Geology & Geophysics News
LSU’s SEM Upgrade Powers Geological Discovery
Groundbreaking research often requires tools that let scientists see beyond what the human eye can detect. At LSU, two professors in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, Assistant Professor Eirini Poulaki and Assistant Professor Brandon Shuck, are leading a transformative upgrade to the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) housed in the LSU Advanced Microscopy and Analytical Core (AMAC), giving researchers clearer, deeper views into the materials they study.
Discovery: Frontiers of Earth Science
A new episode of the BBC’s Discovery series explores recent Earth science research featured at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in New Orleans. The episode spotlights the Mississippi River’s Bird’s Foot Delta, where Dr. Carol Wilson, Associate Professor in LSU’s Department of Geology and Geophysics, explains how these wetlands protect coastal communities—and why they are increasingly threatened by sea level rise and reduced sediment supply.
LSU Rover to Hunt Hidden Ice on Mars and the Moon
LSU researchers are developing a rover to ‘prospect’ for ice on the Moon and Mars, in support of NASA’s Moon to Mars Program.
Earth’s Crust Is Tearing Apart Off the Pacific Northwest — and That’s Not Necessarily Bad News
With unprecedented clarity, scientists have directly observed a subduction zone—the collision point where one tectonic plate dives beneath another—actively breaking apart. The discovery, reported in Science Advances, sheds new light on how Earth’s surface evolves and raises fresh questions about future earthquake risks in the Pacific Northwest.
Selenium’s Toxic Trait: From Essential Nutrient to Coastal Threat for Louisiana’s Shellfish and Economy
Selenium is essential to human health but has a narrow margin between benefit and toxicity, making its accumulation in the environment a concern for both ecosystems and public health. This balance is the focus of Associate Professor Achim Herrmann’s research, which bridges geology, biology, and chemistry to examine how changes in oceanic and atmospheric oxygen affect trace elements like selenium, tracking their movement through sediments, organisms, and the food chain.
LSU Professors Join Historic Effort to Drill Earth's Mantle and Retrieve Rare Deep-Earth Samples
Beneath our feet lies a hidden world of searing rock, constantly churning and shifting, driving the slow yet relentless movement of Earth’s tectonic plates. The mantle, positioned between the crust and the core, powers volcanoes, can flow like honey or break in earthquakes, and even forms diamonds. Despite comprising 84% of the planet's volume, this vast layer remains largely a mystery. Now, a groundbreaking expedition—including two LSU professors—has successfully drilled into the mantle, recovering rocks never before observed. Their discoveries could transform our understanding of plate tectonic processes, natural hazards and uncover potential new energy resources.
“Core on Deck!” LSU Graduate Student Digs Deep into Mediterranean Seabed Secrets
LSU Geology and Geophysics PhD student Danielle Noto joined the NSF-funded IODP Expedition 401 aboard the JOIDES Resolution. The 60-day mission studied ancient water exchanges between the Mediterranean and Atlantic, aiming to understand their impact on local and global climate. Noto's work continues at LSU, focusing on palynology to uncover more about Earth's climatic history.
Saving the Mississippi Delta
The day after stepping down as Vice President for Research and Economic Development at LSU, Bentley received a substantial $3.8 million grant from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Just over a year later, he now co-leads a 15-member consortium known as The Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative. This impressive $22 million initiative, funded by the Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, aims to safeguard the Lower Mississippi River Delta.