Geology

Geology

Nadja Drabon

Nadja Drabon

Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences

My research focuses on the habitability of the early Earth and how it was affected by crustal processes and changing surface environments. The study of the early Earth requires a clear understanding of present-day sedimentary processes as well as an appreciation of the non-uniformitarian character of the early Earth. My research integrates multidisciplinary approaches by applying stratigraphic, provenance and geochemical analyses paired with detailed knowledge of complex geology at outcrop- to basin-scale. Specifically, my contributions to the field focus on: (1) Furthering our understanding of the formation of crust during the Hadean and Archean, (2) evaluating processes of early life recorded in the rock record and studying the influence of impact-related environmental perturbations on the biosphere, and (3) characterizing the poorly understood tectonic processes in the Archean.

Research Group Coordinator:

24 Oxford Street, Rm 367-368
Cambridge, MA 02138
Daniel Schrag

Daniel Schrag

Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology
Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering
Co-Director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program

 

Daniel P. Schrag is the Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology, Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, and Co-Director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program.

Schrag studies climate and climate change over the broadest range of Earth history. He is particularly interested in how information on climate change from the geologic past can lead to better understanding of anthropogenic climate change in the future. In addition to his work on geochemistry and climatology, Schrag studies energy technology and policy, including carbon capture and storage and low-carbon synthetic fuels.

From 2009-2017, Schrag served on  President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.  Among various honors, he is the recipient of the James B. Macelwane Medal from the American Geophysical Union and a MacArthur Fellowship. Schrag earned a B.S. in geology and geophysics and political science from Yale University and his Ph.D. in geology from the University of California at Berkeley. He came to Harvard in 1997 after teaching at Princeton.

Geochemical oceanography, paleoclimatology, stable isotope geochemistry.

Assistant: Cayla Jett

Museum of Comparative Zoology, Room 433F
26 Oxford St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
p: (617) 495-7676, f: (617) 496-0425
John Shaw

John Shaw

Harry C. Dudley Professor of Structural and Economic Geology
Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Vice Provost for Research at Harvard University

John H. Shaw joined the Harvard Faculty in 1997 and leads an active research program investigating structure of the Earth's crust. Prof. Shaw's program in Structural Geology & Tectonics emphasizes: 1) studies of active faults for earthquake hazards assessment; 2) regional tectonics of mountain belts and other plate margins; 3) community fault and velocity modeling; and 4) subsurface energy development and storage, carbon sequestration, and environmental impacts associated with these activities. These efforts involve the use of modern geologic and geophysical data, including 3D seismic reflection surveys and multispectral remote sensing imagery, and advanced numerical modeling methods. Prof. Shaw leads the Structural Geology & Earth Resources Program at Harvard, an industry-academic consortium that provides data, software, and support for research

For Professor Shaw’s administrative duties, please see: https://research.harvard.edu

Research Group Coordinator: Simone Rivard

EPS
20 Oxford St.
Cambridge, MA 02138

Office location - Geological Museum 215
p: (617) 495-8008, f: (617) 495-8839
David  Johnston

David Johnston

Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Director of Graduate Studies

Isotope geochemistry and historical geobiology. Re-animating ancient ecosystems and ocean chemistry using stable isotope systems, chemical speciation techniques, modern microbial experiments (for calibration) and theoretical considerations.

Research Group Coordinator: 

EPS
20 Oxford St.
Cambridge, MA 02138

Office Location: Geo Mus 363
p: 617-496-5024 f: 617-384-7396
Andrew Knoll

Andrew Knoll

Fisher Professor of Natural History; Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Emeritus

Andy Knoll is the Fisher Professor of Natural History at Harvard University. He received his B.A. in Geology from Lehigh University in 1973 and his Ph.D., also in Geology, from Harvard in 1977.... Read more about Andrew Knoll

Harvard University Botanical Museum
26 Oxford St.
Cambridge MA 02138

Office location: Botanical Museum Room 50
p: 617-495-9306, f: 617-495-5667
2024 Feb 26

EPS Colloquium: Francis Macdonald, UC Santa Barbara

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Geo Mus 102 (Haller Hall) and Zoom

The Great Unconformity and flooding of North America

The Great Unconformity is an iconic feature across North America marked by the contact between Archean-Proterozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks and overlying Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks. It has been proposed the Great Unconformity was created by extreme erosion associated with Cryogenian Snowball Earth glaciations, which not only delivered limiting nutrients to the ocean that drove the subsequent emergence of animals, but also sent large amounts of sediment to trenches that lubricated subduction zones and...

