News

Grace Campbell, who studied a PhD in seismic hazards with us, was today named one of the 2021 Top 50 Women in Engineering.Grace is an earthquake geologist and remote sensing specialist in Arup‘s Natural Hazard and Risk Management Team.After gaining a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences at UCL, Grace moved to Cambridge to study – firstly for an MPhil …

Carrie Soderman is a third-year PhD student in Geochemistry at the Department of Earth Sciences. Usually, Carrie can be found researching mantle plumes and experimenting on isotopes in the clean lab. But earlier this year Carrie decided to take some time to undertake an internship with the Environmental Audit Committee, a House of Commons Select Co…

Just hours after Dan Roberts, Masters student at Cambridge Earth Sciences, handed in his dissertation on the seismicity of Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, the volcano in his study area erupted… Dan’s Master’s project used Cambridge-developed software to accurately map out earthquake tremors in the Reykjanes Peninsula – where the ongoing eruption is o…

Geologists at the University of Cambridge have revealed how changes in our Earth’s interior can cause massive upheaval of our planet’s surface over millions of years, profoundly influencing sea levels and the sensitivity of ice sheets to climate change.Their findings, published in Nature Communications earlier this month and presented at this year’…

Dr Ed Tipper has been awarded the prestigious Pilkington Prize in recognition of his teaching excellence.Dr Tipper, who is Lecturer in Earth Sciences and Director of Studies at St John's, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to receive this award. There’s nothing more rewarding than managing to inspire the next generation about the physical, chemical an…

Dr Helen Williams, Reader in Geochemistry, at Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences and Fellow of Jesus College, has been awarded a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant to investigate the role of magma oceans in defining Earth’s physical and chemical evolution.Over the next 5 years, Williams and an international team of collaborators will determine ho…

The University of Cambridge is creating a new research initiative, bringing together physicists, chemists, biologists, earth scientists and mathematicians to answer fundamental questions on the origin and nature of life in the Universe.Led by 2019 Physics Nobel Laureate Professor Didier Queloz, the Cambridge Initiative for Planetary Science and Lif…

Dr Emilie Ringe, Lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences & Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, has been recognised as one of three Journal of Physical Chemistry (JPC) and PHYS Division Lectureship Winners.The Journal of Physical Chemistry – PHYS Division Lectureship Awards honour the contributions of invest…

Researchers have uncovered evidence suggesting that volcanic carbon emissions were not a major driver in Earth’s most recent extinction event.Earth has experienced five major extinction events over the last 500 million years, the fifth and most recent responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Massive volcanic eruptions have bee…

New research led by the University of Cambridge has found rare evidence – preserved in the chemistry of ancient rocks from Greenland - which tells of a time when Earth was almost entirely molten. The study yields information on a fundamental period in our planet’s formation, when a deep sea of incandescent magma stretched across Earth’s surface and…

For the first time, scientists using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence of volcanic activity reforming the atmosphere on a rocky planet around a distant star. The planet, GJ 1132 b, has a similar density, size, and age to Earth.The planet GJ 1132 b appears to have begun life as a gaseous world with a thick blanket of atmosphere…

A comprehensive survey of the stone used in Cambridge buildings has been made by Nigel Woodcock and Euan Furness from Cambridge Earth Sciences. The results show how stone use through time was influenced by wars, by pandemics, and by the canal and railway revolutions. The survey’s novel methodology will be useful for assessing heritage cities worldw…

Congratulations to Professor Marie Edmonds and Professor Nicky White who each received awards from the Geological Society.They were amongst eighteen individuals selected for the 2021 medals and awards, “these individuals have shaped our understanding of the Earth and beyond, contributing to the success of the geoscience community and professions. M…

Scientists may soon be able to tell whether distant exoplanets are home to volcanoes, and even the early stages of life, just by looking for hydrogen gas in their atmospheres.Research from Cambridge Earth Sciences has found that volcanic activity on planets with a similar size and interior to Earth can create atmospheres with a few percent of hydro…

A recent panel discussion held by the Royal Society, in partnership with the British Museum, explored how humans adapted to environmental change in the past, and what we should be doing in the present to reduce our vulnerability to climate change.Throughout history, humanity's survival has depended, in part, on our ability to adapt to natural fluct…