Month: September 2026

Ancient volcanic rocks in Western Australia are providing evidence that Earth may have been recycling surface water into its mantle about 3.1 billion years ago, potentially through a primitive geological process that existed before modern plate tectonics developed. An international research team led by Adelaide University geochemist Eric Vandenburg studied the exceptionally well-preserved Whundo Group in the Pilbara Craton. The volcanic rocks formed between 3.13 and 3.10 billion years ago and preserve evidence of ancient volcanic activity despite having survived billions of years of geological change. Researchers sampled a roughly 10-kilometre thick sequence of volcanic rocks and identified three major types: tholeiites, calc-alkaline basalts and boninites. The boninites are particul...

Human activity is now contributing more nitrogen to about one in four coastal waterways worldwide than all natural sources combined, according to a new study led by Washington State University. Published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles the research examines how agriculture, wastewater, urban runoff and fossil fuel emissions are changing nutrient balances in coastal ecosystems, with the Gulf of Mexico identified as one of the major hotspots. Nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon are essential for marine ecosystems. They support plankton, seagrasses and other organisms that form the foundation of aquatic food webs. However, excessive nutrient inputs can cause rapid algae growth followed by oxygen depletion as the algae decompose. This can create oxygen starved areas known as dead zones where f...

  The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has completed the first permanent transfer of processed solid radioactive waste to a dedicated near surface disposal facility, marking a major step in the decades long cleanup of the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster. Seven sealed packages containing low and intermediate level radioactive waste were transported to the engineered near-surface disposal facility at the Vector complex, located about 130 kilometres north of Kyiv and around 20 kilometres from the Belarusian border. The shipment was the first delivery from the newly commissioned Industrial Complex for Solid Radioactive Waste Management (ICSRM), which received an operating licence from Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate in May 2026. The facility was developed with sign...

  Rapid warming in the Himalaya is increasing the conditions that can contribute to complex mountain hazards with a new assessment finding that some events are now exceeding the design and predictive limits of existing adaptation measures. The assessment by World Weather Attribution examined the August 26, 2026 rock ice avalanche and debris flood along the Nepal China border. The disaster began with the collapse of roughly 2 sq km of rock wall and glacier ice from Langtang Lirung at an altitude of about 5,150 metres. The material fell around 1,400 metres before transforming into a destructive debris flood and later a water dominated flash flood. According to the assessment the disaster had killed more than 1,300 people and left over 5,000 missing in Nepal as of September 14. ...

  Coal stocks at India’s thermal power plants declined by nearly 42 per cent year-on-year to 29 million tonnes in August 2026, down from 50 million tonnes a year earlier, according to a recent Crisil report. The decline reduced the average fuel cover at power stations to around nine days, the lowest level recorded in 34 months. The drop in inventories came as coal-fired power generation increased by 13 per cent amid rising electricity demand. Overall power demand grew 9.5 per cent between April and August, driven by a hot summer and uneven monsoon conditions. Rainfall between June and August was 13 per cent below the long period average, adding to electricity demand while also affecting coal transportation from mining regions. Renewable power generation increased by 20.7 p...

  More than 300 families in Eripuram village near Thalavadi in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district have been facing a drinking water shortage for several months prompting women residents to stage a road blockade on Friday. The residents, who come under Thalavadi panchayat, said regular drinking water supply to the village had stopped months ago. They had been collecting water from nearby agricultural fields but the availability of water in those areas has also declined. With limited alternatives, residents said they had recently been forced to use rainwater for drinking. They also alleged that repeated complaints to the panchayat administration had not resulted in the restoration of regular water supply. Carrying empty water pots, the women blocked the Eripuram-Thalavadi road on F...

  The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a three year Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) project in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab region to replenish groundwater reserves using a roughly 200 km long ancient river channel identified between Kanpur and Prayagraj. The Rs 1.65 crore project aims to capture rainwater and direct it into underground aquifers, helping restore depleted groundwater reserves and improve long-term water security. Researchers from the CSIR National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad, identified the ancient river system using advanced techniques, including helicopter-borne geophysical surveys and borehole logging. The studies mapped deep aquifers and buried river channels beneath the Ganga-Yamuna Doab. Known as a paleochannel, the ancient river cou...

  A US based lithium-ion battery recycling company has completed the mechanical installation of a new integrated processing line at its facility in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, expanding its ability to recover critical minerals from end of life batteries and manufacturing scrap. The facility can process lithium-ion battery cells, modules and complete battery packs through a single integrated operation. The system uses the company proprietary Blacksand technology to produce high grade black mass containing recovered nickel, cobalt and lithium. The expansion increases the facility’s annual battery feedstock processing capacity from 14,000 metric tons to 20,000 metric tons, equivalent to about 22,046 short tons. This represents an increase of nearly 43%. The company began commissi...

  India’s plastic waste management system is facing growing concerns over unreliable recycling data, weak verification of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) claims and the continued leakage of plastic into the environment. Although India’s EPR framework has reported 20.7 million tonnes of recycled plastic since 2022, the figure is significantly higher than official estimates of annual plastic waste generation. The disparity has raised questions about data quality and whether reported recycling credits always correspond to actual physical waste processing. Under the EPR system, producers, importers and brand owners are required to meet specified collection, recycling and reuse obligations for plastic packaging. However, concerns over questionable or fraudulent certificates...

  Four large reservoirs constructed under Project Him Sarovar at Spituk Farka in Leh, Ladakh, have been filled with glacier meltwater within five months of construction, marking a major water conservation effort in the region. The ponds are designed to store glacier meltwater for irrigation, ecological restoration and long-term water security in Ladakh’s cold desert environment. Construction of the four reservoirs began on April 10, 2026. The first pond was inaugurated on June 21, followed by the second on July 19, the third on August 24 and the fourth on September 9. Each pond measures 60 metres in length, 40 metres in width and 2 metres in depth, with a storage capacity of nearly 60 lakh litres. Together, the four reservoirs can hold around 24 million litres of glacier m...