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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News Institute for the Study of Earth and Man

Oldest Whale Fossil Provides Date for East Africa’s Uplift

Laboratory Equipment Originally Posted: March 17, 2015 Uplift associated with the Great Rift Valley of East Africa and the environmental changes it produced have puzzled scientists for decades because the timing and starting elevation have been poorly constrained. Now paleontologists have tapped a fossil from the most precisely dated beaked whale in the world – […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News Institute for the Study of Earth and Man

Ancient whale fossil helps reveal birthplace of humanity

UPI A fossil lost for nearly 40 years is offering clues as to when and how ancient climate change in Africa spurred human evolution. By Brooks Hays CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 17 (UPI) — Prehistorians believe the transition from dense, elevated forest to flat, open grasslands in East Africa spurred humans’ ancestors to first abandon all […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

SMU geothermal scientist Maria Richards to guide global energy organization

DALLAS (SMU) – Maria Richards, SMU Geothermal Laboratory Coordinator in the Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, has been named president-elect of the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC). She will become the 26th president of the global energy organization beginning in 2017. Richards has been at the forefront of SMU’s renowned geothermal energy research for more […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Dedman College researchers say Dallas should prepare for larger earthquakes

The Scoop Blog, Dallas Morning News The 3.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Dallas Friday morning showed that this sequence of tremors is not dying down as quickly as many had hoped. “Past sequences have popped up and decayed,” said SMU seismologist Brian Stump. “This most recent event reminds me that we need to continue to […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Undergraduate News

SMU Environmental Society makes being ‘green’ look easy – and fun

Green Source DFW Originally posted: March 2, 2015 By Rita Cook Environmental awareness is growing across local campuses and for over a decade, Southern Methodist University in Dallas has had its own student organization broadcasting the green message. The SMU Environmental Society is a student-run organization that educates students about ways to live an environmentally […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

New data shows North Texas fault line

Houston Chronicle Originally Posted: Feb. 11, 2015 North Texas earthquake swarms still baffle geologists, who never expected to study seismic tremors in the Lone Star State. But last month scientists installed equipment to record quakes near Irving, Texas, and last week the first numbers came in. We still don’t know much about why the region shakes, […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Analysis of recent earthquake sequence reveals geologic fault, epicenters in Irving and West Dallas

Phys.org Originally Posted: Feb. 11, 2015 Initial results from SMU’s seismology team reveal that the recent series of earthquakes occurring near the site of the old Texas Stadium were relatively shallow and concentrated along a narrow two mile line that indicates a fault extending from Irving into West Dallas. SMU and the United States Geological […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Initial Results in Study of Texas Earthquake Sequence Released

ABC Radio Originally Posted Feb. 6, 2015 (DALLAS) — A study conducted at Southern Methodist University found that the string of earthquakes felt near Irving, Texas in January were caused by a narrow fault line extending from Irving into West Dallas. The preliminary study was initiated after at least one earthquake was felt in the […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Geothermal Resources Council Announces President-Elect

(PRWEB) February 09, 2015 Davis, California, USA: The Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) has announced the election of Maria Richards as President-Elect. She will become the 26th President of the global geothermal energy organization in January 2017 after the term of current President Paul Brophy ends. Maria Richards is the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Geothermal Laboratory […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences

Dedman College alum Craig Pearson is Texas’ first state seismologist

Texas Tribune Posted: Feb. 6, 2015 For State’s Seismologist, Quakes Will Be the Easy Part by Jim Malewitz David Craig Pearson remembers the first time he felt the earth tremble beneath his feet. Mother Nature wasn’t to blame. The U.S. military was. Pearson stood on the White Sands Missile Range, a sprawling base in south-central […]