NEWS
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.
Photo: Randy Irmis faces off with a fossil Borealosuchus skull from the Natural History Museum of Utah’s collections.
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.
Dust in the Wind: How cities alter natural airborne particles
Salt Lake's locally sourced dust pollution carries far more hazardous elements than natural dust blown in from Great Basin.
Please support Geology & Geophysics students and programs during the University of Utah's annual “Giving Day” campaign!
Please give early to help us surpass our goals. (Last year, Geology received 60 donors for a total of $57,450. Our goal this year is 75 donors and $60,000+ dollars.)
2025 Geology and Geophysics Annual Spring Awards Luncheon
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025 at 12:00 PM in Crocker Science Center Room 206
RSVP is required by April 16th
One FREE ticket per each GG student, faculty, and staff. Family & Friend tickets are $5 each. Please pay in CASH by April 18th in FASB 383
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.
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 mammot
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.
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.
Geology Students Showcase Their Research at the 25th Annual Rsearch on Capitol Hill Event.
Last week, a select group of students from the U of U, Utah State, showcased their research to Utah state legislators and community members. This event offers a glimpse into the groundbreaking work happening in labs across the state and on the University of Utah campus.
Discover your future in Geology & Geophysics at the U!
Friday, February 28th, 2025 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Frederick Albert Sutton Building Confluence (Main Entrance) - 115 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
Maybe Earth’s Inner Core is Not So Solid After All
The surface of Earth’s inner core may be changing, as shown by a new study led by University of Southern California and University of Utah scientists that detected structural changes near the planet’s center, published Monday in Nature Geoscience.
2024 Down to Earth Department Newsletter
"It is my pleasure to report that the Department of Geology & Geophysics is thriving...I'm thrilled to share some highlights with you in this edition of Down to Earth". - Kip Solomon
Unraveling the Changing Landscape of the Colorado and San Juan Rivers
U of U geologists Cari Johnson & Brenda Bowen are at the forefront of a remarkable collaborative effort to understand the dynamic transformation of the river corridors entering the Lake Powell Reservoir, in particular the Colorado and San Juan rivers.
DOE Funding For Critical Materials Consortia.
“Rebuilding a domestic supply chain for critical minerals and materials here at home will both safeguard our national security and support the continued development of a clean energy and industrial economy,” says Brad Crabtree, Department of Energy (DOE).
FORGE Workshop with Alumna Anke Friedrich.
The good news for the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) managed by the U is that with an additional $80 million in funding from the Department of Energy, the project is fully funded through 2028.
Juan Carlos de Obeso is the co-author of a new article about enhancement of carbon dioxide mineralization in basalts as a tool for CO2 removal from the atmosphere.
Save the Date: You are invited to a celebration of Thure Cerling’s career: Isotopes,
Elephants, Lewis Carroll and More: A Thure Cerling Retrospective.
This event will take place on Saturday, May 10, 2025 on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Full program details will be announced in January, 2025.
Dr. Peter H. Roth, retired associate professor of the Department of Geology & Geophysics- University of Utah, passed away on October 26, 2024.
Veterans Day - Humans of the U: Chad Ostrander
After my job as a pipe-layer and a stint as an old-West reenactor in Tombstone, I moved back to Oregon in the summer of 2007 to work as a dock hand at Crater Lake National Park. It was from here that I decided to join the military.
A dino-mite addition to SLC International Airport
“Utah is known for its dinosaurs. We hope this inspires visitors and locals to explore the really cool dinosaur heritage of our state.” - Randy Irmis, curator of paleontology at NHMU and professor of geology at the University of Utah.
“One of the things I love about hydrology is that it’s something that everybody has a connection to,” says Sara Warix. “We all consume it every day, we’re all impacted by the weather, many of us use it for work or play. However far you get into the weeds of geochemistry or physics, you can always connect water back to people.”
We had an incredible time at GSA this year! We had several students present their research, we had students, faculty, and alumni win awards, and had a great alumni reception.
University of Utah Geology and Geophysics Virtual Graduate Student Recruiting Event.
Click the link above for details on our virtual recruiting event. RSVP here.
Kip Solomon's Covenant with Water & Winning the Meinzer Award.
If anyone has the authority to make policy and practical management suggestions related to groundwater, it is Kip Solomon.
Utah Forge Receives $80 Million to Continue the Project Through 2028.
An agreement has been signed between the U.S. Department of Energy & the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (informally known as Utah FORGE) to continue the project through 2028.
AGI Earth Science Week Webinar with G&G's James Karner - "Earth Science at the Poles".
The webinar will be on Thursday, October 17th, click the link above for more information.
