Earth Notes

Should you rake up those fallen leaves — or let them be? How yard waste can benefit your garden and the environment.

Why do the autumn leaves seem especially brilliant some years?

A failed copper mine led to one of the Grand Canyon’s first hotel. Then the railroad arrived — and the hotel disappeared. But parts of it are still standing today.

An abiding question among geologists is when was the Grand Canyon carved? When did the Colorado River assume its present course and become the master sculptor of the canyon?

Every hunting season since 1998, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has asked hunters to bring them elk and deer heads to test for chronic wasting disease.

More than eight decades ago, pioneering Museum of Northern Arizona geologist Major L.F. Brady made a surprising find in sedimentary rocks high up on the east flank of Mt. Elden.

A tiny cactus that survives intense wildfire could offer clues about the resilience of ecosystems on the Colorado Plateau.

The spiral pattern in a sunflower’s seeds isn’t random. It follows a mathematical sequence that appears throughout the natural world.

Monsoon rains bring a torrent of colors to the Colorado Plateau. Yellow sunflowers emerge beside purple asters, blush-colored penstemons, and mauve lupine.

Annual meteor showers like the Perseids can give lovely shooting star displays – but they don’t produce meteorites. That’s because the tiny particles involved are made of fluffy, low-density clay-like material which burn up before reaching the ground.