Scientists know quite a bit about surface conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a period that peaked about 18,000 years ago, when ice covered significant portions of Canada and northern Europe.

But to really understand the mechanisms involved in climate change, scientists need to have detailed knowledge of the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. And until now, a key component of that knowledge has been lacking for the LGM because of limited understanding of the glacial deep ocean.

Geologists just back from a reconnaissance of the 7.9-magnitude Alaska earthquake of November 3 confirm that rupture of the Denali fault was the principal cause of the quake.

According to Caltech geology professor Kerry Sieh, Central Washington University geological sciences professor Charles Rubin, and Peter Haeussler of the U.S. Geological Survey, investigations over a week-long period revealed three large ruptures with a total length of about 320 kilometers.

Planetary scientists at the California Institute of Technology have discovered a spherical body in the outskirts of the solar system. The object circles the sun every 288 years, is half the size of Pluto, and is larger than all of the objects in the asteroid belt combined.

Two members of the California Institute of Technology faculty have been named MacArthur Fellows, a prestigious honor bestowed each year on innovators in a variety of fields and commonly known as the "genius grants."

Charles Steidel, an astronomer, and Paul Wennberg, an atmospheric scientist, are two of the 24 MacArthur Fellows announced today by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago. Each of the 24 recipients will receive a $500,000 "no strings attached" grant over the next five years.

Four volcanoes in the central Andes mountains of South America, all previously thought to be dormant, must now be considered active due to ground motions detected from space, geophysicists say.

In a paper appearing in the July 11 issue of the journal "Nature", California Institute of Technology geophysics graduate student Matt Pritchard and his faculty adviser, Mark Simons, unveil their analysis of eight years of radar interferometry data taken on 900 volcanoes in the Andes.

Caltech scientists discover that the African superplume has edges that are sharp and distinct, not diffuse and blurred.

When astronauts finally land on Mars, a safe bet is that they'll head for northern climes if they intend to spend much time there. That's because nearly all the available water is frozen as ice at the north pole.

In an age when nearly all astronomical work requires really big telescopes, David Charbonneau is something of an anomaly.

Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching awarded to Joseph Kirschvink

Peter Wyllie, professor of geology, emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology, recently received the Leopold von Buch Medal, one of the highest scientific awards presented by the German Geological Society. This award, which was presented during the annual meeting in Kiel, Germany, is accompanied by honorary membership in the German Geological Society.