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Home > Highlights > Highlights Archive
Cold Snap *
No, it's not your imagination: it was a very cold, long winter! Chris Poulsen wrote an article for Michigan Today about our cold 2008-09 winter and global warming.
Fossil Find Reveals Early Whales Gave Birth on Land *
Two newly described fossil whales reveal how primitive whales gave birth and provide new insights into how whales made the transition from land to sea. Paleontologist Philip Gingerich led the team that made the discoveries.
San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth *
Ben van der Pluijm told The American Institute of Physics about how nano-coding of clay provides a better understanding of the cycle of earthquakes. (video)
Ted Moore to Join Expedition to Equatorial Pacific *
Ted Moore joined an international expedition to the equatorial Pacific aboard the scientific drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution in March. This is Moore's third voyage on the drill ship.
Dinosaur had Bird-like Breathing System *
UM paleontologist Jeffrey Wilson was part of the team that discovered the remains of a predatory dinosaur in Argentina that is helping to unravel how birds evolved their unusual breathing system.
Oldest European Human Fossil Found *
Geological Sciences researchers Josep Pares and Greg M. Stock are members of a team that has discovered the oldest known remains of human ancestors in Western Europe.
Nano-coatings Grease Earthquake Zones *
Samples of rock from deep inside the San Andreas Fault could shake up scientists' notions about why some fault zones move slowly and steadily while others balk for a time and then shift suddenly and violently, producing major earthquakes. "There's been strong interest in finding signatures in rocks that would characterize a fault as creeping or seismic," says geological sciences Professor Ben van der Pluijm, who discussed recent findings Oct. 30 at a symposium during the 119th annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver.
Iceland Journey Unveils Geological Treasures *
Led by GeoSci Chair Samuel Mukasa and Holli Frey (PhD 2005), 28 undergraduate and graduate students traveled to Iceland last summer. Geological Sciences offers field trips every summer, but previous trips have been designed for GeoSci students and have focused exclusively on Earth Sciences. This year, the Department teamed up with GIEU to offer the experience to non-science students and integrated a cultural component into the curriculum.
Special AGU Session Honors Eric Essene
Entitled Thermocubed: Combining Thermodynamic, Thermoisotopic, and Thermotectonic Data in Addressing Petrologic Problems, the session highlighted recent advances from investigations inspired by Eric's integrative approach.
Eos Article by Shaopeng Huang (PDF)
Shaopeng Huang's article Land Warming as Part of Global Warming appeared in the October 31 issue of Eos magazine. Click on the link to see a PDF.
Global Warming Goes Deep
"Not to feel global warming, one would need to hide beneath 600 feet of rocks," Shaopeng Huang says. "Although its causes are debatable, recent global warming is indisputable."
Jeff Alt Leads IODP Drilling of Complete Upper Crustal Section
Jeff Alt leads drilling through the upper oceanic crust, a major achievement in marine geology and tectonics.
Rod Ewing Receives Dana Medal
Department Chair, Rod Ewing received the Dana Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America at the May 2006 AGU meeting.
Henry Pollack Elected AGU Fellow
Professor Emeritus Henry N. Pollack was elected in January 2006 as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.
William T. Smith Endows Chair and Lectures
William T. Smith has made a gift of $2.6M to endow a faculty position in honor of Professor Henry N. Pollack and to endow the Department’s weekly Smith Lecture Series.
Regular Department Events
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