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QRC Seminar with Amit Mushkin (UW): "New Field-Based Insights into Mechanical Weathering in Desert Landscapes on Earth and Mars"
A UW Earth & Space Sciences alumnus, Amit Mushkin leads the Landscape Dynamics Laboratory at the Geological Survey of Israel. As a geomorphologist, his research explores the fundamental physical processes that shape—and continue to transform—the landscapes of Earth and Mars.
Date: Friday, October 16, at 2:00 PM
Location: QRC Main Conference Room (JHN 377)
Learn more about Amit’s research: https://sites.uw.edu/mushkin/.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: 377. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Friday, October 16, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
UW Earth and Space Sciences Open House
Along with the UW Undergraduate Geology Club, and Graduate Student led Rockin' Out Earth Science Outreach group, the Department of Earth and Space Sciences is hosting our 3rd annual Open House! The Open House offers a free and family-friendly afternoon of hands-on learning to celebrate the earth sciences. Parking is free on the Seattle Campus on Saturday after 12 p.m.
What types of booths will be at the ESS Open House?Make a rock pet with paint and googly eyes and take it home, Look at rock, mineral and fossil specimens from the Burke Museum, Build your own icy alien world, How do different rocks look under a microscope? Learn how to split big rocks with a hammer, Explore the habitats of different worlds, Look at the sun's surface through a telescope, Upon arrival, please check in at our information table in the Johnson Hall North lobby (doors facing the Red Square and parking garage). There will be signs to follow.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Accessibility Contact: Summer Caton, sacaton@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events. Target Audience: students, faculty, staff, public, K-12.
Saturday, October 17, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Doug Walker Reception & Lecture
Join UW College of the Environment for the 2026 Doug Walker Reception & Lecture, featuring Phil Levin, professor and director of the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and director of The Nature Record.
Ticket price includes access to our special pre-reception designed to spark meaningful connections across Seattle’s vibrant sustainability and environmental science community. Enjoy beer, wine, and small bites before the lecture. First come, first served.
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://events.uw.edu/event/DougWalkerLecture2026/summary. Accessibility Contact: mcatal@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Town Hall, Seattle- The Forum (Entrance off Seneca).
For more info visit events.uw.edu. ESS 298
ESS 298 Class Sessions - non enrolled students are welcome to join sessions they are interested in (space available basis).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 111. Accessibility Contact: Kristin Evans. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, October 22, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM.
ESS Pre-Colloquium Refreshments
Join us for pre-colloquium refreshments in the ESS Common Room (JHN 141)!
Drop by before the colloquium to enjoy light snacks, tea, and hot water for your favorite brew. It's a great chance to connect with colleagues and this week's speaker before heading over together for the talk.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: 141. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings.
Thursday, October 22, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
ESS Colloquium: Maureen Walczak (UW Oceanography) "The potential Pacific origin of global millennial-scale climate oscillations"
Keywords: Paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, sedimentology, radiocarbon, radioistotope geochemistry
Abstract: Meltwater from Cordilleran ice into the North Pacific Ocean precedes weakening of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during millennial-scale climate oscillations of the latest Pleistocene. Efforts to model the impact of North Pacific meltwater input on AMOC and the North Atlantic cryosphere are qualitatively consistent with these observations, however questions remain on whether the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS) could supply the volume of water required to produce these impacts – as well as the possible origins of millennial-scale variability in the Pacific cryosphere. New radiocarbon-dated foraminiferal oxygen isotope records derived from marine sediment cores adjacent to the major southernmost drainages of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet – the Columbia River (CR) and Strait of Juan de Fuca (JdF) – show discharge is most active when the adjacent NE Pacific is at its coldest, likely associated with…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 075. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, October 22, 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.ocean.washington.edu. ESS Community Liquefaction Social
Come and enjoy beer and non-alcoholic beverages while you chat with your friends and colleagues in an informal setting! Hope to see you there!
The Liquefaction Committee is excited to announce that thanks to some very generous donations, we will be hosting Liquefaction every Thursday after our departmental colloquium for the Spring 2026 quarter! For this quarter, we will try to host outside in the Johnson Hall courtyard as often as possible, depending on the weather (JHN 141 will be our back up if the weather does not cooperate).
For those not aware, Liquefaction is entirely donation funded and costs ~$40-50 each time we have an event. If we are unable to sustain Liquefaction based on donations we receive, we may have to cancel events or host entirely non-alcoholic Liquefactions. If you’re feeling generous right now, donate here!
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: Courtyard (JHN 141 if poor weather). Accessibility Contact: Liquefaction Committee. Event Types: Special Events.
