Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Professor John Tarduno has analyzed zircon crystals collected from sites in Australia—the oldest known terrestrial materials—to construct a timeline of Earth's magnetic field, finding that the field was stronger than previously believed.

In a vast ocean where direct observational data is scarce, Rochester researchers are using data science to understand how shallow coastal waters and deep oceans contribute to the methane found in the atmosphere.

Volcanic hot spots such as the ones that created the Hawaiian Islands have long been considered stationary points, but new data analyses provide conclusive evidence that hot spots are not fixed but are moving.

The lunar rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts still inform research today, including the work of Rochester professor Miki Nakajima, who studies the formation and evolution of the Earth, the moon, and other planetary bodies.

The findings suggest good news about the reliability of the computer models used to estimate and predict the changes in ground-level ozone.

A new Rochester study has found that factors such as wind, currents, and even small fish play a larger role in transferring carbon from the Earth's atmosphere to the deep oceans than previously thought.

The Meliora flag flies over the Law Dome research station in Antarctica, where Rochester scientists are battling some of the toughest field conditions ever in their effort to understand humans’ impact on climate.

Rochester researchers have gathered the first field data that show the Earth’s inner core is only about 565 million years old—relatively young compared to the age of our 4.5-billion-year-old planet.

The solar and energy storage system, to be built on the roof of the Goergen Athletic Center, will offset energy needs of a new office building south of Hutchison Hall.

Geology major Ben Crummins ’20, left, and physics major Frank Padgett III ’19 accompanied John Tarduno, professor and chair of earth and environmental sciences, to Labrador, Canada, this summer where the group conducted field work. The students sampled a rock known as anorthosite, which contains labradorite crystals. Labradorite crystals have the special property of refracting and reflecting light, which results in a unique iridescence.  (University of Rochester photo / John Tarduno)