News out of ESS

Shallow soda lakes show promise as cradles of life on Earth

Charles Darwin proposed that life could have emerged in a “warm little pond” with the right cocktail of chemicals and energy. A study from the University of Washington reports that a shallow “soda lake” in western Canada shows promise for matching those requirements. The findings provide new support that life could have emerged from lakes on the early Earth, roughly 4 billion years ago.

80 mph speed record for glacier fracture helps reveal the physics of ice sheet collapse

There’s enough water frozen in Greenland and Antarctic glaciers that if they melted, global seas would rise by many feet. What will happen to these glaciers over the coming decades is the biggest unknown in the future of rising seas, partly because glacier fracture physics is not yet fully understood.

Q&A: How ‘slow slip’ earthquakes may be driven by deep hydraulic fracturing

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a massive geologic fault that last ruptured in January 1700. But while this fault has stayed quiet for centuries, it regularly generates small tremors that accompany gradual, nondisruptive movement along the fault.

ESS Professor Fang-Zhen Teng elected as a Geochemistry Fellow

Prof. Fang-Zhen Teng of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences was recently elected as a Geochemical Fellow of the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry. This international award, established in 1996, is bestowed upon outstanding scientists who have, over some years, made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry.

ESS Alumni climbing into history

Not surprisingly, over the years, UW geology and geophysics students and faculty have enjoyed and excelled at rock climbing and mountaineering.

Open Geology – ESS alums and faculty contribute to geological education in the western U.S.

Locals interested in learning more about Washington State geology may be familiar with Roadside Geology of Washington (2nd ed.), authored by UW geology alum Marli Miller (M.S., 1987; Ph.D., 1992) and Professor Emeritus Darrel Cowan.

Community Thank You

Our community extends far beyond the UW campus. It includes members of local and national businesses and foundations, alumni, and other individuals who help push the Department’s research and teaching forward through their support. Thank you

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