Earth & Planetary Sciences
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James Webb telescope confirms cooling effects of Pluto’s haze
New study in Nature Astronomy affirms hypothesis made by UC Santa Cruz’s Xi Zhang in 2017
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The ripple effect of small earthquakes near major faults
Minor quakes can disrupt natural tectonic patterns deep underground and change stress landscape, new study finds
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The Science Division announces recipients of Distinguished Alumni Awards
Gabriel Filippelli, Aradhna Tripati, and Seath Brook Ahrens are this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients for the Science Division
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Science Division staff honored with new award for outstanding service, dedication
Jeannette Peters, Patti Schell, and Deana Tanguay share division’s first Outstanding Staff Award
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UC Santa Cruz ocean scientist Adina Paytan honored for international research leadership
Adina Paytan, a professor in the Earth and Planetary Science Department and the Institute of Marine Science, has been awarded the Tommy and Yvette Edmondson Distinguished Service Award by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.
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A ‘remelting’ of lunar surface adds a wrinkle to mystery of Moon’s true age
In an “idea paper” published on December 18 in Nature, UC Santa Cruz Professor Francis Nimmo and his co-authors propose a “remelting” of the Moon’s surface 4.35 billion years ago due to the tidal pull of Earth causing widespread geological upheaval and intense heating.
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Magnetic tornadoes create Earth-size spots discovered at Jupiter’s poles
While Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has been a constant feature of the planet for centuries, a team of astronomers have discovered equally large spots at the planet’s north and south poles that appear and disappear seemingly at random.
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New book California Catastrophes challenges coastal communities to confront reality
It’s no secret that Californians live with the reality of earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, and other natural disasters. This confronts those who choose to stay, and the many who move here, with the equally ominous question: What can we do about it?
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Understanding landslides: a new model for predicting motion
Along coastal California, the possibility of earthquakes and landslides are commonly prefaced by the phrase, “not if, but when.” This precarious reality is now a bit more predictable thanks to researchers at UC Santa Cruz and The University of Texas at Austin, who found that conditions known to cause slip along fault lines deep underground…
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Science Division debuts ‘degree-defining experiences’ drawing on UC Santa Cruz’s unique strengths
The Science Division has received a $1 million donation to begin a major new program on “degree-defining experiences.” The program will pilot 17 projects across campus that aim to profoundly inspire undergraduate students and fill them with the kind of optimism that forever changes how they see their time at UC Santa Cruz and their…
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Postdoc Will Steinhardt wins early-career award for innovative earthquake-physics research
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has presented UC Santa Cruz postdoctoral scholar Will Steinhardt with its 2024 Jason P. Morgan Early Career Award honoring outstanding and significant contributions to tectonophysics through a combination of research, education, and outreach activities.
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Hydrothermal vents on seafloors of ‘ocean worlds’ could support life, new study says
Many lines of research suggest that some ocean worlds release enough heat internally to drive hydrothermal circulation under their seafloors. This heat is generated by radioactive decay, as occurs deep in the Earth, with additional heat possibly generated by tides.