Geology: And Now the Rouse Belts

While studying for a final exam in structural geology at Colorado School of Mines last year, Graduate Student George Rouse, 33, was struck by a strange geological coincidence: deep earthquake zones angle into the earth at an average of 60° from the horizontal. His curiosity piqued, Geochemist Rouse decided to look for an explanation. What he found has become the basis of a new theory that—if proven valid—will have earth-shaking implications in the field of geophysics.

Working with a $1.50 globe of the world, Rouse picked a seismic zone off the coast...

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