The World Needs Geoscientists
From the energy transition and climate change to natural disasters and drought, geoscientists are at the forefront of solving society's critical issues.
Join a Unique Geosciences Community
The Jackson School of Geosciences combines three world-class integrated units to offer a depth and breadth of educational and research opportunities found at no other institution. All three have a global reputation and some of the world's best experts in their scientific disciplines. The combination makes the Jackson School a truly unique place to pursue an education and conduct research. Click on the links below to explore the amazing research being conducted at each unit.
Department of Earth
and Planetary Sciences
Department of Earth
and Planetary Sciences
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is one of the largest and best geosciences programs in the world. It is the academic unit of the Jackson School of Geosciences which has the No. 1 graduate program in geology and other top ten rankings from U.S. News and World Report. Undergraduate and graduate students have unparalleled field, computational and laboratory research opportunities with faculty tackling some of the most pressing global issues in the 21st century, including climate, water, energy transition, natural resources, or natural disasters, while exploring fundamental processes and questions in Earth and planetary sciences.
Bureau of
Economic Geology
Bureau of
Economic Geology
The Bureau of Economic Geology is the both the oldest research unit at The University of Texas at Austin and the State Geological Survey of Texas. The Bureau's mission is to conduct objective, impactful and integrated geoscience research on energy, environmental and economic issues that affect Texas and the world. Its research staff includes scientists, engineers, economists and graduate students. Ongoing work includes basic and applied research projects in energy resources and economics, coastal and environmental studies, land resources and use, geologic and mineral mapping, hydrogeology, geochemistry and subsurface nanotechnology.
Institute for
Geophysics
Institute for
Geophysics
The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics is a world leader in expeditionary research. UTIG scientists and student researchers work to advance fundamental knowledge and address problems facing Texas, the nation, and the world. Current research efforts are focused on evaluating the scientific and energy potential of methane hydrates; understanding Earth's ice sheets and their impact on our coasts; designing next generation computer models of earthquake and tsunami-generating regions; imaging planetary bodies; and deploying rapid response teams to assess the effects of natural disasters.
Making a Global Impact
Research at the Jackson School of Geosciences spans the planet. From mountain tops to ocean trenches, from Texas to Antarctica, Jackson School scientists are looking for answers to some of the most difficult and important questions facing our world. This map contains just a few highlights of that research. For more, see Jackson School News.
Into the Glacial Abyss
A Jackson School-led mission took a historic dive to Greenland窶冱 glaciers in search of answers to sea level rise.
Read moreEnergy University
What starts here powers the world. The Jackson School is leading the way in energy research at UT.
Read moreDeepest Scientific Ocean Drilling Sheds Light on Japan窶冱 Next Great Earthquake
Scientists who drilled deeper into an undersea earthquake fault than ever before have found that the tectonic stress in Japan窶冱 Nankai subduction zone is…
Read moreResearch Shows How Gulf of Mexico Escaped Ancient Mass Extinction
An ancient bout of global warming 56 million years ago that acidified oceans and wiped-out marine life had a milder effect in the Gulf of…
Read moreNewly Discovered Lake May Hold Secret to Antarctic Ice Sheet窶冱 Rise and Fall
Scientists investigating the underside of the world窶冱 largest ice sheet in East Antarctica have discovered a city-size lake whose sediments might contain a history of…
Read moreTropical Forests Benefit Less from Elevated Atmospheric CO2 Than Thought
The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth窶冱 atmosphere has only a small influence on changes in tropical ecosystems despite evidence of enhanced plant…
Read moreMaximizing Africa窶冱 Aquifers
Tapping into groundwater can help communities in Africa diversify their water supply and strengthen their drought defenses, according to a study led by The University of Texas at Austin.
