# 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)

[All news](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/197)

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).

- [Staff members](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/194)
- [Alumni](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/195)
- [Directions](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/institute/location)

[Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/institute)

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.

- [Facilities](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/facilities)
- [Research groups](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/research/research-groups)

[Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/research)

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".

- [Student Administration Office](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/204)
- [Student Advisory Service](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/node/209)

[Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/study)

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.

- [The Heidelberg Ion Probe (HIP)](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/facilities/hip)
- [Further facilities](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/facilities)

[Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/facilities)

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.

- [Opening hours](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/museum/exhibition)
- [Homo Heidelbergensis](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/museum/homo-heidelbergensis)

[Learn more](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en/museum)

[Deutsch](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/de/institut-fuer-geowissenschaften)[Contact](https://www.geow.uni-heidelberg.de/en?overlay=contact)