Geology Research Option

The Petrologic Processes research area focuses on the origin and evolution of rocks, minerals and meteorites as a means to understand the interiors of planetary bodies. Through melting, crystallization, metamorphism, melt migration, degassing, impacts and other events, the properties of rocks influence and preserve the history of the Earth and other planets. Faculty in this area use experimental, field-based, and computational tools to read the records and understand the possibilities of high-temperature, high-pressure processes. Petrology at Caltech is closely linked to geochemistry, planetary science, geophysics, materials science, and other fields.