The Department of Geological Sciences is well known for its research activities. The wide variety of interests among Department faculty and students results in a broad spectrum of projects that include almost all areas of current interest in geological sciences. Projects range from analytical, experimental and theoretical to field-based and are carried out in all areas of the world, including the oceans.

Recent projects have focused on the physics and chemistry of magma generation, migration and volcanic eruption; the history and geometry of tectonic plate movements and related structures; evolution of metamorphic and orogenic terranes; formation of energy and mineral resources from natural gas to gold; structure, composition, and dynamics of the mantle and core; mineral physics and chemistry; evolution and paleoecology of vertebrates and invertebrates; the history of sedimentary basins and their contained fluids; the history of the world ocean; dynamics of the oceans and atmosphere; and past climates.

Much of the research carried out in the Department is collaborative and extends beyond the commonly recognized boundaries of disciplines, and many projects involve researchers in other institutions. The Department is also well known for the level of student involvement in research and for the large number of students who present their results at national and international meetings.

Researchers receive funding from many federal sources, including the National Science Foundation, NASA, Department of Energy,  National Institute of Health, Department of Education, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and others. With over $3 million in annual research expenditures, the Department of Geological Sciences ranks in the top 10 colleges and universities surveyed for federal support of research and development in Earth Sciences.

Department facilities to support research are among the best in the world and include state-of-the-art computational facilities, laboratories for almost all types of geochemical and geophysical measurements, as well as extensive fossil, mineral, and rock collections.