Our website will be undergoing scheduled maintenance between 12 noon and 2 pm (AEST) Tuesday 12 February. Delays or outages may be experienced during this time. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Much of Antarctica’s geology remains hidden beneath the thick Antarctic ice cap, but our geological knowledge has recently increased following the release of a detailed map which describes some of the rare large exposures of ancient bedrock.

A large earthquake measuring 7.9 in magnitude was recorded in the Santa Cruz Islands region on 6 February 2013, triggering local tsunami warnings for the surrounding Pacific Nations.

As part of the United Nations recognition of activities which influence life on Earth, 2013 has been declared the year of the Mathematics of Planet Earth.