Research in the department is conducted within three programs:

Geochemistry

This is the study of planetary chemical processes. The field encompasses the study of organic, inorganic chemistry and biogeochemical processes. Our challenge is quantitative definition of the processes that determine elemental distributions in minerals, rocks, ores, soils, water and atmospheres of natural systems based on the chemical and physical properties of elements and their isotopes.

Geology

The field embraces the study of planet Earth as a dynamic system through integrated applications of geological, geochemical and geophysical methods. We study tectonics, geochronology, structural geology, ore geology, magmatism, sedimentology, metamorphism, natural hazards and paleoclimate. More specifically, our research focuses on mountain building and exhumation and how these processes affect and are affected by climate change. In paleoclimatology, our focus is Snowball Earth. We study fluid flow in the Earth’s crust and ore forming processes. We are exploring geochemical methods for earthquake forecasting. We research on exotic terranes, especially in the Arctic. We are strongly committed to field based research, working in Scotland, Iceland, Greece, the European Alps, New Zealand, Oman, Turkey Sweden and the circum-Arctic countries.

Marine Geology

The field embraces the study of the geology and history (paleoceanography, paleoclimatology, marine cryosphere) of the oceans using marine sediment archives. Marine geophysics is an important component of the field, with a focus on mapping Earth's surface landforms and sub-surface geology together with data compilations in large data-bases. A wide range of numerical models are employed to better understand processes in the Earth system on all time scales. Our research also involves studies of lake sediments and lake bottom morphology.