https://qanr.usu.edu/geo/news/archive/index.xmlFollow along with what is happening in the Geosciences department at Utah State University.https://templateresources.usu.edu/_resources/assets/images/U-State.pnghttps://qanr.usu.edu/en-usNewshttps://www.usu.edu/today/story/slickrock-usu-geoscientists-explore-why-utahs-wasatch-fault-is-vulnerable-to-earthquakesIn the Geological Society of America journal Geology, Srisharan Shreedharan, Alexis Ault and Jordan Jensen combine varied disciplinary perspectives to explain why properties of fault rocks and geologic events that occurred more than a billion years ago poMonday, 28 April 2025https://www.usu.edu/today/story/two-usu-students-receive-national-science-foundation-research-fellowship/?nl=1016&utm_source=todaynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl1016&utm_content=two-usu-students-receive-national-science-foundation-research-fellowshipMechanical engineering student Ryan Lewis and geosciences student Michelle Norman were both selected for the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program, one of the nation’s most distinguished research fellowships.Friday, 18 April 2025https://www.usu.edu/today/story/time-will-tell-usu-geoscientists-develop-tool-to-chronicle-unexplained-gaps-in-the-rock-record/?nl=1010&utm_source=todaynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl1010&utm_content=time-will-tell-usu-geoscientists-develop-tool-to-chronicle-unexplained-gaps-in-the-rock-recordIn the journal Geology, Presidential Doctoral Research Fellow Jordan Jensen and Department of Geosciences faculty mentor Alexis Ault describe a new forensic tool to help geoscientists understand the creation of unconformities by tracking natural "rusting"Friday, 7 March 2025https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-easterns-evey-gannaway-dalton-named-department-teacher-of-the-year“Dr. Gannaway Dalton is an absolute rock star,” said Doug Miller, chief campus administrator at USU Eastern. “While this recognition is specific to her skill as an educator, her expertise in our region is valued beyond the classroom. We are incredibly forThursday, 27 February 2025https://eos.org/research-spotlights/how-rivers-carved-the-canyons-of-the-central-colorado-plateauUSU graduate Natalie Tanski & others looked at two reaches of the Colorado River to determine how and why incision varied during the PleistoceneTuesday, 25 February 2025https://www.usu.edu/today/story/state-of-flux-usu-inaugural-professor-studies-geochemistry-of-worlds-mountain-ranges/Utah State University geochemist Dennis Newell’s academic and professional path has never followed a straight line. But it’s a path that’s taken him across continents and into the world’s great mountain ranges: The Himalayas, the Andes and the Alaska RangMonday, 18 November 2024https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-geologist-colleagues-rewrite-textbooks-with-new-insights-from-bottom-of-the-grand-canyon/Geological Society of America Fellow Carol Dehler is part of an NSF-funded, multi-institution team using advanced technology and time-tested knowledge to offer innovative, updated perspectives of an iconic sedimentary record.Thursday, 7 November 2024https://news.fsu.edu/news/arts-humanities/2024/11/04/portal-to-the-past-fsu-geologist-identifies-metamorphic-rock-as-a-crucial-feature-of-the-ancient-earths-carbon-cycle/In a new article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USU Geoscience’s Dr. Don Penman and colleague Dr. Emily Stewart from Florida State University propose that carbon dioxide degassing during rock metamorphism may have been signiMonday, 4 November 2024https://www.usu.edu/today/story/dangerous-ground-usu-geoscientist-awarded-nsf-grant-to-study-earthquake-precursors/Assistant Professor Srisharan Shreedharan leads collaborative effort to gain knowledge of processes that could improve seismic hazard forecasting.Wednesday, 30 October 2024https://www.usu.edu/today/story/beginning-oct-5-usu-museum-of-geology-is-open-1st-saturday-of-each-month/In an effort to provide greater accessibility, the Department of Geosciences will open its Logan campus facility, featuring local rocks and fossils, to the public the first weekend each month, in addition to weekday hours.Monday, 30 September 2024https://attheu.utah.edu/research/what-microscopic-fossilized-shells-tell-us-about-ancient-climate-change/USU Dr. Don Penman and U of U geologists link rapid climate change 50 million years ago to rising CO2 levels.Monday, 26 August 2024https://www.usu.edu/today/story/dennis-newell-named-interim-head-of-usus-department-of-geosciencesGeochemistry professor aims to continue building a welcoming and supportive academic environment with robust research opportunities.Tuesday, 13 August 2024https://www.usu.edu/today/story/strike-force-usu-leads-collaborative-23m-nsf-grant-to-study-earthquake-critical-zones/?nl=975&utm_source=todaynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl975&utm_content=strike-force-usu-leads-collaborative-23m-nsf-grant-to-study-earthquake-critical-zonesGeoscientists Alexis Ault, Dennis Newell and Srisharan Shreedharan, along with engineer Brady Cox, are among an