s hidden history. In the late 1700s, while inspecting a coal mine in southwest England, a young ...