Tag Geology
10,000-year record shows dramatic uplift at Andean volcano
The dramatic finding rested on a simple, painstaking study of the ancient lakeshore, which resembles a bathtub ring. Read More
Study questions dates for cataclysms on early moon, Earth
Phenomenally durable crystals called zircons are used to date some of the earliest and most dramatic cataclysms of the solar system. One is the super-duty collision that ejected material from Earth to form the moon roughly 50 million years after Earth formed. Another is the late heavy bombardment, a wave of impacts that may have created hellish surface conditions on the young Earth, about 4 billion years ago. Read More
Giving freight rail tracks a boost
The big chunks of rock - crushed limestone or dolomite that engineers call ballast - that keep railroad tracks in place look like a solid footing even as freight cars rumble overhead. Read More
New fiber-optic monitoring tools could help industry unlock geothermal energy
University of Wisconsin–Madison geoscientists and engineers are working with industry partners and the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a highly detailed monitoring system for geothermal wells. Read More
UW team explores large, restless volcanic field in Chile
If Brad Singer knew for sure what was happening three miles under an odd-shaped lake in the Andes, he might be less eager to spend a good part of his career investigating a volcanic field that has erupted 36 times during the last 25,000 years. As he leads a large scientific team exploring a region in the Andes called Laguna del Maule, Singer hopes the area remains quiet. Read More
Oldest bit of Earth’s crust among attractions at Geology Museum open house
It promises to be a trip through geologic time: from a look at the oldest piece of Earth's crust, to the earliest smells on our planet, to a recently crash-landed Martian meteorite. Read More
‘Cabinet of curiosities’ captures nature through work of artists and scientists
Of all the places Sierra Swenson expected to end up during her first semester at college, precious few were lined with jars full of preserved reptiles. Read More
Recent Sightings: Fossil fun
Undergraduate and staff tour guide Michael Schiltz talks with first-grade students about bone fossils and replicas of several dinosaur and mammoth skeletons on display at the UW–Madison Geology Museum. Read More
Geoscience field camp takes the classroom to the mountains
Tina Porter (B.S.’13, Geology and Geophysics) left the flat farmlands of Wisconsin for the rugged terrain of the Utah mountains this summer to put her geology skills to the test. Read More
Vaterite: Crystal within a crystal helps resolve an old puzzle
With the help of a solitary sea squirt, scientists have resolved the longstanding puzzle of the crystal structure of vaterite, an enigmatic geologic mineral and biomineral. Read More
Geology student drills into Tohoku quake source
For the past eight weeks, geoscience graduate student Tamara Jeppson has traded her usual commute, from her Madison apartment to Weeks Hall on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, for a single flight of stairs. Read More
Rock your holidays with fossils, minerals at Geology Museum sale today and Saturday
For the third year, the UW Geology Museum will be decking out the lobby with holiday cheer and hosting the Friends of the Geology Museum annual holiday sale. Read More
Mifflin Meteorite finds permanent home in Geology Museum
The meteorite that lit up the skies over southwest Wisconsin this spring has been officially dubbed the "Mifflin Meteorite," and several of its pieces are now part of the permanent collection of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Geology Museum. Read More
Students size up seismic sensor sites
University of Wisconsin–Madison students Matthew Kogle and Kelly Hoehn logged thousands of miles this summer driving rural Wisconsin roads, scanning the landscape. When they found a promising spot, they knocked on the door of the nearest farmhouse and tried to interest the owners in their cause. Read More
Wisconsin meteorite shards on display at UW Geology Museum
At least five pieces of the meteorite that fell in southwestern Wisconsin last week will be on display at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Geology Museum for public viewing Tuesday, April 20 through this weekend. Read More
Meteor fragment lands in UW–Madison geoscience department
Researchers in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Geoscience had the opportunity Friday morning to analyze a rock fragment they believe is from the meteor that blazed through the skies over parts of Wisconsin and Iowa Wednesday night. Read More
UW-Madison geoscience department seeks meteorite fragments
Researchers in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Geoscience are making a plea for anyone finding pieces of the meteorite that blazed through the skies of southern Wisconsin last night (Thursday April 14) to bring them to the department for possible analysis. Read More
Twenty-year study yields precise model of tectonic-plate movements
A new model of the Earth, 20 years in the making, describes a dynamic three-dimensional puzzle of planetary proportions. Read More
Scavenging energy waste to turn water into hydrogen fuel
Materials scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have designed a way to harvest small amounts of waste energy and harness them to turn water into usable hydrogen fuel. Read More