Recent news and blogs

A new study has revealed for the first time that ancient carbon, stored in landscapes for thousands of years or more, can find its way back to the atmosphere as CO ₂ released from the surfaces of rivers. The findings, led by Bristol University and co-authored by Professor Ed Tipper of Cambridge Earth Sciences , mean plants...

Congratulations to Marie Edmonds, Professor of Volcanology and Petrology at the Department of Earth Sciences, on being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This year, over 90 exceptional researchers from across the world have been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences...

 During the Easter holidays, 31 Part III Earth Science students and 8 demonstrators travelled to southeastern Spain (Almería) for the students’ final fieldtrip. The region’s complex geology offered something special for everyone. Over six days in the field, we moved through geological time and explored the diverse environments—from metamorphic basements and Miocene reef outcrops, to …

Continue reading "A Field Journey through the Messinian Salinity Crisis and Beyond"

 During the Easter holidays, 31 Part III Earth Science students and 8 demonstrators travelled to southeastern Spain (Almería) for the students’ final fieldtrip. The region’s complex geology offered something special for everyone. Over six days in the field, we moved through geological time and explored the diverse environments—from metamorphic basements and Miocene reef outcrops, to …

Continue reading "A Field Journey through the Messinian Salinity Crisis and Beyond"

Geoscientists from Cambridge have uncovered a new explanation for the diversity of rocks in an alkaline-subalkaline igneous complex that hosts Canada’s only rare earth element mine, offering fresh insights into the origins of similar, often mineral-rich, complexes worldwide. According to the research , the distinct rock...

Once a year, a peculiar, polished slab of rock is hauled down from its home on a windowsill near the 1A lab and propped up on the lawn against a row of knees for the annual Sedgwick Club photo. The slab, with its striking black and white circular patterns, has featured in most annual photos …

Continue reading "The origins of our orbicular granite"

Once a year, a peculiar, polished slab of rock is hauled down from its home on a windowsill near the 1A lab and propped up on the lawn against a row of knees for the annual Sedgwick Club photo. The slab, with its striking black and white circular patterns, has featured in most annual photos …

Continue reading "The origins of our orbicular granite"

On the 15-16 th April, Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences hosted a workshop broadly focused on the latest developments in critical metals research, with a particular focus on rare earth elements (REEs). The event brought together around 35 international geoscientists working in the critical metals space. Researchers...

A new study involving scientists from the University of Cambridge has developed innovative methods to build a better picture of how ice sheets and glaciers move. Published in the journal Nature Geoscience , the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led study used previously collected lab data to refine knowledge of...

The time sequence of building stone use in Cambridge shows the competing influences of function, fashion and finance in the city’s historic fabric. Now natural stone is poised for a resurgence because of its strength, durability and low embodied carbon. Cambridge buildings display one of the UK’s best records of historic stone use. Never systematically …

Continue reading "History and future of stone use in Cambridge"

The time sequence of building stone use in Cambridge shows the competing influences of function, fashion and finance in the city’s historic fabric. Now natural stone is poised for a resurgence because of its strength, durability and low embodied carbon. Cambridge buildings display one of the UK’s best records of historic stone use. Never systematically …

Continue reading "History and future of stone use in Cambridge"

The Sedgwick Museum and the Department of Earth Sciences are hosting an Earth Sciences Fair this Saturday, 29th March, as part of the Cambridge Festival Family Weekend . Visitors will meet earth scientists and explore the world of research through fun, hands-on activities. Highlights include an opportunity to hold...

The latest issue of GeoCam is here—and it's packed with exciting updates! Dive into our alumni magazine and meet our new Head of Department, explore fascinating insights from current and former students, and uncover groundbreaking research alongside the latest happenings at the Sedgwick Museum. Latest GeoCam issue, click...

A Cambridge earth scientist and a data sonification expert from Anglia Ruskin University are transforming mineral data into music for the public to enjoy at the Cambridge Festival. By converting microscope images of minerals into musical compositions, Dr Carrie Soderman from Cambridge and Dr Domenico Vincinanza from Anglia...

Marie Edmonds, Professor of Volcanology and Petrology, was both an undergraduate and postgraduate in Cambridge from 1994-2001 and has been a lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences since 2006. Marie reflects on her career and new role as Head of Department with Erin Martin-Jones. One volcanic eruption kick-started your career as a volcanologist? Volcanoes …

Continue reading "In Conversation with Marie Edmonds"

Marie Edmonds, Professor of Volcanology and Petrology, was both an undergraduate and postgraduate in Cambridge from 1994-2001 and has been a lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences since 2006. Marie reflects on her career and new role as Head of Department with Erin Martin-Jones. One volcanic eruption kick-started your career as a volcanologist? Volcanoes …

Continue reading "In Conversation with Marie Edmonds"

Scientists have pinpointed the key factors that allow pockets of warm seawater to flow beneath the Antarctic ice shelves, melting the ice from below and destabilizing glaciers inland. The research, led by the University of Cambridge, used a remarkably detailed model simulation to show how seasonal changes in wind strength...

Cambridge geoscientists are developing an atlas that could lead to a more complete understanding of how viable rare earth element deposits form and help locate more secure sources, by mapping the global distribution of critical metals deposits within unusual igneous rocks. Rare earth elements are vital components in many...