Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences

Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Brown University

The Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) integrates teaching and research to investigate fundamental phenomena affecting the Earth and planets. Our students engage in hands-on learning, in collaboration with DEEPS faculty, to explore natural hazards, global climate, and planetary bodies.

DEEPS Postdoctoral Research Associate Nick Wagner recently published a new paper in JGR: Planets. "In this study, we update our understanding of how magma trapped inside a planet influences gravity and the shape of the surface by considering their volumetric effects, and we revise the estimates of the proportion of volcanic material that erupted versus material that did not. Our results, which use geophysical data and methods, align closer with findings from other lines of evidence. This suggests that the ability of magma to erupt in the Tharsis region has increased over time, pointing to a longer period of volcanic activity than previously believed."
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From freshly formed simple craters on the Moon to hydrogen sulfide production in the Salton Sea, DEEPS undergraduate students participated in cutting edge research throughout the 2025 summer break. We are proud to showcase some of these research projects with this photo series.
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DEEPS Assistant Professor Harriet Lau recently presented at TEDx New England on the our planet's natural cycles and rhythms – from micrometers to thousands of miles, and from milliseconds to millions of years. Throughout Earth's multi-billion-year history, these rhythms collide, interact, and unfold, influencing humanity and shaping our experience of time.
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Contact Us

Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences

Box 1846
324 Brook Street
Providence, RI 02912

DEEPS@Brown.edu
(401) 863-3339