Nature Geoscience, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02006-0

Most oceanic intraplate volcanism, including seamounts far from mantle hotspots, originates from deep-rooted mantle plumes, according to a data-constrained numerical simulation of the thermal evolution of the mantle over the past 270 million years.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02007-z

Seamount volcanism is more voluminous where seafloor has passed above a large low-shear-velocity province, consistent with mantle plumes being responsible for most oceanic intraplate volcanism, according to an analysis of seamount catalogues.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02017-x

Sediment records from the eastern equatorial Pacific suggest that deglacial increases in hydrothermal iron release from East Pacific Rise volcanism, enhanced by earlier ice-age sea-level fall, boosted phytoplankton nutrient consumption. The findings point to a possible Earth system feedback linking sea level, mid-ocean ridge volcanism, ocean carbon storage and climate.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02001-5

Iron hydride in the Earth’s inner core may exist in a superionic state, according to high-pressure and high-temperature experiments at relevant conditions. Accompanying slow diffusion suggests that the inner core could retain hydrogen on geologic timescales.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01982-7

Increased hydrothermal iron inputs from mid-ocean ridges, triggered by ice-age sea-level falls, supported higher surface primary productivity during the last two glacial terminations, according to proxy records of nutrient consumption in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 05 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01995-2

In a century marked by accelerating environmental change, UNESCO Global Geoparks offer a practical model for bringing Earth sciences back into public life.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 05 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02010-4

Ice sheets are steady in cold climates, become unstable as warming weakens ice shelves, then restabilize at higher temperatures. Model simulations suggest sudden shifts between states are driven by ice-shelf variability, not ice volume.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 04 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02009-x

Tropical forest expansion into previously unforested areas contributes substantially to carbon sequestration, offering an additional pathway for offsetting CO2 emissions and enhancing the resilience of future carbon dynamics.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 04 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01984-5

Natural expansion of tropical moist forests sequesters more above-ground carbon than post-deforestation secondary forest regrowth, according to satellite-derived forest cover change and LiDAR-derived biomass estimates.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 04 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01999-y

Diurnal cycles in microbial reducer activity reveal synchronized mobilization of arsenic and iron in the rice rhizosphere, as shown by metatranscriptomic and biogeochemical analyses.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 03 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01989-0

The tectonic setting of the continent hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet remains unclear. Sub-glacial topography combined with geophysical data suggest the existence of a fan-shaped extensional basin with implications for wider Antarctic geology and the overlying ice sheet.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 03 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01991-6

The region beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet experienced rotational extension tectonics before the breakup of Gondwana, which shaped the lithosphere and later development of overlying ice, according to sub-ice topography and geophysical data.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 02 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02003-3

Analysis of particles within a coastal Antarctic ice core reveal a shift in atmospheric dynamics and ice-free terrain related to ice loss during the Last Interglacial. Climate simulations with a reduced Antarctic ice extent agree with the ice core record, suggesting that the Ross Ice Shelf and West Antarctic Ice Sheet are vulnerable to a warmer climate.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 02 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02005-1

An analysis of tide gauge data from around the world provides more precise constraints on local vertical land motion, which can help refine projections of relative sea-level change.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01962-x

Two river systems that drained into the partially desiccated Late Miocene Mediterranean later coalesced into the modern Euphrates River as regional uplift redirected drainage to the Persian Gulf, according to geomorphic mapping and sediment modelling.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02002-4

Ongoing climate warming is heating lake sediments worldwide. Model simulations indicate that sediment heatwaves will intensify and become increasingly pervasive under climate change, with the potential to increase methane production and sediment respiration.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01986-3

Model analyses and projections of sediment heatwave duration, intensity and frequency across 41,499 representative lakes suggest that lake sediment heatwaves are more persistent and frequent than lake surface heatwaves and will intensify under global warming.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01996-1

Global soil mineral data from orbital spectroscopy reduce uncertainty in dust’s solar radiative impact and improve estimates of Earth’s energy imbalance, according to analyses integrating high-resolution soil composition into Earth system models.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 28 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01979-2

A transient ice sheet model simulation of the past 3 million years suggests that the Antarctic Ice Sheet became more sensitive to decreasing CO2 levels following the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, driven by the increasing influence of global sea-level changes.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01998-z

Soil viruses greatly influence the carbon sequestration processes associated with anaerobic methane oxidation, according to analyses of carbon flows in paddy soil.