Events
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Planetary Habitability Seminar: Andy Czaja, University of Cincinnati
Start:January 22, 2024 at 1:00 pm
End:
January 22, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Location:
PMA 15.216B
Contact:
Brandon Jones, brandon.jones@utexas.edu
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Speaker: Andy Czaja, Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Cincinnati
Host: Eric Hiatt
Title: Earth’s Ancient Biosphere: An Analogue For Life In the Universe
Abstract: Life on Earth dates back more than 3.5 billion years. Although the rock record is sparse that far back, we know a good deal about early life. This talk will review what we know, what we don’t know, and current directions in the field and my lab to study early life and the coevolution of life and the planet. I will also discuss how we use the ancient Earth as an analogue for alien biospheres we may find elsewhere in our solar system (and beyond?), with particular emphasis on Mars, the Mars 2020 mission, and Mars Sample Return.
UTIG Discussion Hour: Dr. David Mohrig (EPS)
Start:January 23, 2024 at 2:00 pm
End:
January 23, 2024 at 3:00 pm
Location:
ROC 2.201
Contact:
Mikayla Pascual, mikayla.pascual@utexas.edu
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DeFord Lecture | Dr. Karin Olson Hoal
Start:January 25, 2024 at 4:00 pm
End:
January 25, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Location:
Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324)
Contact:
Luc Lavier
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Critical Minerals and Metals in a Changing Resources Sector by Dr. Karin Olson Hoal, Wold Family Professor in Environmental Balance for Human Sustainability at Cornell University’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Abstract: The renewable energy transition presents conflicting interests and impacts: a perceived green low-emissions economy powered by significant increases in not-so-green metals extraction, or mining. Unlike bulk ore commodities, critical minerals and metals that the new energy economy requires are hosted in trace quantities in rocks and minerals. Knowledge of their distribution through mineral and geochemical characterization is important; examples include ores, drillholes, and nodules on the seafloor.
Assumptions as to critical mineral availability, future production, what is where and how to get it out are based on how things have been done in the past, so that new resources are likely to be extracted as they traditionally have been and with similar impacts. As geologists, we understand the complexities of materials variability in the subsurface, with mineral compositions and ore types having a somewhat predictable nature, and we transfer that knowledge into best practice for more sustainable, and risk-reduced operations. This is the area of geometallurgy (geomet), which influences decision making on the engineering and financial side, and which is driving change in the resources sector through understanding geology.
In this presentation, the landscape of critical minerals and metals is addressed from the viewpoint of geoscience and mineral compositional variability, and in the context of a more sustainable and responsive mineral resources sector.
UTIG Seminar Series: Steven Constable, Scripps Oceanography
Start:January 26, 2024 at 10:30 am
End:
January 26, 2024 at 11:30 am
Location:
PRC 196/ROC 1.603
Contact:
Constantino Panagopulos, costa@ig.utexas.edu, 512-574-7376
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Speaker: Steven Constable, Professor of Geophysics, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Host: Eric Attias
Title: Mixing electricity and water: The world of marine electromagnetic methods
Abstract: Electrical conductivity can be used to estimate rock porosity, tell freshwater from saltwater, oil from water, melt from solid rock, ice or gas hydrate content, and even temperature. Electromagnetic methods were developed on land in the 1960’s and taken into the marine environment soon after, but marine EM remained an academic niche until commercialization around the turn of the century provided resources to advance instrumentation and software, pushing marine EM methods into the mainstream. Now, any application of EM methods on land can, and has, been taken offshore. Plate boundary studies show the distribution and extent of melting at ridges and fluids in subduction systems. Gas hydrate on the continental margins can be quantified in ways nearly impossible with seismic methods. EM methods are uniquely positioned to study offshore groundwater, and could play an important role in geotechnical studies such as those necessary for offshore wind farm infrastructure.
Hot Science - Cool Talks: "Recipes for Food Insecurity"
Start:January 26, 2024 at 5:30 pm
End:
January 26, 2024 at 8:15 pm
Location:
Welch (WEL) 2.224
Contact:
Angelina DeRose, Angelina.DeRose@jsg.utexas.edu, 512-471-4974
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In “Recipes for Food Insecurity” Dr. Raj Patel unveils a powerful link between food justice and addressing climate change. Battling a changing means transforming the food system, challenging racism, and dismantling the patriarchy. Dr. Patel’s insights originate from researching frontline communities who have already developed unique solutions for a hot planet.
