Decoding Mysterious Seismic Signals

U scientists track mysterious ‘speed bumps’ deep inside the Earth. “These are some of the most extreme features discovered on the planet. We legitimately do not know what they are,” says Michael Thorne, associate professor of geology and geophysics.

New State-of-the-Art Mass Spectrometer.

The U of U's Department of Geology & Geophysics has been awarded a million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to acquire state-of-the-art mass spectrometry instrumentation for measuring isotope ratios of heavier elements at the precision needed to perform cutting-edge research into Earth’s deep past.

Utah geologists show how strontium isotopes found in teeth or tusks reveal where large plant-eating animals have roamed.

Teeth recovered from a beloved zoo elephant that died in 2008 are helping University of Utah geologists develop a method for tracking the movements of large herbivores across landscapes, even for animals now extinct, such as mastodons and mammoths.

A Climate Moon Shot Beneath Our Feet.

North Milford Valley, in western Utah, is home to dormant volcanoes, subterranean lava deposits, and smatterings of obsidian—black volcanic glass—that Paiute peoples once collected for arrowheads and jewelry. Scalding groundwater still bubbles to the surface in places.