The surface of the Earth is continually modified through the action of plate tectonics that drives volcanism, mountain building, and development of sedimentary basins, while the surfaces of other planetary bodies like Mars and the Moon preserve a record of processes from the earliest stages of Solar System history. The disciplines of igneous and metamorphic petrology, geochemistry, and basin analysis are used to address fundamental questions about the formation of Earth and other planetary bodies in the Solar System and their evolution through geologic time.

Research in these fields can lead to better understanding of natural hazards (volcanoes, earthquakes), the distribution of critical minerals and other natural resources, and the evolution and habitability of planetary bodies. Faculty in SEES apply a wide range of field, laboratory, experimental, and computational methods to explore solid earth and planetary geology topics that currently include magma storage and transport processes, impact cratering, and deciphering the sedimentological record of tectonic and mantle processes.