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Iron micrometeorites found in ancient soils suggest carbon dioxide made up 25 to 50 percent of Earth's atmosphere 2.7 billion years ago, and that pressure at sea level may have been lower than today, Penn State researchers said.

Jim Kasting, Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences at Penn State, will discuss the science and societal impacts of human-caused global warming and solutions to curb carbon dioxide emissions, at the EarthTalks seminar at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, in 112 Walker Building.

The spring 2020 EarthTalks series, "Societal Problems, EESI Science towards Solutions," features scientists from Penn State's Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI) and explores the human impacts on the global environment and how to apply this knowledge to decision-making.

Geosciences field camp is a rite of passage for Penn State geosciences students. This past summer, 36 students made the trek out West to investigate the geology of the intermontane western United States.

Underground fiber-optic cables, like those that connect the world through phone and internet service, hold untapped potential for monitoring severe weather, according to scientists at Penn State.

Penn State sophomore Angelina "Angie" Santamaria, who plans on double majoring in Earth sciences and policy and women's studies, said the Millennium Scholars program put her on a path toward success that she once thought was unattainable.

For the first time, the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences has Millennium Scholars in all class levels -- from graduating seniors to first-year students. 

Mark Patzkowsky, professor of geosciences in Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, has been elected a 2019 fellow of the Geological Society of America.

Changes in groundwater millions of years ago created alternating layers of vivid yellow and brown in the mineral sphalerite, and those variations align with movements in Earth's orbit that impacted climate in the deep past, Penn State scientists found.

A team of Penn State researchers will soon have a better understanding of the deformation properties and poromechanical behavior of rock samples containing anhydrite, thanks to a $450,000 Chevron grant.