interdisciplinary, multi-institution team set to probe seismic cycle processes, examine associated human impacts of earthquakes and mentor the Wednesday, 7 August 2024https://www.usu.edu/today/story/aggie-geologists-say-yellowstone-steam-blast-among-parks-significant-hazardsA hydrothermal explosion July 23 at Yellowstone National Park sent visitors running for cover, as steam shot into the air and rocks rained down on a popular viewing area.Thursday, 25 July 2024https://www.usu.edu/today/story/earthquakes-and-hot-rocks-usus-science-unwrapped-explores-energy-transformations-friday-april-12Alexis Ault, associate professor in USU’s Department of Geosciences, will discuss the energy transformation phenomenon at USU’s Science Unwrapped public outreach program. She will present at 7 p.m. Friday, April 12.Thursday, 11 April 2024chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://usoceandiscovery.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/14-MARCH-2024-spotlight-on-Don-Penman.pdfSedimentologist and paleoclimatologist Don Penman is featured by the International Ocean Discovery Program and as an Ocean Discovery Lecturer.Thursday, 7 March 2024https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/cambrian-trilobites-from-the-nounan-dolomite-and-lower-st-charles-formation-upper-marjuman-to-lower-sunwaptan-miaolingian-to-furongian-series-smithfield-canyon-northern-utah/5C6ABD23D14EBC283A796A519127DB6CDr. Dehler and grad student Hannah Cothren use trilobite fossils and C-isotopes to confirm the Cambrian SPICE climate eventFriday, 9 February 2024https://giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.php/geosites/article/view/142Study of stratigraphy and geochronology led by Emeritus professors reveals the deeper Pleistocene history of Cache Valley.Sunday, 14 January 2024https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-geoscientist-alexis-ault-named-national-academy-of-sciences-kavli-fellow/Alexis Ault is among a select cohort of U.S. scientists named a 2023 Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences.Tuesday, 21 November 2023https://eos.org/articles/fire-histories-may-be-written-on-grains-of-sandMS Student April Phinney researches if tiny bits of quartz record the intensity of fires from hundreds or even thousands of years ago, potentially offering new ways to study historic fires and how heat affects soil.Tuesday, 21 November 2023https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G51599.1/629716/Pleistocene-Colorado-River-terraces-in-the?redirectedFrom=fulltextPh.D. candidate Natalie Tanski has a new paper in Geology deciphering and luminescence-dating the complex record of Colorado River terraces in CanyonlandsMonday, 20 November 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/shallow-end-usu-geologist-studies-seismic-behavior-of-californias-san-andreas-fault/Doctoral student Alexandra DiMonte studies shallow creep events along the southern segment of the sliding boundary between the Pacific and North American Plates.Friday, 29 September 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/water-intelligence-connecting-the-dots-between-snowpack-and-streamflow-in-mountainous-watersheds/?nl=925&utm_source=todaynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl925&utm_content=water-intelligence-connecting-the-dots-between-snowpack-and-streamflow-in-mountainous-watershedsDr. Dennis Newell and colleagues conduct NSF-funded research in our own Bear River Range.Thursday, 21 September 2023https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023GC010993?campaign=woletocUSU graduate student Jordan Jensen explores whether hematite thermochronology can help date the secondary magnetism of rocks along Colorado fault.Tuesday, 5 September 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/greenland-has-greener-history-than-we-thought-says-usu-geoscientist/?nl=915&utm_source=todaynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl915&utm_content=greenland-has-greener-history-than-we-thought-says-usu-geoscientistNew analysis of samples collected from underneath Greenland’s ice sheet reveal the Arctic island was much greener as recently as 416,000 years ago.Thursday, 20 July 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/bubble-bubble-more-earthquake-trouble-usu-geochemist-studies-alaskas-denali-faultUnderstanding the restless Denali Fault’s mantle-to-crust connections provides critical information for understanding the lithospheric-scale fault’s seismic cycle, says Dennis NewellTuesday, 6 June 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/tectonics-matter-usu-geoscientists-probe-geochemistry-microbial-diversity-of-peruvian-hot-springsSouth America’s Andes Mountains, the world’s longest mountain range and home to some of the planet’s highest peaks, feature thousands of hot springs. Driven by plate tectonics and fueled by hot rock and fluids, these thermal discharges vary widely in geocWednesday, 26 April 2023https://www.upr.org/utah-news/2023-04-18/science-unwrapped-students-explore-changes-in-cache-valleys-geological-pastUPR article of the presentation Susanne Janecke did for Science Unwrapped.Tuesday, 18 April 