2023-2024 News
Buried Alive: Carbon Dioxide Release From Magma Deep Beneath Ancient Volcanoes a Hidden Driver of Earth’s Past Climate
An international team of geoscientists led by a volcanologist at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and including Maxwell Rudolph, associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has discovered that, contrary to present scientific understanding...(Read more)
Molecular Paleontology
Looking at a jellyfish is like looking into the ancient past. Survivors from the late Precambrian Era, these organisms lived in an environment completely alien to the wide swath of modern Earth. They thrived during a time when the waters of our planet were largely anoxic, the lack of oxygen making them...(Read more)
Discover the Giants of the Past: New Fossils Unveiled at UC Davis!
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is excited to announce the installation of our stunning T-Rex fossil head in the lobby of the Earth and Physical Sciences building! This remarkable replica, cast from the famous "Black Beauty" fossil at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, was made possible...(Read more)
In the Seagrass Meadows
Invisible in the clear afternoon sky, the moon tugged the tidal channel’s brackish waters towards the Pacific Ocean. It drew them out slowly, languidly, the water’s surface eddying and rippling in the sunlight. Elisabeth Sellinger stood shoulder-deep in the withdrawing water. She...(Read more)
Taking the Earth’s Temperature Over the Past 485 Million Years
Palm trees in Alaska, crocodiles in Wyoming: Fossils show that Earth’s temperature has changed over hundreds of millions of years. Now a new study co-led by the Smithsonian and the University of Arizona, with Professor Isabel Montañez of the UC Davis Department...(Read more)
The First Summa and Awwiller Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Xiaochuan Tian, Spearheads Geohazards Mitigation
The inaugural Summa and Awwiller Postdoctoral Fellow of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Davis, Dr. Xiaochuan Tian, will break ground in research of our home planet’s topography evolution and geohazard mitigation starting this October. Investigating...(Read more)
Recent Volcanoes on the Moon?
New results from China’s Chang’e 5 lunar samples returned to Earth provide evidence for active volcanoes on the Moon as recently as 120 million years ago. Previously, scientists had thought that any activity with magma (molten rock) rising to the Moon’s....(Read more)
Alumna Elizabeth Grant's Research on Earthquake Flat Pyroclastics Published in Mineralogy and Petrology
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences proudly highlights the recent publication of Dr. Elizabeth Grant, an alumna of our department. Her paper, "Shallow Storage of the Explosive Earthquake Flat Pyroclastics Magma Body...(Read more)
NEWS RELEASE: Baja Dispatch
After a year of planning, UC Davis students completed their first day of teaching in Escuela Secundaria Estatal Modesto Sánchez Mayón in Loreto. This program involves 2 weeks of teaching water science, with the goals of promoting education...(Read more)
Dr. Dawn Sumner’s Study, Metabolic Evolution Induced by Oxygenation, Accepted into AEM Planetary Microbiology
How do we study the evolution of microbial life on early Earth? In the hundreds of millions of years that followed the oxygenation of our planet, Earth’s surface was transformed by microbial evolution, diversifying the ways in which...(Read more)
Professor Kari Cooper’s Volcanology Research Featured in National Academy of Sciences' PNAS
In the latest issue of the National Academy of Sciences' PNAS journal, Professor Kari Cooper's research on "crystal clocks" reveals exciting advancements in predicting volcanic eruptions. By studying tiny mineral crystals embedded in volcanic mountains...(Read more)
Claris Sunjo Explores Carbon Cycling in Cameroon’s Wouri Estuary to Address Anthropogenic Pollution
From Mungo to Wouri to Dibamba, Cameroon’s rivers converge near the urban center of Douala, creating the tropical mangrove habitat known as the Wouri estuary. Immersed in this essential ecosystem for biodiversity, Sunjo Claris, a Ph.D. student in...(Read more)
Luis Aguirre-Palafox's Research on Fossil Soil Age Determination Featured in Eos
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is excited to highlight the pioneering research of Ph.D. student Luis Erick Aguirre Palafox, in his groundbreaking study on paleosols. By applying uranium-lead dating (U-Pb) techniques, his work...(Read more)
From Yarn to Oceans: Susann Pinter’s “Project Ecosystem” Lands a Spot at GSA Connects
When Susann Pinter’s crochet exhibit “Project Ecosystem” debuted on Picnic Day at UC Davis earlier this year, it mesmerized thousands with its intricate and unique depiction of marine life and ecosystems. This week, Ms. Pinter, the Academic Coordinator for...(Read more)
