Renaissance polymath Leonard da Vinci demonstrated that frictional forces slow down the motion of surfaces in contact. Friction, he determined, is proportional to normal force. When two objects are pressed together twice as hard, friction doubles.
Michelle Norman pursued field work in Utah’s west-central desert, near the Millard County town of Delta, where the Drum Mountains stand as steadfast sentinels of history ranging from their origin some 500 million years ago during the Cambrian Period.
Using self-constructed hydraulic and pneumatic presses, newly arrived Utah State University geophysicist Srisharan Shreedharan generates experimental earthquakes in the lab.
The Department of Geosciences at Utah State University focuses on research and education on Earth materials, the physical and chemical processes acting upon them, how landscapes evolve under those processes, and the history of Earth and its life. We maintain a tradition of field-oriented instruction, taking advantage of our location, although our research is largely conducted in laboratories and on computers. Follow this link to see the Department's Mission Statement.
The Geosciences, or Earth Sciences, include classical Geology as well as interdisciplinary study of the solid Earth’s interactions with water and hydrologic systems, climate systems, and biologic systems. Geoscientists use approaches from other disciplines to study our planet, such as in geophysics, geochemistry, and paleobiology and paleoecology. Geoscientists have important roles in the discovery and management of mineral, energy, and water resources, environmental and natural-hazard studies, land management, and education.
We recognize that Utah State University in Logan resides on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands in the Sihivigoi (Willow Valley) of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation.