UTIG Discussion Hour: McKenzie Carlson (UTIG)
Start:January 30, 2024 at 2:00 pm
End:
January 30, 2024 at 3:00 pm
Location:
UTIG 3rd Floor Conference Room
Contact:
Mikayla Pascual, mikayla.pascual@utexas.edu
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DeFord Lecture | Venkat LakshmiJanuary, 22 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 Progresses and Challenges in Hydrology by Dr. Venkat Lakshmi, professor at the University of Virginia Abstract: In order to study land surface hydrology, we need to use a multitude of tools, namely, modeling, observations and their synergism. After multiple decades of hydrological modeling, we still have major challenges. However, we have novel observations and mathematical methods that are now available and can be harnessed to achieve progress. These include earth observations that are available at global scales and at high spatial resolutions and frequent temporal repeat. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) can be used (specifically Transfer Learning) to determine streamflow in un-gaged or poorly-gaged watersheds. In this talk, I will focus on four major questions and provide examples for each of the questions. These examples will highlight both advances and limitations for each issue. (i) Do earth observations compare well with in-situ counterparts? (ii) How important is rainfall in hydrological modeling? (iii) Can we get higher spatial resolution of earth observations? (iv) How do we study un-gaged/poorly gaged watersheds? |
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Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesJanuary, 23 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented by Dr. Bridget Scanlon, BEG in person. Topic: Remote sensing, hydrology |
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UTIG Spring Seminar Series 2026: Jinbo WangJanuary, 23 2026Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AMLocation: PRC 196/ROC 1.603
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SSL Seminar Series | Kristin BergmannJanuary, 27 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) Temperature and the earliest animals: Quantitative climate reconstruction across the Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic transition by Dr. Kristin Bergmann Abstract: The Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic transition records the emergence of complex animals, the origin of biomineralization, and the establishment of modern marine ecosystems—yet the climate context for these evolutionary milestones remains poorly quantified. Reconstructing ancient temperatures requires integrating sedimentology, carbonate petrography, and isotope geochemistry. Our field-based stratigraphic analysis establishes depositional context and identifies the most promising sampling targets; detailed petrographic screening and microstructural analyses constrain diagenetic paragenesis. Clumped-isotope thermometry (Δ47–Δ48) reconstructs temperature signals within this sedimentological framework, resolving the ambiguity between temperature and seawater composition that limits traditional δ¹⁸O approaches. This rocks-first workflow reveals large, directional climate shifts with ecological consequences. In the Tonian and Cryogenian, data from Oman and elsewhere indicate near-modern tropical temperatures before and after Snowball Earth glaciations, suggesting dynamic hydrologic and climatic transitions. During the Ediacaran, post-glacial warming followed by ≥20 °C cooling likely expanded oxygenated habitats and set the stage for early animal diversification. In the Ordovician, ~15 °C of long-term tropical cooling over ~40 Myr culminated in brief but extensive glaciation, providing the climate context for the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. By grounding geochemical data in sedimentological and petrographic observations, we build a quantitative framework linking climate and habitability and provide evidence that temperature change guided life\'s evolutionary trajectory in deep time. |
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SSL Seminar Series | Ted PresentJanuary, 29 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) Biogeochemical Signals of Seafloor Oxygenation by Dr. Ted Present Abstract: Earth’s oxygenation transformed the atmosphere, oceans, and ultimately the seafloor, establishing the carbon and sulfur cycles that govern our planet today. When and how did oxygen penetrate into marine sediments, shifting where organic matter was recycled and setting up the biogeochemical architecture we recognize in modern oceans? I approach this question by studying how microbial and chemical processes at the sediment-water interface leave lasting signatures in sedimentary rocks. Using sulfur isotopes and detailed sedimentology, I will show how Paleozoic carbonates and evaporites track the reorganization of ocean redox structure through critical evolutionary transitions like the Late Ordovician glaciation and mass extinction. The Permian Reef Complex of West Texas demonstrates how cementation and dolomitization patterns archive ancient sulfur cycling, with insights grounded in observations from modern tidal systems where diagenetic processes govern carbon storage along our changing coasts. I will close with how I envision training UT Austin students in integrated field and laboratory approaches to pursue future research leveraging evaporite basins, novel phosphatic archives, and terrestrial carbonates. By extracting environmental signals from the diagenetic processes that create the rock record, this work builds a framework for understanding how Earth’s oxygenation reshaped life and its environment. |
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Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesJanuary, 30 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented in person by Dr. Todd Halihan, Oklahoma State University, and Chief Technical Officer for Aestus, LLC in person Topic: Subsurface hydrogeology |
