Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
The research interests of our faculty and staff are diverse, ranging from diamondiferous eclogites to edrioasteroids fossils to Martian meteorites to contaminant transport to Appalachian orogen and more. Recent field work occurred in such exotic locations as the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, the Adar Mountain of Mauritania, the Atacama Desert in Chile, and Gusev Crater on Mars via the "Spirit" MER rover. We are also partnered with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which offers unique research opportunities. We currently have over 70 students, both graduate and undergraduate, and are always on the look out for more. East Tennessee is beautiful and the cost of living is low, making Knoxville a most attractive location to reside.
Mars Exploration Rover.
Department News
- EUReCA Steven Jaret claims two. Senior Steven Jaret won awards in two categories at the 2009 Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement, one in Arts and Sciences and one in Phi Kappa Phi.
- ACS in the News. Geologist studies Earth's origins in Greenland. UT geology professor, Chris Fedo has been studying the oldest rocks on Earth for over 15 years. His research has unearthed some interesting theories. Namely that rock formations from the Archean eon, the first two billion years of Earth's history, are consistent throughout the globe. Specifically, Fedo has been studying banded iron formations, or BIF, which are rocks made from alternating layers of iron-rich matter (magnetite) and silica (chert). The oldest of these rocks, 3.6 billion years old, are only found in southwest Greenland, which is exactly where Fedo travels to conduct his research. Fedo is currently part of a team comprised of other professors and grad students who study the banded iron formations from Greenland. The National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, and the American Chemical Society have funded the team's research.
- Gregory S. Baker awarded 2008 Early Career Award by the Environmental & Engineering Geophysical Society
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
306 Earth and Planetary Sciences Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-1410
Phone: (865) 974-2366
Fax: (865) 974-2368
Email: eps@utk.edu