Research
Geoscientists strive to understand earth processes and develop solutions to society’s most challenging problems. Solutions to these problems are found by conducting research over the many disciplines that encompass the geosciences.
They study the origin and evolution of our planet; the chemical and physical properties of minerals, rocks, and fluids; the structure of our mobile crust – its newly forming ocean floors and its ancient drifting continents; the history of life; and the human adaption to earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and floods.
The study of Earth is interdisciplinary, combining a knowledge of geology with a solid background in all sciences.
If you are curious about the planet which we live on, are challenged by problems which involve the Earth, and are intrigued by the potential of a subject which combines the best of both arts and sciences, geosciences are for you.
Below are some of the areas of geoscience actively being researched by our department faculty.
Areas of Research:
Solid Earth:
Petrology, Geochemistry, and Economic Geology
Our faculty combine field work, experiments, and theory to study a wide range of planetary processes, including the physiochemical causes and timing of volcanic eruptions, the evolution of base and precious metal deposits, the connection between the mantle and the volcanic arc in subduction zones, mantle minerology, and the dynamics of core-mantle interaction
Tectonics and Structural Geology
Faculty research comprises field and laboratory based investigations into the tectonics of the continental crust and deeper mantle in both active and ancient settings at timescales ranging from a single earthquake event to billions of years.
Earth Surficial Processes:
Climate Science, Hydrology, and Human-Geosphere Interactions
Faculty and students at UNLV investigate near-surface processes, involving the solid Earth, hydrosphere, climate, and biosphere, including anthropogenic interactions, by integrating data obtained from the field, laboratory, and numerical studies
Sedimentary Geology and Paleontology
Sediments, sedimentary rocks, and their fossil contents provide a record of how the Earth’s surficial processes have evolved over the past four billion years.
Planets:
The study of other planets occurs on many levels, from experimental simulations to the active exploration of a planet’s surface. The research within the Planetary Sciences group covers many of these approaches, with a focus on the planet Mars.