Thursday, October 22, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
ESS Community Coffee and Games Event (Drop in)
Join the ESS Community Committee for free coffee and snacks and meet other members of the ESS department! Stop in anytime and play a round of Uno, work on a puzzle, or just take a little break. Come find out what other events are happening this quarter!
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: 141. Accessibility Contact: sacaton@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events.
Friday, October 23, 2026, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
ESS 298
ESS 298 Class Sessions - non enrolled students are welcome to join sessions they are interested in (space available basis).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 111. Accessibility Contact: Kristin Evans. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM.
ESS Pre-Colloquium Refreshments
Join us for pre-colloquium refreshments in the ESS Common Room (JHN 141)!
Drop by before the colloquium to enjoy light snacks, tea, and hot water for your favorite brew. It's a great chance to connect with colleagues and this week's speaker before heading over together for the talk.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: 141. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings.
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
ESS Colloquium: David B. Williams (Freelance Writer) "In the Range of Fire and Ice"
Keywords: Cascades, geology, glaciers, serpentine barrens
Abstract: Blending human and natural history into a vivid portrait of one of North America’s most dynamic landscapes, In the Range of Fire and Ice is a lively, groundbreaking exploration of Washington’s Cascade Range. Drawing on conversations with anthropologists, park rangers, ecologists, and climate scientists, as well as firsthand experience, award-winning author David B. Williams brings readers into the mountains to uncover stories etched in the landscape over millennia. Through rich storytelling and careful research, Williams invites readers to see the Cascades not only as mountains, but as a living, evolving realm of fire, ice, and hope.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 075. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit geologywriter.com. ESS Community Liquefaction Social
Come and enjoy beer and non-alcoholic beverages while you chat with your friends and colleagues in an informal setting! Hope to see you there!
The Liquefaction Committee is excited to announce that thanks to some very generous donations, we will be hosting Liquefaction every Thursday after our departmental colloquium for the Spring 2026 quarter! For this quarter, we will try to host outside in the Johnson Hall courtyard as often as possible, depending on the weather (JHN 141 will be our back up if the weather does not cooperate).
For those not aware, Liquefaction is entirely donation funded and costs ~$40-50 each time we have an event. If we are unable to sustain Liquefaction based on donations we receive, we may have to cancel events or host entirely non-alcoholic Liquefactions. If you’re feeling generous right now, donate here!
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: Courtyard (JHN 141 if poor weather). Accessibility Contact: Liquefaction Committee. Event Types: Special Events.
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
ESS 298
ESS 298 Class Sessions - non enrolled students are welcome to join sessions they are interested in (space available basis).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 111. Accessibility Contact: Kristin Evans. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, November 5, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM.
ESS Pre-Colloquium Refreshments
Join us for pre-colloquium refreshments in the ESS Common Room (JHN 141)!
Drop by before the colloquium to enjoy light snacks, tea, and hot water for your favorite brew. It's a great chance to connect with colleagues and this week's speaker before heading over together for the talk.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: 141. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings.
Thursday, November 5, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
ESS Colloquium: Lydia Staisch (USGS) "Miocene – Pliocene drainage reorganization of the Snake River and the incision history of Hells Canyon"
Keywords: landscape evolution, sedimentology, tectonics, geomorphology
Abstract: The Snake and Columbia River systems have undergone substantial drainage network reorganization over Miocene and Pliocene time. Detrital zircon provenance and sedimentological characteristics in depositional basins in the western Snake River Plain (SRP) and Columbia Basin indicate that the Yellowstone hotspot and crustal densification/subsidence of the eastern SRP are important geodynamic mechanisms affecting evolution of the modern drainage network. Important questions remain about the downstream river network, the spatio-temporal evolution of major drainage divides, and the timing and mechanism of Hells Canyon incision, North America’s deepest canyon.
In this work, we use detrital zircon U-Pb provenance analysis of Miocene strata upstream and downstream of Hells Canyon to constrain the evolution in fluvial pathways over time. Downstream of Hells Canyon, we show that the ca. 10–6 Ma Clarkston Heights gravel was dominantly…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 075. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, November 5, 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.usgs.gov. ESS Community Liquefaction Social
Come and enjoy beer and non-alcoholic beverages while you chat with your friends and colleagues in an informal setting! Hope to see you there!
The Liquefaction Committee is excited to announce that thanks to some very generous donations, we will be hosting Liquefaction every Thursday after our departmental colloquium for the Spring 2026 quarter! For this quarter, we will try to host outside in the Johnson Hall courtyard as often as possible, depending on the weather (JHN 141 will be our back up if the weather does not cooperate).
