Department of Earth Sciences

We share a wide range of interests and enjoy scientific inquiry and discovery. Current projects range from studies of early solar system processes (meteorites and lunar rocks, formation of planets and minor bodies) to studies of Earth surface processes and the Earth’s deep interior. Most of our work utilizes trace elements, stable isotopes and the products of natural radioactive decay in rocks, waters and other geomaterials. We use these tools as process tracers and to determine absolute ages of rocks and minerals. Isotopic techniques include Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, U-Pb, Re-Os, 53Cr-54Cr (in meteorites) and stable isotopes of Si, O, C, S, Si, Li, Mg and Fe.
The group’s research projects often include field work to collect samples from places as close as Berlin and as far away as China. Our interest in early solar system processes and meteorites makes us a frequent “customer” of natural history museums around the world and has led to projects involving lunar samples from NASA’s Apollo missions. In other projects, we have been cooperating with several groups in the department (hydrogeology, paleontology, petrology, sedimentology, tectonics), and with others in the area, in Germany and abroad. ... .