Welcome to the university of utah's

department of geology and geophysics

Welcome to the department of geology & geophysics

As Geoscientists, we apply the principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology to understand the composition, structure, and history of the Earth and the processes that govern it. Our students use this knowledge to address societal needs and problems, such as locating and characterizing mineral, energy, and groundwater resources, assessing seismic and other geologic hazards, and evaluating and remediating environmental contamination.

DEPARTMENT RESEARCH & NEWSView all news

Gerard Schuster receives Honorary Membership Award From SEG.

Schuster is a Research Professor in the U of U Dept. of Geology & Geophysics. This award comes from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. His work has advanced the field in areas such as least-squares migration, migration deconvolution, wave-equation travel time inversion, and controlled-source seismic interferometry.

Photo of Gabe Bowen

Great Salt Lake and its watershed is recorded in sediments

Over the past 8,000 years, Utah’s Great Salt Lake has been sensitive to changes in climate and water inflow. Now, new sediment isotope data indicate that human activity over the past 200 years has pushed the lake into a biogeochemical state not seen for at least 2,000 years.

Laura