For those not aware, Liquefaction is entirely donation funded and costs ~$40-50 each time we have an event. If we are unable to sustain Liquefaction based on donations we receive, we may have to cancel events or host entirely non-alcoholic Liquefactions. If you’re feeling generous right now, donate here!
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: Courtyard (JHN 141 if poor weather). Accessibility Contact: Liquefaction Committee. Event Types: Special Events.
Thursday, November 5, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
ESS Alumni Geology Wine Night
Join UW Earth and Space Sciences on Nov. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Champion Wine Cellar in Seattle for an engaging evening exploring the connection between geology and wine. Participants will taste four wines presented in two comparative pairs and learn how soil, bedrock, and vineyard geology can influence wine characteristics.
Tickets are $50 per person, and attendance is limited. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage you to reserve your spot early. Attendees who wish to further support Earth and Space Sciences may add an optional donation during registration to help sustain ESS programs and events like this one. See more RSVP details here at and the link below.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: sacaton@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events.
Thursday, November 5, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Champion Wine Cellars.
For more info visit events.uw.edu. ESS Faculty Meeting
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/99910227880. Campus room: 170. Accessibility Contact: sacaton@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings.
Friday, November 6, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
UW Environment Mixer at 2026 Family Weekend (invitation only)
Come hang out with the College of the Environment community! Enjoy light refreshments, meet fellow students, advisors, parents, faculty, and make some new connections. Then grab a map and keep exploring with a self-guided tour of College facilities.
Schedule:Mixer 3:00 pm- 5:00 pm, After 5:00 pm- Self-guided tour, Register on the Parent Weekend website.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Anderson Hall (AND). Campus room: Forest Club Room (2nd Floor). Accessibility Contact: mcatal@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events.
Friday, November 6, 2026, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.washington.edu. Department Closed for Holiday
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: 206-543-1190. Event Types: Not Specified.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
ESS 298
ESS 298 Class Sessions - non enrolled students are welcome to join sessions they are interested in (space available basis).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 111. Accessibility Contact: Kristin Evans. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM.
ESS Pre-Colloquium Refreshments
Join us for pre-colloquium refreshments in the ESS Common Room (JHN 141)!
Drop by before the colloquium to enjoy light snacks, tea, and hot water for your favorite brew. It's a great chance to connect with colleagues and this week's speaker before heading over together for the talk.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: 141. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
ESS Colloquium: Julia Kelson (Indiana University, Bloomington) "Advancing a neglected but powerful tool for terrestrial paleoclimate: 170 in soil carbonates"
Keywords: paleoclimate, stable isotope geochemistry, soils, pedogenic carbonate
Abstract: For decades, researchers have used the relative abundance of 18O and 16O in waters and authigenic minerals to study present and past climates, ecosystems, and elevations. The 'third isotope,' 17O, was neglected. Recent advances have demonstrated the potential for 17O to yield insights into ancient and modern water cycles through studying small variations due to mass-dependent fractionation. Termed triple oxygen isotope geochemistry, ∆'17O can be used to identify evaporation directly from carbonate minerals, including soil carbonates, whose δ18O records are traditionally obscured by evaporation. I will describe ongoing efforts to establish a proof-of-concept for using ∆'17O of soil carbonates to track ancient hydrological processes. I will share empirical data from ∆'17O of soil carbonates, soil pore waters, and meteoric waters across a range of arid and temperature climate regimes. These data show that ∆'17O in soils…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 075. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit jrkelson.github.io. ESS Community Liquefaction Social
Come and enjoy beer and non-alcoholic beverages while you chat with your friends and colleagues in an informal setting! Hope to see you there!
The Liquefaction Committee is excited to announce that thanks to some very generous donations, we will be hosting Liquefaction every Thursday after our departmental colloquium for the Spring 2026 quarter! For this quarter, we will try to host outside in the Johnson Hall courtyard as often as possible, depending on the weather (JHN 141 will be our back up if the weather does not cooperate).
For those not aware, Liquefaction is entirely donation funded and costs ~$40-50 each time we have an event. If we are unable to sustain Liquefaction based on donations we receive, we may have to cancel events or host entirely non-alcoholic Liquefactions. If you’re feeling generous right now, donate here!