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/?story=slow-motion-usu-geophysicist-investigates-tectonic-plate-boundary-earthquake-behaviorRenaissance polymath Leonard da Vinci demonstrated that frictional forces slow down the motion of surfaces in contact. Friction, he determined, is proportional to normal force. When two objects are pressed together twice as hard, friction doubles.Thursday, 16 February 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-undergraduate-geologist-deciphers-ancient-questions-in-utahs-drum-mountainsMichelle Norman pursued field work in Utah’s west-central desert, near the Millard County town of Delta, where the Drum Mountains stand as steadfast sentinels of history ranging from their origin some 500 million years ago during the Cambrian Period.Monday, 30 January 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/whole-lotta-shakin-cache-valley-residents-aggies-experience-repeated-small-quakesUsing self-constructed hydraulic and pneumatic presses, newly arrived Utah State University geophysicist Srisharan Shreedharan generates experimental earthquakes in the lab.Thursday, 5 January 2023https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-geoscientist-says-sea-level-changes-formed-australias-kgari-sand-island-great-barrier-reefHow did the world’s largest sand island ,K’gari, along with the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, come to be?Monday, 14 November 2022https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X22001194?casa_token=AyzWOjELDjIAAAAA:BkLcyIvRI7kCSlCQooktIfLTXbESJCgisaH3UyI5jvvFqmNlxZksIvaZ5hc7PMiVfYLUT3MnNATony Lowry and students highlight the correspondence of cool lower crust with high elevation in the West -- describing upper mantle hydration as the cause, as it drives alteration up through the lithosphere.Thursday, 10 November 2022https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/doi/10.1130/G50434.1/618212/Novel-age-constraints-for-the-onset-of-theGrad student Hannah Cothren and Dr. Carol Dehler provide the first numerical age constraint for the global SPICE isotopic event through study of the fabulous Cambrian section preserved in the Bear River Range.Friday, 14 October 2022https://www.usu.edu/today/story/flash-in-the-pan-usu-geologists-publish-new-approach-to-tracking-ancient-earthquakesNew study published by grad student Ema Armstrong and Dr. Alexis Ault, among others, presents refined technique to estimate the temperature and intensity of paleo-earthquakesFriday, 3 June 2022https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000925412200081X?dgcid=coauthor#f0045Gas-rich hot springs throughout the Peruvian Andes contain a surprising contribution of mantle and crustal volatiles (CO2 and N2) despite being located along a volcanic gap associated with modern flat-slab subduction.Wednesday, 20 April 2022https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2022/03/ancient-carbon-emissions.pageThe Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is recognized by a major negative carbon isotope (δ13C) excursion (CIE) signifying an injection of isotopically light carbon into exogenic reservoirs, the mass, source, and tempo of which continue to be debated.Wednesday, 16 March 2022https://utahstatemagazine.usu.edu/scitech/stitching-together-an-ancient-story/The machine hisses like a bike tube deflating. The 7,000-pound instrument parked in the basement of the Science Engineering Research building is worth more than many American homes.Friday, 4 March 2022https://www.usu.edu/today/story/full-steam-ahead-usu-museums-host-interdisciplinary-outreach-for-fourth-gradersUSU Museums Host Interdisciplinary Outreach for Fourth Graders to help "explore, excite, engage and enhance"Tuesday, 18 January 2022https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-geosciences-department-named-american-geophysical-union-bridge-program-partnerUSU Geosciences Department Named American Geophysical Union Bridge Program PartnerTuesday, 7 December 2021https://www.usu.edu/today/story/in-hot-water-usu-geoscientist-explores-ocean-dynamics-driving-climate-changeUSU Geoscientist Don Penman Explores Ocean Dynamics Driving Climate Change.Wednesday, 10 November 2021https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article/doi/10.1130/B35923.1/607511/Patterns-of-incision-and-deformation-on-theUnderstanding the dynamics of the greater Yellowstone region requires constraints on deformation spanning million year to decadal timescales, but intermediate-scale (Quaternary) records of erosion and deformation are lacking.Thursday, 9 September 2021https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021GL094379The material properties and disribution of faults above the seismogenic zone promote or inhibit earthquake rupture propagation.Thursday, 19 August 2021https://www.usu.edu/today/story/river-arrival-usu-geologist-explores-when-the-colorado-met-the-sea-of-cortezOriginating from headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, the nearly 1,500-mile-long Colorado River traverses seven western U.S. states, as it crosses the Colorado Plateau and winds southwesterly toward Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.Tuesday, 20 July 