Read moreCities Boosted Rain, Sent Storms to the Suburbs During Europe窶冱 Deadly Summer Floods
When it comes to extreme weather, climate change usually gets all the attention. But according to a study from The University of Texas at Austin…
Read moreRegion of 窶牢uper Corals窶? Discovered
In 2019, a hydrology professor at The University of Texas at Austin set out on a research project to see if he could identify harmful…
Read moreUT Joins NSF-Funded Center for Oldest Ice Exploration
The University of Texas at Austin has joined a National Science Foundation-funded center to find the world窶冱 oldest ice in Antarctica 窶? 1.5-million-year-old ice that…
Read moreGulf Coast Ready to Develop Carbon Storage Hub
The stage is set for a new carbon storage economy to emerge along the Gulf Coast, according to a study led by The University of…
Read moreSlow Slip窶? Earthquakes窶? Hidden Mechanics Revealed
Slow slip earthquakes, a type of slow motion tremor, have been detected at many of the world窶冱 earthquake hotspots, including those found around the Pacific…
Read moreGreenland 窶婁nickpoints窶? Could Stall Spread of Glacial Thinning
The jagged terrain of Greenland窶冱 mountains is protecting some of the island窶冱 outlet glaciers from warm coastal waters, according to a team of researchers that…
Read moreCoastal Permafrost More Susceptible to Climate Change Than Previously Thought
If you flew from the sea towards the land in the north slope of Alaska, you would cross from the water, over a narrow beach,…
Read moreClimate Change Projected to Increase Seasonal East African Rainfall
According to research led by The University of Texas at Austin, seasonal rainfall is expected to rise significantly in East Africa over the next few…
Read moreDivining Monsoon Rainfall Months in Advance with Satellites and Simulations
Researchers affiliated with The University of Texas at Austin have developed a strategy that more accurately predicts seasonal rainfall over the Asian monsoon region and…
Read moreEgg from Antarctica is Big and Might Belong to an Extinct Sea Lizard
In 2011, Chilean scientists discovered a mysterious fossil in Antarctica that looked like a deflated football. For nearly a decade, the specimen sat unlabeled and…
Read moreWorld窶冱 Oldest Bug is Fossil Millipede from Scotland
A 425-million-year-old millipede fossil from the Scottish island of Kerrera is the world窶冱 oldest 窶彙ug窶? 窶? older than any known fossil of an insect, arachnid…
Read moreClimate Change Could Reawaken Indian Ocean El Niテアo
Global warming is approaching a tipping point that during this century could reawaken an ancient climate pattern similar to El Niテアo in the Indian Ocean,…
Read moreSearching for Fossils in Patagonia
North of the town of Puerto Natales, Chile, near Torres del Paine National Park, an international group of scientists from across South America, Germany, Japan…
Read moreScientists Find Eternal Nile To Be More Ancient Than Previously Thought
Ancient Egyptians considered the Nile river to be the source of all life. The steady northward path of the river has nourished the fertile valleys…
Read moreRocks at Asteroid Impact Site Record First Day of Dinosaur Extinction
When the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs slammed into the planet, the impact set wildfires, triggered tsunamis and blasted so much sulfur into the…
Read moreHorton and Becker to Help Lead NSF Flat Slab Research
A 2ドル.7 million multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional NSF-Frontiers of Earth Science grant has been awarded to a team led by Carnegie窶冱 Lara Wagner to study an active…
Read morePartnership Seeks to Fight Climate Change and Boost Caribbean Nation窶冱 Economy
The University of Texas at Austin is partnering with two Caribbean universities on the dual-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago to create a new clean…
Read moreNew Computer Modeling Approach Could Improve Understanding of Megathrust Earthquakes
Years before the devastating Tohoku earthquake struck the coast of Japan in 2011, the Earth’s crust near the site of the quake was starting to…
Read moreLatest News
Features
Into the Glacial Abyss
December 9, 2024
A Jackson School-led mission took a historic dive to Greenland窶冱 glaciers in search of answers to sea level rise.
Read moreFeatures
New Climate Degree
December 8, 2024
The story of how the school窶冱 newest major came to be 窶? and how it窶冱 preparing undergraduate students for climate careers.
Read moreFeatures
The Science of Birdsong
December 8, 2024
Little is known about the form, function and evolution of the syrinx 窶? the unique vocal organ of birds. New research is changing that.
Read moreFeatures
Energy University
December 3, 2024
What starts here powers the world. The Jackson School is leading the way in energy research at UT.
Read moreFeatures
Into the Glacial Abyss
December 9, 2024
A Jackson School-led mission took a historic dive to Greenland窶冱 glaciers in search of answers to sea level rise.
Features
New Climate Degree
December 8, 2024
The story of how the school窶冱 newest major came to be 窶? and how it窶冱 preparing undergraduate students for climate careers.
Features
The Science of Birdsong
December 8, 2024
Little is known about the form, function and evolution of the syrinx 窶? the unique vocal organ of birds. New research is changing that.
Features
Energy University
December 3, 2024
What starts here powers the world. The Jackson School is leading the way in energy research at UT.
Media Releases
Assistant Professor Tim Goudge Named Co-Director of CIFAR Research Group
April 3, 2025
Tim Goudge, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Jackson School of Geosciences, has been named a co-director of…
Media Releases
Zama Basin窶冱 Superb Sand the Result of a Drive-By Microcontinent
April 2, 2025
The high-quality sands that make up the oil reservoirs in the Zama Basin in the Gulf of Mexico really shouldn窶冲 be there. Large sandstone deposits…
Media Releases
North America is Dripping from Below, Geoscientists Discover
April 1, 2025
Researchers have discovered that the underside of the North American continent is dripping away in blobs of rock 窶? and that the remnants of a…