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SSL Seminar Series | Mackenzie DayFebruary, 03 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) From sand to stratigraphy: How dunes record the changing landscape of Earth and other planets by Dr. Mackenzie Day Abstract: Desert dune fields preserve rich sedimentary records of environmental change, providing insight into both past climate and modern landscape evolution. This presentation explores three desert systems on Earth and Mars, using dune fields as a lens to examine how landscapes, both ancient and modern, respond to shifting environmental conditions. These investigations address the longevity of Earth’s dune fields, the interplay between wind and water, and the applicability of aeolian sedimentology to planetary bodies beyond Earth. Together, they highlight how dune fields serve as dynamic archives of change, and how Earth, Mars, and other bodies can be studied in tandem as natural laboratories for generalizing aeolian sediment transport to arbitrary fluid-gravity conditions. |
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SSL Seminar Series | Marjorie CantineFebruary, 05 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) Human, climate, sediment and geobiological history of a rapidly-growing carbonate island by Dr. Marjorie Cantine Abstract: You may have heard the line that real estate is valuable because \"they aren\'t making more land\"; in this talk, I\'ll show you that that\'s not true. I\'ll use the sedimentary and radiocarbon records of a carbonate island in the Caribbean, Little Ambergris Cay, to describe its formation over the last millenium, how its growth relates to past climate, and what it means for mechanisms potentially capable of protecting shorelines in the near future. I\'ll leverage geobiological field experiments to help explain the mechanisms of island growth. Finally, I\'ll share how ongoing work in my group is leveraging geoarchaeological archives to better understand the human and climate histories of the Common Era and inform hazard predictions in the region through testing climate models. I will also briefly describe other work ongoing in my group, which tackles questions at the nexus of time, sedimentary processes, and geochemistry from the Precambrian to the Common Era. |
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15th Annual Jackson School of Geosciences Student Research SymposiumFebruary, 06 2026Time: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM |
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Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesFebruary, 06 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented by Stacy Timmons and Mike Timmons, New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, in person. Topic: New Mexico Geological Survey |
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SSL Seminar Series | Vamsi GantiFebruary, 10 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) From Dunes to Channel Belts: How Rivers Organize and Move Across Scales by Dr. Vamsi Ganti Abstract: Rivers are Earth’s arteries: they transport water and sediment from uplands to oceans, sustain ecosystems and agriculture, and build the stratigraphic record of past environmental change. Yet rivers are far from static—they are dynamic systems that evolve across scales, from ripples and dunes on the riverbed to entire channel belts. In this seminar, I will present three discoveries that reveal the mechanisms shaping alluvial river form and motion across these scales. (1) Laboratory experiments and theory identify a previously unrecognized transition in river-dune organization at the onset of significant suspended sediment transport. This transition influences flow roughness, flood-driven dune reconfiguration, and the nature of preserved fluvial strata. (2) Using a new image-processing tool, we analyzed 36 years of satellite imagery from 84 rivers to uncover the origins of single- versus multithread channels. Single-thread rivers achieve a balance between lateral erosion and accretion, maintaining equilibrium width, while multithread rivers arise when erosion outpaces accretion, causing individual threads to widen and split. This mechanistic insight informs both planetary geomorphology and cost-effective river restoration. (3) Finally, I’ll show how human activity and climate change are already altering the way rivers flow and evolve. Dams dampen river motion and reduce the number of active threads, whereas increased sediment supply from land-use change and glacial melt are making rivers in the Global South and High Mountain Asia more dynamic. Together, these discoveries provide a mechanistic view of river evolution across scales and highlight why understanding river behavior is essential—not only for managing water, life, and landscapes they sustain today, but also for decoding the history of environmental change recorded in sedimentary strata. |
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DeFord Lecture | Jake JordanFebruary, 12 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 |
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DeFord Lecture | Daniel MinisiniFebruary, 19 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 |
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Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesFebruary, 20 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented by Dallas Dunlap, BEG, in person. Topic: Channel Architecture Influenced by Precursor Channelized Submarine Landslide Topography in the Taranaki Basin |
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Hot Science - Cool Talks: The Biology of LoveFebruary, 20 2026Time: 5:30 PM - 8:30 PMLocation: Welch Hall 2.224 and Grand Hallway What does science say about love and long-term relationships? In this Hot Science – Cool Talks event, biologist Dr. Steven Phelps explores the biology of love through the surprising world of prairie voles, one of the few monogamous mammals. By studying how vole brains form lasting bonds, Dr. Phelps reveals what biology, brain chemistry, and evolution can teach us about human connection and commitment. This engaging talk offers a fresh, science-based look at why we pair up right after Valentines Day! |