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, ...

Across the planet, water makes up 71% of Earth’s surface. The remaining space is covered by land — continents and islands. Before Earth’s land formed the seven continents in the present day, all the ...

Memorizing seven continents feels settled, like learning the alphabet. A new study argues the ground rules are less tidy. The ...

A stunning new study is challenging the conventional wisdom about Earth’s continents. For years, we’ve been taught that Earth ...

Zealandia broke apart from the supercontinent Gondwana millions of years ago then sank. It's hard to study an underwater landmass, but researchers say they've created a complete map. Studying ...

Computational modeling shows that plate tectonics weren't necessary for early continents. The formation of Earth's continents billions of years ago set the stage for life to thrive. But scientists ...

Up to 92% of Earth could be uninhabitable to mammals in 250 million years, researchers predict. The planet’s landmasses are expected to form a supercontinent, driving volcanism and increases to carbon ...

They're in the headlines every week—critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and the rare earth elements essential for high-technology and national security applications. Scientists at ...