How Features in Utah and Arizona Advanced Geoscience.
U geoscientists nominated Henry Mountains, Coyote Buttes and Great Salt Lake to the list of world's top geoheritage sites.
Honoring Fallen Soldiers: How Science is Using Teeth to Bring Families Closure.
Subtle differences in tooth chemistry could help determine the identity of fallen soldiers and other human remains—if we can learn to read that history.
Just How Dangerous is Great Salt Lake Dust?
U scientists determine sediments from the dry playa have elevated 'oxidative potential,' indicating greater risk to human health.
Extracting Rare Earth Elements From Existing Coal Mines - The Cool Science Radio Podcast.
Dr. Lauren Birgenheier, associate professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, discusses this potential new source. Listen today at the link above.
Fish Tournament Fraud in Lake Powel Reveled by UofU Geo Lab Turned Into a Podcast!
Fish tournament fraud in Lake Powell revealed by strontium isotopes measured at the ICPMS lab in our department has been turned into a podcast. Listen today at the link above.
Elevating Public Understanding of Geoscience
Marjorie Chan, Distinguished Professor Emerita at the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah, is the 2024 recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to the Public Understanding of the Geosciences award.
What Microsopic Fossilized Shells Tell us About Ancient Climate Change.
Highlighting Professor Gabe Bowen, and postdoctoral researcher Dustin Harper, and their latest ancient climate research that links rising CO2 in the ocean 50 million years ago with dramatic climate change.
Decoding Mysterious Seismic Signals
Utah geophysicists, including University of Utah Geology and Geophysics Associate Professor Michael Thorne, find link between seismic waves called PKP precursors and strange anomalies in Earth's mantle.Live Science Article.
STEM-focused colleges from around campus are coming together to host the University of Utah STEM Safety Day on Friday, Sept. 6, from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House. This free event is open to all researchers, staff, students and faculty in U of U Health and the broader campus to brush up on best practices in safety and well-being. Register at the link above.
Dr. Susan ‘Sue’ Halgedahl, Associate Professor Emerita in the University of Utah’s Department of Geology & Geophysics, who specialized in magnetic domain states, fine-particle magnetism, and Middle Cambrian fossils of western Utah, died June 2024. She was 77.
We are hiring an Assistant/Associate/Professor of Geomechanics.
Applications open on 8/19/24. We invite applications for an open-rank faculty position in the area of geomechanics, with emphasis on rock and fracture mechanics, fracture networks, and/or fracture characterization and modeling.
What do cycling and rocks have to do with each other?
University of Utah geologists Peter Lippert and Sean Hutchings are helping bring attention to the hidden star of a major sporting event this summer.
From volunteer to co-author: One U student’s dinosaur journey.
Savhannah Carpenter’s route to being the only student listed on the research team credited with finding the world’s newest horned dinosaur didn’t follow a straight line.
Loki’s horned dinosaur wielded a pair of giant blades.
A remarkable, new species of horned, plant-eating dinosaur is being unveiled at the Natural History Museum of Utah.
As the ball turns: Earth’s inner core is ‘backtracking’.
Using seismic data to measure changes in solid core's motion, geologists discover it now turns more slowly relative to surface of Earth.
What the Geologic Record Reveals About How the Oceans Were Oxygenated.
New research led by U geochemist uses thallium isotopes to track the rise and fall of free oxygen on Earth 2.5 billion years ago, the process that enabled life as we know it.
Kip Solomon Selected as Interim Chair
Kip Solomon has been selected as the new interim chair of the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah.
Breakthrough in Geothermal Energy
at Utah FORGE
In $218 million DOE-funded research project, University of Utah scientists aim to make enhanced geothermal a key part of world's energy portfolio.
Can Coal Mines Be Tapped for Rare Earth Elements?
New research documents elevated levels of these metals, needed for energy transition, above and below coal seams in Utah and Colorado.
Changing Chemistry of the Baltic Sea
For the study, the researchers set out to better understand how thallium and its two stable isotopes 203Tl and 205Tl are cycled in the Baltic Sea.
From Mountains to the Great Salt Lake: The Secrets of Snowmelt
Utah’s snowpack has been smashing records. The combined totals for the 2022-24 winter seasons were 1,531 inches, the highest two-year snowfall in the state’s history.
The initiative is managed by the Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah where faculty from the Department of Geology & Geophysics are deeply enmeshed.
Geohazards, due to the way they constantly change, are a source of useful research into landslides and how they happen.
Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats Has Long Been in Flux
Salt crusts began forming long after Lake Bonneville disappeared, according to new U research that relied on pollen to date playa in western Utah.
Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth’s surface—a fact that draws HyeJeong Kim’s scientific gaze under the sea, even as the seismologist now works on dry land as a postdoc at the University of Utah.
Magma Found Beneath Volcano-Less Country.
Recently, while looking for something else, researchers found a reservoir of what might be magma, 7 miles beneath the muskeg of middle Alaska.
Podcast: Can We Bury Modern CO₂ in Utah's Ancient Sand?
One of the many challenges facing the world in the coming decades to reach carbon neutrality – in order for climate change to stabilize – is the challenge of both capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide that is emitted from power plants and putting it underground.
New NSF-Funded Initiative for Regional Climate Solutions
The National Science Foundation (NSF) on Monday announced the University of Utah along with six core academic partners will be part of a multi-institutional enterprise to confront the climate challenges facing the desert Southwest and spur economic development in the region.
Finding your path in life is rarely as simple as a 90-minute coming-of-age movie might suggest. It’s often slow, requires a good deal of trial and error, and can persist deep into the stages of a person’s life.
Frank Press Public Service Award
Harley M. Benz, a former U.S. Geological Survey technical coordinator for the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) and the director of the USGS National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is honored with the 2024 Frank Press Public Service Award.
Podcast: Measuring CO2 Levels Over the Past 66 Million Years
In order to gain a better understanding of the changes in CO2 levels and their fluctuations over geologic time, geoscientists have now been able to go back 66 million years.
Mutton, an Indigenous Wooly Dog
Researchers and Coast Salish people are analyzing a 160-year-old Indigenous dog pelt in the Smithsonian’s collection to pinpoint the origin and sudden disappearance of the culturally significant Coast Salish Woolly Dog.
In Loving Memory
Research Manager
Alan D. Rigby
January 22, 1969 - January 2, 2024
Randall Irmis: Fulbright Award
The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Program have announced that Dr. Randall Irmis has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2023-2024 for Argentina.
The graduate student in the Department of Geology & Geophysics descended from the developers of the Nacia mine in Chihuahua Province.
Brenda Bowen: New chair of ATMOS department
Bowen is a Professor of Geology and Geophysics and Director of the Global Change and Sustainability Center (GCSC). She will continue as the Director of the GCSC while serving as chair and will replace John Horel who has been at the helm of ATMOS for five years.
Roseblatt Prize: Thure Cerling
Thure E. Cerling, Distinguished Professor of Biology, is the 2022 recipient of the Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence. Cerling is also department chair of the Department of Geology & Geophysics, Francis H. Brown Presidential Chair, and Distinguished Professor of Geology and Geophysics.
Geology alumnus and generous donor, Hellmut Hans Doelling, worked as a core laboratory curator, draftsman, and assistant geologist with the Utah Geological and Mineral Survey (UGMS) before returning to the U to earn his PhD in geology.
Isotopes: Science's Common Currency
From tracking the routes of water throughout the West to determining the levels of carbon in the Paleocene, Gabriel Bowen’s research into isotopes extends into a variety of critical research paths.
But Levitt-Bussian, MS'13 in geology, has handled thousands of fossils — from ancient footprints to prehistoric poop to spectacular dinosaur skulls; her favorites are the ceratopsians, like triceratops. And what sticks out about this fossil has more to do with how it arrived in her custody, and how it left.
Meteorite hunting in Antarctica
Well, it turns out that Antarctica is the ideal place to find these hunks of rock. With its vast expanse of white, meteorites stand out against the harsh landscape, allowing them to be spotted by meteorite hunters who endure the harsh Antarctic conditions.
Anke Friedrich inducted into Crimson Club Hall of Fame
It's not every day that an esteemed scientist is recognized by the University of Utah's Athletic Department's Crimson Club Hall of Fame.
Estudiante mexicano se destaca en doctorado en Geofísica en la Universidad de Utah
Hispanic residents of Utah continue to increase their academic achievements and elevate science. (Article is in Spanish).
In Loving Memory
Professor Emeritus
Dr. David Spencer Chapman
August 31, 1942 - March 10, 2023
U adjunct professor nominated to lead US geological Survey
The White House has nominated David Applegate, adjunct professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, to serve as director of the U.S. Geological Survey. If confirmed by the United States Senate, Applegate would serve as the USGS’ 18th Director.
Science is an idea that's accessible to anyone, a process by which we observe, test and learn something new.
U geoscientist sails on Arctic Research Cruise
In 2021, geoscientist Sarah Lambart embarked on a scientific mission to explore the geologic history that shaped the continents as we see them today.
Senior Jenny, who changed careers from fashion design to geology, talks about how The U facilitated and supported the re-aligning of her career path.
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