2021https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X2100131X?dgcid=coauthorUnraveling complex slip histories in fault damage zones to understand relations among deformation, hydrothermal alteration, and surface uplift remains a challenge....Thursday, 1 July 2021https://www.usu.edu/today/story/total-meltdown-usu-geoscientist-says-greenland-ice-sheet-findings-sobering USU geoscientist Tammy Rittenour is among an international team of researchers delving into rare sediment samples collected from underneath the Greenland Ice Sheet during a secret, Cold War-era military venture. Video courtesy University of Vermont....Tuesday, 16 March 2021https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X2030666X?via%3DihubThe transfer of large volumes of fluid to the overriding lithosphere during flat-slab subduction should drastically alter the physical and chemical properties of continental margins. However, this process is poorly understood and without active...Sunday, 21 February 2021https://www.usu.edu/today/story/in-the-time-of-covid-undergrad-researchers-mentors-use-technology-ingenuity-and-gritNASMP mentors from varied USU colleges crafted research kits, with equipment and instructions, that were sent to students at their homes. The mentors got acquainted with students over video calls and email.Tuesday, 23 June 2020https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-geoscientist-aids-study-of-climatic-change-impacts-on-river-erosionHot spring geochemistry from the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru, reveal the influence of crustal‐scale structures on geothermal fluid circulation in an amagmatic region located above a flat‐slab subduction zone. ...Saturday, 20 June 2020https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-college-of-science-recognizes-top-scholars-of-2020Jared Bryan, who was named the university's 2020 Scholar of the Year at the Robins Awards and is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, is among scholars honored by USU’s College of Science.Thursday, 30 April 2020https://www.usu.edu/today/story/research-excellence-eight-aggies-honored-in-nsf-grad-research-fellow-searchEight Utah State University scholars are honorees of the prestigious 2020 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship search. The Aggies, whose awards are collectively valued at about $828,000, are among nearly...Thursday, 9 April 2020https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee6qTc1BNtMIn October of 2019, the Geo Department ran its first Summit alumni field trip. Friday, 25 October 2019https://www.usu.edu/today/?id=58530Utah State University undergraduate Madison Taylor is learning that most day-to-day research efforts...Monday, 12 August 2019https://www.moabhappenings.com/Geology.htmLearn about USU Geosciences and Cache Valley with the new USU Department of Geosciences YouTube Channel.Friday, 7 June 2019https://www.usu.edu/geo/news/alexis-ault.phpThe International Standing Committee for Thermochronology awards the Charles and Nancy Naeser Prize annually to early career scientists who have made outstanding and innovative contributions in this field. This new award is named in honor of Charles “ChucWednesday, 25 April 2018https://www.usu.edu/geo/news/two-usu-geoscientists.phpDr. Carol Dehler and Dr. Tammy Rittenour, both faculty in the Geology Department at USU, have been selected as fellows in the Geological Society of America (GSA). This is an honor bestowed on the best of our profession. GSA members are nominated by existiWednesday, 25 April 2018https://www.usu.edu/geo/news/utahraptor-unveil.phpAfter a full April day of activities on the Quad on the Logan Campus for Earth Day celebrations, the Department of Geosciences capped things off with the unveiling of a commissioned sculpture of Utah’s new official state dinosaur, as part of its participaFriday, 20 April 2018https://www.usu.edu/geo/news/centennial-rock-garden.phpOn the 12th April 2018, after a stormy morning of rain and snow, a break in the weather allowed the sun to peek through the clouds. The students, staff and faculty of Geology and their visiting Advisory Board members took the opportunity to go out to the Thursday, 12 April 2018https://www.hjnews.com/allaccess/kids-dig-rock-n-fossil-day-at-usu-geology-department/article_52e015d6-7f31-51f2-bbb9-1b8d2c8f5fdd.htmlTwo dinosaurs greeted families at the entrance to USU's Geology Building on Saturday. Over the low whir of her costume's battery-powered fan, volunteer dinosaur and grad student Sarah Wigginton said she saw a good mix of reactions from kids on their way iSaturday, 24 March 2018https://www.usu.edu/geo/news/college-of-science-awards.phpFour of the fourteen College of Science 2018 Awards of Excellence were given to faculty and students of the Department of Geosciences. The four honorees’ write ups from the College of Science website are listed...Monday, 19 March 2018https://www.usu.edu/today/story/flash-in-the-pan-usu-geologists-publish-new-approach-to-tracking-ancient-earthquakesNew study published by grad student Ema Armstrong and Dr. Alexis Ault, among others, presents refined technique to estimate the temperature and intensity of paleo-earthquakes