UNLV Professor Emeritus of Geology Steve Rowland recently authored a scientific paper about an intriguing, earthquake-caused geological structure — known as a clastic pipe — which was identified by avid hiker and geology enthusiast Jeffrey Cuneo near Lake Mead. The paper was published in May in the scientific journal Geology of the Intermountain West.

As water molecules move around the planet through the water cycle, they take on many forms, moving from solid to liquid to gas and back again. They can make up snowpacks melting in the spring, a river rushing to the ocean, clouds carried on sea breezes, and even pee flushed down the toilet.

Amid the worst regional drought the Western U.S. has seen in 1,200 years, and in a year when Rocky Mountain snowpack levels also hit record lows, the Colorado River system is now barely over one-third of its total hydrological capacity, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The owner of a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon wants state regulators to allow a higher level of arsenic in groundwater under the facility. Two scientists, however, object to the proposal, arguing regulators shouldn’t approve it until a more robust investigation into the elevated arsenic levels takes place. Energy Fuels Resources, the owner of the Pinyon Plain Mine, says its investigation was thorough and that operators aren’t at fault.

Flecks of minerals captured in diamonds show hidden connections between Earth’s surface and its deep interior

Not all colorless gemstones are created equal. When it comes to the comparison of white sapphire vs diamond, white sapphires are often touted as an alternative to natural diamonds. In reality, they are distinctly different stones with different origins.

The hunger for uranium won’t abate anytime soon as the heavy metal’s spot price hovers near two-year-highs, but some geologists warn easy-to-mine reserves are shrinking. Enter what may sound unusual: mining uranium from ocean water.

After decades of chasing after a rare hexagonal diamond, a Chinese team says their iteration of the elusive material is the most important yet.

The seven states that share the Colorado River did not meet a deadline for an agreement on water cutbacks. What is next for this vital water source in the West?

When you picture a desert, you probably imagine a vast, empty landscape far from any water. But surprisingly, some of the driest places on Earth lie right beside the ocean. Both the Atacama, in Chile, and the Namib, in southern Africa, stretch along coastlines. So how did these extreme deserts form in places bordered by so much water?

Red Rock Canyon draws climbers from around the world, offering towering sandstone cliffs just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. However, after rainfall, those iconic red walls can be more dangerous than they appear — even when the rock looks dry. According to Zach Perzan, an assistant professor of geology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the sandstone at Red Rock — known as Aztec sandstone — is made up mostly of quartz grains held together by a relatively small amount of natural cement.

Gold briefly topped $5,100 per ounce for the first time Monday, and as the fifth-highest gold producer in the world, this is good news for Nevada. With gold hitting a record on the global market, for Nevada, this means more jobs, more tax revenue and more gold exploration, according to mineral and mining experts.