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Welcome!
We study the history, interior, and exterior of Earth and other planets.
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People
We are fascinated with the natural processes that shape our world and cultivate the skills it takes to study them.
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Engagement
We maintain a variety of outreach and service activities in the local area.
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Diversity
We have numerous efforts to promote diversity in the department.
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Research Spotlight
Mark Hammond is a Lindemann Trust Research Fellow who studies the atmospheric circulation of exoplanets, which are planets that orbit stars other than the Sun.
Learn More Spotlight ArchiveStudent / Alumni Spotlight
Nigel Brauser is a graduate student who studies the materials of the Earth’s core using diamond anvil cell experiments coupled with computer models.
Learn More Spotlight ArchiveFaculty Spotlight
Susan Kidwell leads a regular field geology trip for undergraduates to the Bahamas.
Learn more about Susan See all PeopleGeophysical Science News
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Maria Hernandez Limon received the 2021 RISE Up Award
May 12, 2021
Maria Hernandez Limon received the 2021 RISE Up Award, one of the University's Student Leader Awards. This award recognizes students who, through their engagement with members of the campus community, represent our shared commitment to the values of diversity and inclusion. Congrats Maria!
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Justin Podowski awarded Harper Dissertation Fellowship
May 12, 2021
Justin Podowski was awarded a prestigious Harper Dissertation Fellowship! The William Rainey Harper Dissertation Fellowship is one of the highest honors awarded to UChicago students. It is awarded in the final year of graduate study to recognize significant achievement and facilitate completion of the doctoral degree. Justin's dissertation work has, for the first time, mapped the genomic landscape of microbial communities across the Laurentian Great Lakes. Congrats Justin!
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In memory of Professor Victor Barcilon, 1939-2020
May 11, 2021
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Kite and Steele model Early Mars warm climates
April 26, 2021
Early Mars had rivers and lakes, which is surprising because the planet orbited far from a faint star - the young Sun. Assistant Professor Edwin Kite and former postdoctoral researcher Liam Steele (now at JPL) used a global climate model to show that warm climates can be explained through the greenhouse effect of high-altitude water ice clouds. The results have been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.