Read more about EPS Colloquium: Francis Macdonald, UC Santa Barbara

Reginald A. Daly Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - Accepting Applications

October 10, 2023

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences 
Harvard University 
Reginald A. Daly Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 


The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University invites applicants for the Reginald A. Daly Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.  

The Department seeks candidates in the broad field of Earth and Planetary Sciences including but not limited to geology, geochemistry, geobiology, geodynamics, petrology,...

Read more about Reginald A. Daly Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - Accepting Applications
2023 Oct 10

EPS Colloquium - Eve-Lyn Hinckley, University of Colorado Boulder

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Geo Mus 102 (Haller Hall) and Zoom

From Early Earth to Acid Rain and Agriculture: A Broad Look at the Changing Global Sulfur Cycle

Sulfur (S) is a key component of life and an element that has been dramatically changed by human industrial activities, including mining and fossil fuel combustion. Today, the nature of how humans alter the global S cycle is changing. As atmospheric S deposition has declined in response to air quality regulations in the United States and Europe, there has been an increase in S fertilizer applications reported in many large-scale regional crop systems. In addition, intensification...

Read more about EPS Colloquium - Eve-Lyn Hinckley, University of Colorado Boulder
2023 Dec 04

EPS Colloquium - Zhigang Peng, Georgia Institute of Technology

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Geo Mus 102 (Haller Hall) and Zoom

Earthquake Nucleation and Foreshock Mechanisms: cascade triggering, pre-slip, or fluid flows?

Understanding the nucleation process of large earthquakes is crucial for accurate earthquake prediction and seismic hazard mitigation. While earthquake nucleation process has been widely observed in the laboratory and numerical simulation, it is difficult to observe them directly in the field. Some studies have considered foreshocks as the by-product of such nucleation process. Many large earthquakes also have...

Read more about EPS Colloquium - Zhigang Peng, Georgia Institute of Technology
2023 Nov 27

EPS Colloquium - Alison Stokes, University of Plymouth (England, UK)

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Geo Mus 102 (Haller Hall) and Zoom

‘Picking your path’ towards accessible and inclusive geoscience field education

Fieldwork is a critical aspect of geoscience education and there is now a substantive body of research-informed evidence to support its continued inclusion in the undergraduate geoscience curriculum. However, while the value of fieldwork for understanding the Earth and Earth processes is well established, fieldwork as an activity is not inclusive or accessible for all students. This is particularly true for students with disabilities who can encounter multiple barriers to participating in...

Read more about EPS Colloquium - Alison Stokes, University of Plymouth (England, UK)
2023 Nov 06

EPS Colloquium - Ruby Fu, California Institute of Technology

12:00pm

The role of meltwater in reshaping the structures of icy porous media

Icy porous materials such as snow or firn are ubiquitous in both Earth and planetary settings. Their microstructures (e.g., porosity) play an important role in dictating the reflectivity, fluid storage capacity, thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties of the larger-scale systems. Thus, understanding the complex physics that control the microstructure evolution of icy porous media is an important component in creating robust predictions of Earth’s cryosphere in response to climate warming, and in...

Read more about EPS Colloquium - Ruby Fu, California Institute of Technology
2023 Oct 30

EPS Colloquium - Marc Hirschmann, University of Minnesota

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Geo Mus 102 (Haller Hall) and Zoom

The Deep Earth Oxygen Cycle

Earth’s mantle has been oxidized compared to its cosmochemical building blocks since the earliest Hadean. This oxidation is linked to Earth’s initial differentiation, including processes in magma oceans, but these remain poorly understood. During its subsequent evolution to the present, Earth has developed a substantial oxidized surface reservoir that amounts to approximately 20% of the oxidative power of the accessible Earth, with the other 80% remaining in the mantle. This surface reservoir is essential to the modern surface environment, but...

Read more about EPS Colloquium - Marc Hirschmann, University of Minnesota
2023 Oct 23

EPS Colloquium - Rafael L. Bras, Georgia Institute of Technology

12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Geo Mus 102 (Haller Hall) and Zoom

Forest Recovery from Hurricane Disturbances

Hurricanes are a major disturbance to tropical forests. We used census observations at Bisley Experimental Watersheds (BEW) in Puerto Rico to study the mortality after hurricane Hugo in 1989 and after hurricane Maria in 2017 and the subsequent recovery of the forest after hurricane Hugo between 1989 and 2014 (the last census before hurricane Maria). We found that hurricane-induced mortality varied with species/plant functional types (PFTs) and stem sizes. Specifically, palms had the lowest mortality, followed by mid and late...

Read more about EPS Colloquium - Rafael L. Bras, Georgia Institute of Technology

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