CMES Earth - The University of Utah

Welcome to the department of geology & geophysics

As Geoscientists, we apply the principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology to understand the composition, structure, and history of the Earth and the processes that govern it. Our students use this knowledge to address societal needs and problems, such as locating and characterizing mineral, energy, and groundwater resources, assessing seismic and other geologic hazards, and evaluating and remediating environmental contamination.

DEPARTMENT RESEARCH & NEWSView all news

Challis presenting poster at poster session to judges

2025 GG Spring Poster Session Results

Congratulations to all of our 2025 poster winners!

Randy Irmis faces off with a fossil Borealosuchus skull from the Natural History Museum of Utah’s collections. This crocodylian lived approximately 48 million years ago in the American West. Photo credit: Jack Rodgers/NHMU

For a While, Crocodile.

The ancestors of today’s crocodylians survived two mass extinction events. A new study uncovered a secret to their longevity, which could help conservationists better protect our planet’s most vulnerable species.

Fan-Chi Lin, professor of geology and geophysics, holds a portable seismometer. His team deploys hundreds of these instruments in the field to create images of underground formations and other subsurface features. Photo credit: Brian Maffly

Using Vibrations to See Into Yellowstone’s Magma Reservoir.

U geophysicists (Fan-Chi Lin & Jamie Farrell have located the top of the potentially explosive underground formation that drives Yellowstone's hydrothermal features.