PHD Geology

Geology is an interdisciplinary science that emphasizes the study of major Earth systems and how they are connected. The Department of Geology has strong research groups in paleontology (paleontology and evolutionary paleoecology; our program is ranked 6th in the nation), Quaternary geology and geomorphology (glacial geology, fluvial and slope processes, desert geomorphology, and tectonic geomorphology), sedimentology and stratigraphy (sequence stratigraphy, geology of shales, and geochemical records of Earth history), tectonics (mountain building and volcanism), environmental geology (groundwater studies and landslide and seismic hazard mitigation), and biogeochemistry and global change (carbon cycling, isotope geochemistry, and impacts of climate change).