Welcome to the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences!
Our students and scientists study the properties of minerals, rocks, soils, sediments and water using multiple lenses: stratigraphy, paleobiology, geochemistry, and planetary sciences. Their work informs our understanding of natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and floods. It helps us meet natural resource challenges through environmental and geological engineering, mapping and land use planning, surface and groundwater management, and the exploration and sustainable extraction of energy and minerals. It also helps us answer fundamental questions about the origin, history, and habitability of planets as well as the history and future of life on Earth and beyond.
Earth and Planetary Sciences News
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New research shows that elevation changes and earthquakes in Italy’s Campi Flegrei volcanic area are caused by rising pressure in a geothermal reservoir – not magma or its gases, as commonly thought. Channeling water runoff or lowering groundwater levels could reduce risks for surrounding communities.
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Euclid Soringa, Undergraduate Senior in the EPS department, was awarded a 2025 GSA J. David Lowell Field Camp Scholarship. Euclid will receive funding for their field camp in the French Alps this summer, as well as a custom engraved purple Brunton. Congratulations!
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In honor of Earth Day, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability community members share what energizes them about sustainability efforts locally and around the world.
Meet some of our community members
A holistic approach


Earth and Planetary Sciences Events
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Earth Planetary Science Seminar - Dr. Adel Asadi "Bridging Geoscience and Data Science for Smart Mineral Exploration".
Class/Seminar-Building 320, Geology Corner, Room 220 and Zoom -
Earth Planetary Science Seminar - Dr. Carl Simpson "The origin of animals from a unicellular perspective".
Class/Seminar-Building 320, Geology Corner, Room 220 and Zoom