News

Newly identified Martian rocks are a missing link in understanding how the red planet may once have been warm enough to host liquid water, enhancing its potential habitability. An international team, led by Cambridge researchers, have found the first direct evidence for serpentinization on Mars, a process whereby iron-rich rocks react with hot wate…

Researchers from the University of Cambridge are using AI to speed up landslide detection following major earthquakes and extreme rainfall events—buying valuable time to coordinate relief efforts and reduce humanitarian impacts.On April 3, 2024, a magnitude 7.4 quake—Taiwan’s strongest in 25 years—shook the country's eastern coast. Stringent buildi…

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 CO₂ 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 and shallow soil layers are …

On Saturday 17 May, Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences welcomed 150 alumni to Madingley Rise for a vibrant day of talks and demonstrations, culminating in a formal dinner.Held for the first time at Bullard Laboratories, the event offered alumni and their guests the opportunity to explore a site steeped in scientific discovery and integral to …

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, recognizing their groundbreakin…

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 types—including subalkaline gr…

On the 15-16th 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 from across the Department s…

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 how ice sheets deform as they…

The Sedgwick Museum and the Department of Earth Sciences hosted an Earth Sciences Fair on Saturday, 29th March, as part of the Cambridge Festival Family Weekend.Visitors had the chance to meet Earth scientists and explore their research through fun, hands-on activities.Highlights included an opportunity to hold Antarctic ice and hear its ancient ai…

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 on image to view:Inside this…

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 Ruskin aim to inspire a de…

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 and sea ice, together with …

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 everyday and high-tech devic…

Researchers from the University of Cambridge were involved in a global study that pieced together events leading up to the devastating Sikkim Flood in India. The results show that human activity played a key role in the multihazard sequence.On October 3rd, 2023, a large glacial lake in Sikkim, northeastern India, broke its banks and unleashed a cat…

A new art-science exhibition at Downing College’s Heong Gallery brings Iceland’s incandescent volcanic eruptions and earth-shattering seismic tremors to Cambridge. Visitors will get a chance to get up close, and even embark on a journey inside, an Icelandic volcano—inspired by Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth.The exhibit, ‘Magma Ris…