NEWS

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.

GEOFEST - Feb 28th

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.

Water-Alternating-Gas (WAG) injection scheme for enhancement of carbon dioxide mineralization in basaltic aquifers.

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.

Peter Roth 1942-2024

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.

The Universal Connection

“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.”

GSA Connects 2024 Recap

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 Safety Day 2024

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. 

A Tribute for Sue Halgedahl

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.