Professor Tessa Hill Highlights How Seagrass Meadows Can Combat Climate Change
Magali Billen Appointed Chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Following three years of dedicated leadership, Professor Kari Cooper is stepping down from her position as Chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Davis. Assuming the position is Professor Magali Billen who has spent two decades in the department...(Read more)
Inside the Volcanic Research of Anjelica Guerrier and Dr. Kari Cooper
Anjelica Guerrier, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, working under Dr. Kari Cooper, dive into the cryptic world of magma chambers. Through meticulous analysis of erupted volcanic rocks and and crystals, they aim to shed...(Read more)
Professor Magali Billen Discusses Path to Building Digital Twin of the Earth
Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Dr. Magali Billen, is building a digital twin of the Earth using aggregate data from seismic research. The model would predict how tectonic plates shift over time and where stress builds up...(Read more)
Dean Estella Atekwana elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Congratulations to our Dean of the College of Letters and Science Estella Atekwana who was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Atekwana, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, is among 250 new members..(Read more)
Crochet Exhibit "Project Ecosystem" Enchants Visitors on Picnic Day
Thousands flocked to the UC Davis campus last Saturday, April 20, for the university’s annual Picnic Day. Repeat visitors and newcomers from Davis, Sacramento, and beyond strolled throughout the Earth and Physical Sciences building, grabbing their favorite...(Read more)
Mikayla Deigan Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
We are pleased to share that Mikayla Deigan, a senior geology student in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences has been awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship! Out of 12,000 applicants each year, only 2,000 receive this esteemed recognition...(Read more)
UC Davis Geology and Geophysics Programs Place Top 50 in QS World University Rankings
Last week, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released the World University Rankings by Subject, ranking UC Davis' geophysics and geology programs in the top 50 worldwide. QS is considered one of the most influential international authorities on university rankings. The renowned..(Read more)
UC Davis Women Geoscientists of ’77 Donate Funds to Support Next Generation
Forty-seven years after graduating from UC Davis, six geology alumnae fondly recalled the sense of inclusion and confidence faculty and teaching assistants instilled in them. They wanted to enable that same motivation in others. The cohort donated $1,200 to be...(Read more)
Lori Summa and David Awwiller Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Geosciences
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Davis invites applications for the Lori Summa and David Awwiller Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Geosciences. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) provides a world-class, stimulating intellectual and educational environment that prioritizes...(Read more)
Job Opening: Assistant Project Scientist for Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics
From AGU: "In 2006, the Cassini spacecraft recorded geyser curtains shooting forth from “tiger stripe” fissures near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus — sometimes as much as 200 kilograms of water per second. A new study suggests how expanding ice during millennia-long cooling cycles could sometimes crack the...(Read more)
Job Opening: Visiting Assistant Professor in Geology and Paleobiology
The Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Davis, invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor to teach undergraduate courses and conduct research during the 2024-2025 academic year. Candidates must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in Paleobiology, Geosciences...(Read more)
Congratulations to Professor Ryosuke Motani, who has been selected as one of the 2024-2025 Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholars!
Congratulations to Professor Ryosuke Motani, who has been selected as one of the 2024-2025 Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholars! More information from the PBK website: "Each year, members of the Committee on the Visiting Scholar Program select top scholars in the...(Read more)
Sarah Stewart Named American Physical Society Fellow for Research on Evolution of Planetary Systems
For her landmark work in the development and application of shock physics techniques to explain the origin and evolution of planetary systems, Sarah Stewart has been selected as an American Physical Society Fellow. The prestigious honor is one that no more...(Read more)