EOS Home Page

Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences

Welcome to Earth and Ocean Sciences, one of the largest and most diverse departments of its kind in the world. Our research and teaching interests span the history of the Earth and the evolution of its structure from core to stratosphere. Overview of dept

The Department administers majors, honours and applied science programs that offer challenges to students at all levels. Prospective Students
NEW Earth Sciences Building

The planned Earth Sciences Building will incorporate the latest technologies to create a flexible learning environment, enabling us to further our success and to continue offering the best education to our students. The Faculty of Science is now working with our supporters in the resource industries and professional communities to fund this initiative. see this pdf.
NewsFlash, April 25
MDRU -- Mineral Deposit Research Unit

The Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU) is a collaborative venture between the mining industry and UBC's department of Earth and Ocean Sciences.
MDRU is an internationally recognized research group devoted to solving mineral exploration-related problems. It is part of an integrated geologic and geophysical research program at UBC devoted to training students for employment in the industry and to solving research questions of interest to the community. MDRU's home page
Read More
PCIGR Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research

The primary goals of the PCIGR are to foster innovative research by providing an integrated analytical facility unique to western Canada, to attract visiting researchers from the Canadian and international scientific communities, and to provide analytical services to the community at large.
The combination of six mass spectrometers together with sample preparation laboratories and the research team that has been assembled to support it makes this facility critical to the research of numerous scientists.
Read More
EESF -- Environmental Earth Sciences Facility

EESF studies the medium and large-scale dynamics of the lake, ocean, and atmospheric systems. The guiding principle in our work is that an understanding of physical mechanisms is key to eventual understanding of not only their physical evolution but also of at least some aspects of their bio/chemical evolution. EESF primary members are the research groups of Drs. Susan Allen, William Hsieh, Richard Pawlowicz and with colaboration with Dr. Roger Pieters. Read More
GDCFD Geophysical Disaster Computational Fluid Dynamics Centre

The GDCFD (GeoDisaster Centre) at UBC studies weather-related and other natural disasters, with an ultimate goal of enhancing the Canadian economy and saving lives. The major tool of the GeoDisaster Centre is a massively-parallel high-performance computer (HPC), which is used to solve fluid-flow equations describing weather, avalanches, forest fires, earthquakes and other natural phenomena. This research focuses on disasters that affect the complex mountainous and coastal terrain of Western Canada. GDCFD's home page
Read More
Electron Microbeam / X-Ray Diffraction Facility

The Electron Microbeam/X-ray Diffraction Facility is an integration of three laboratories comprising the following instruments: Cameca electron microprobe, Philips XL-30 scanning electron microscope / Princeton Gamma-Tech energy- disperision X-ray spectrometer, a Bruker X-ray powder diffractometer, and a Philips X-ray generator for powder and single-crystal cameras. Two preparation laboratories with a carbon evaporator unit, micronising mill, and other miscellaneous equipment, support these operations. Read More
CESL Centre for Experimental Study of the Lithosphere

The experimental examination of mechanical and transport properties is one of the most active and dynamic research fields in the geosciences. This facility contributes to a wide range of research programs including: 1) deformation of crustal and mantle rocks, 2) the study of fluid-rock interactions and transport phenomena, 3) physical property measurement of crustal and mantle materials, and 4) properties and physical chemistry of magmatic systems.
Read More
PME -- Pacific Museum of the Earth

Discover the long history of the Museum, beginning with its first incarnation as the M.Y. Williams Geological Museum, through its connection with downtown's Pacific Mineral Museum, and culminting with the current Pacific Museum of the Earth. PME's home page
FAQs

Pause Prev 4 / 9 Next

(Research - Jan 19/12)
Nature: Kimberlite ascent by assimilation-fuelled buoyancy

"Fast moving diamonds": Recent work published in Nature by Dr. Russell (EOS/UBC) and colleagues have found that the rapid release of carbon dioxide and water can transport kimberlites (diamond bearing rock) at speeds of 10 to 30 kilometers per hour.
More information is available at Nature and from UBC Science.

(Research - Nov 29/11)
Nature Geoscience: Ocean island lavas as a window into the deep Earth

EOS researchers Dominique Weis, Mark Jellinek and James Scoates, in conjunction with colleagues at the Universities of Hawaii and Massachusetts, have published an invited review paper in a special issue on ocean islands in Nature Geoscience. Their study is the first to conclusively relate geochemical differences in surface lava rocks from Hawaii's two main volcano chains to differences in their deep mantle sources, 2,800 kilometres below the Earth's surface, at the core-mantle boundary. More information is available at
Nature GeoScience and UBC Science news.

(Awards - Nov 1/11)
Congratulations Doug

Doug Oldenburg has been selected Distinguished Lecturer by the Society of Exploration Geophysics. Selection as a Distinguished Lecturer is viewed as a major honor and a recognition of excellence in contributions to the science or application of geophysics. More information is available at www.seg.org.

(Research - Jun20/11)

The big picture: A lithospheric cross section of the North American continent

EOS Researchers [R.Clowes, P.Hammer] have constructed a lithospheric cross section that spans the continent and extends down to the base of the North American tectonic plate (up to 270 km depth). The 6000-km-long corridor across southern Canada and its margins illuminates the assembly of the North American continent at an unprecedented scale.
See GSA Today(poster) and UBC-Science.

(Research - Mar18/11)
MESSENGER Mission to Mercury

On March 17 NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft successfully went into orbit around the innermost planet, after over 6 years of travel. Our own Catherine Johnson is a Participating Scientist and will contribute to an understanding of Mercury's magnetic field. Data being gathered during the satellite's year-long stay around Mercury will begin to arrive in the next week or so.
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu NASA's mission site
UBC's FoS news CBC news

Welcome Prospective Students

The Department administers majors, honours and applied science programs that attract over 300 undergraduate and 160 graduate students. Our programs offer challenges to students at all levels. To learn more see;
prospective students
undergraduate brochure