Institute of Earth Sciences
Source: https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en Parent: https://www.chemgeo.uni-heidelberg.de/en/the-faculty
- [Student Administration Office
Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/204) - [Staff
Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/194) - [Events
Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/institute/events) - [Research groups
Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/research/research-groups)
News
[08.12.2025
Preisverleihung der Geologie-Stiftung](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/de/auszeichnungen-2025)
[27.11.2025
Erste Exkursion unserer neuen System Earth-Erstsemester!](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/1113)
[19.11.2025
Studium der Geowissenschaften an der Universität Heidelberg - Studieninformationstag am 19. November 2025](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/1068)
[14.08.2025
Wie sich die atlantische Ozeanströmung in den vergangenen 12.000 Jahren veränderte](https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/de/newsroom/wie-sich-die-atlantische-ozeanstroemung-in-den-vergangenen-12000-jahren-veraenderte)
[18.05.2025
Museum für Geowissenschaften - Internationaler Museumstag am 18.05.2025](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/de/museum-fuer-geowissenschaften-internationaler-museumstag)
[26.02.2025
26.02.2025 auf SWR3: Saurierknochen in der Röhre](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/894)
Geology students walk on mountain ridges
Institute
The overall objective of the geosciences is to understand the origin and development of the planet Earth from its formation about 4.5 billion years ago until today. The Earth's surface – and thus the human habitat – is constantly changed and reworked by complex interactions between the geosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the biosphere. Geologic processes take place on extreme time scales – from picoseconds (as in chemical reactions on mineral surfaces) to billions of years (as in plate tectonics and biological evolution).
Historical microscopes from 1918 in display case
Research
Research at the Institute of Earth Sciences in Heidelberg focuses on the fields of solid earth (including mineralogy, petrology, isotope geology and sedimentology), cosmochemistry, environmental geochemistry, paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate research, paleontology and archaeometry.
Lessons for a group of geology students on a cliff above the sea
Study
The Institute of Earth Sciences offers a comprehensive range of courses, with integration between coursework and the research conducted at the institute, especially during the higher semesters. This promotes an early involvement of students in the geoscientific professional landscape. The institute offers bachelor's and master's degree courses in "Geosciences".
Technische Details Arbeitsplatz an Ionensonde
Facilities
The Institute of Earth Sciences' focus is on the approach of investigating processes both qualitatively and quantitatively with the aid of state-of-the-art analytics. The high analytical competence of geoscientific research in Heidelberg is demonstrated by the 2014 commissioning of the national laboratory for secondary ion mass spectrometry.
INF235 - Haupteingang Museum
Museum
The Institue of Earth Sciences' collection contains an utmost important find of mankind: the lower jaw of Homo heidelbergensis. The 610,000-year-old find was discovered in 1907 in a sand pit near Mauer by the sand pit worker Daniel Hartmann. In addition to the lower jaw, almost 6,000 fossils of vertebrates from the Warm Period in Mauer were discovered. These are individual bones of rhinoceroses, elephants, lions, hippos, bears and deer.