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: Courtyard (JHN 141 if poor weather). Accessibility Contact: Liquefaction Committee. Event Types: Special Events.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
Final Exam: Manuela Köpfli
Committee:
Denolle (chair)
Beck, ChemE (GSR)
Malone
Thelen, Cascades Volcano Observatory
Schmidt
Wirth.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Atmospheric Sciences-Geophysics Building (ATG). Campus room: ATG 210. Accessibility Contact: Noell Bernard-Kingsley. Event Types: Academics.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
ESS 298
ESS 298 Class Sessions - non enrolled students are welcome to join sessions they are interested in (space available basis).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 111. Accessibility Contact: Kristin Evans. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM.
ESS Pre-Colloquium Refreshments
Join us for pre-colloquium refreshments in the ESS Common Room (JHN 141)!
Drop by before the colloquium to enjoy light snacks, tea, and hot water for your favorite brew. It's a great chance to connect with colleagues and this week's speaker before heading over together for the talk.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: 141. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
ESS Colloquium: Zuxing Chen (Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) "TBD"
Keywords: TBD
Abstract: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 075. Accessibility Contact: Disability Services Office, dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
ESS Community Liquefaction Social
Come and enjoy beer and non-alcoholic beverages while you chat with your friends and colleagues in an informal setting! Hope to see you there!
The Liquefaction Committee is excited to announce that thanks to some very generous donations, we will be hosting Liquefaction every Thursday after our departmental colloquium for the Spring 2026 quarter! For this quarter, we will try to host outside in the Johnson Hall courtyard as often as possible, depending on the weather (JHN 141 will be our back up if the weather does not cooperate).
For those not aware, Liquefaction is entirely donation funded and costs ~$40-50 each time we have an event. If we are unable to sustain Liquefaction based on donations we receive, we may have to cancel events or host entirely non-alcoholic Liquefactions. If you’re feeling generous right now, donate here!
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: Courtyard (JHN 141 if poor weather). Accessibility Contact: Liquefaction Committee. Event Types: Special Events.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
ESS Community Liquefaction Social
Come and enjoy beer and non-alcoholic beverages while you chat with your friends and colleagues in an informal setting! Hope to see you there!
The Liquefaction Committee is excited to announce that thanks to some very generous donations, we will be hosting Liquefaction every Thursday after our departmental colloquium for the Spring 2026 quarter! For this quarter, we will try to host outside in the Johnson Hall courtyard as often as possible, depending on the weather (JHN 141 will be our back up if the weather does not cooperate).
For those not aware, Liquefaction is entirely donation funded and costs ~$40-50 each time we have an event. If we are unable to sustain Liquefaction based on donations we receive, we may have to cancel events or host entirely non-alcoholic Liquefactions. If you’re feeling generous right now, donate here!
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: Courtyard (JHN 141 if poor weather). Accessibility Contact: Liquefaction Committee. Event Types: Special Events.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
ESS Main Office & Student Services Closing at NOON
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: 206-543-1190. Event Types: Not Specified.
Wednesday, November 25, 2026, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Department Closed for Holiday
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: 206-543-1190. Event Types: Not Specified.
Thursday, November 26, 2026.
Department Closed for Holiday
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: 206-543-1190. Event Types: Not Specified.
Friday, November 27, 2026.
ESS 298
ESS 298 Class Sessions - non enrolled students are welcome to join sessions they are interested in (space available basis).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 111. Accessibility Contact: Kristin Evans. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, December 3, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM.
ESS Faculty Meeting
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/99910227880. Campus room: 170. Accessibility Contact: sacaton@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
UW Environment Community Reception at AGU2026 in San Francisco
A casual community gathering featuring select California wines, small plant-based bites, and good company.
Hosted by UW College of the Environment Dean, Joel Thornton
Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103, 4th Floor- Pacific Room G&H, American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting website.
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://forms.gle/RWibyJieNSS1sBj18. Accessibility Contact: mcatal@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events.
Tuesday, December 8, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit forms.gle. ESS 298
ESS 298 Class Sessions - non enrolled students are welcome to join sessions they are interested in (space available basis).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Campus room: JHN 111. Accessibility Contact: Kristin Evans. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, December 10, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM.
ESS Main Office & Student Services Closing at NOON
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: 206-543-1190. Event Types: Not Specified.
Thursday, December 24, 2026, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Department Closed for Holiday
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: 206-543-1190. Event Types: Not Specified.
Friday, December 25, 2026.
ESS Main Office & Student Services Closing at NOON
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: 206-543-1190. Event Types: Not Specified.
Thursday, December 31, 2026, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Department Closed for Holiday
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: 206-543-1190. Event Types: Not Specified.
Friday, January 1, 2027.
ESS Faculty Meeting
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Johnson Hall (JHN). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/99910227880. Campus room: 170. Accessibility Contact: sacaton@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings.
Friday, January 8, 2027, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.