UT Jackson School of Geosciences

A study led by researchers at the Jackson School's Bureau of Economic Geology takes a big picture view of the collective value of rare earth elements in Gulf Coast coal and coal ash — and the nuances that come with turning them into a commodity.

The study, which was published in the International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, found that the economics likely don't add up when it comes to focusing on rare earth extraction alone. However, extraction could make sense for companies already working in the coal and coal ash industry.

“If you’re already mining the coal, the rare earth elements could be a side hustle,” said study co-author Brent Elliott, a research associate professor at the Jackson School’s Bureau of Economic Geology.

Gulf Coast Coal Holds Billions in Critical Minerals. But the Economics are Tricky. The San Miguel coal mine in in Christine, Texas in 2023. Credit: Bridget Scanlon. Researchers from The University of Texas…

Groundwater is a critical resource — and one that can be easily and sometimes irreversibly exhausted.

In a study published in the journal Earth’s Future, Research Assistant Professor Ashraf Rateb and Research Professor Bridget Scanlon take a long view of groundwater availability in the Mississippi River Basin, the country’s largest river basin, and adjacent Texas aquifers, tracing water levels from 1950 to today and making projections about future availability.

Groundwater Availability Faces Big West-East Divide That is Expected to Intensify The mean annual precipitation (1990–2020) in millimeters overlaid with aquifer boundaries and the 98th meridian, which marks the general hydroclimatic…

Water-logged land areas such as marshes, bogs and fens are the world’s largest natural source of methane. Even the smallest of wetlands emit this powerful greenhouse gas.

In a new study in Nature Climate Change, a group of researchers led by Jackson School Assistant Professor Fa Li have identified tens of millions of easily overlooked small wetlands across the globe and found that they have a substantial collective impact. They account for 24% of the world’s total non-forested wetland emissions of methane.

Using high-resolution satellite imagery and machine learning, researchers identified roughly 160 million small wetlands that have been difficult to detect and remain underrepresented in global methane assessments due to their relatively small size.

“Small wetlands are easy to overlook on a map, but they are not small in the methane budget,” Li said.

Read more about this research here: https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/news/2026/06/easily-overlooked-small-wetlands-are-a-big-source-of-global-methane/

That’s a wrap! Our three summer field camps are back from their summer adventures!  ☀️

Swipe for some snaps from each one. Check out our profile for more videos and pics!.

💧 Hydrology analyzed groundwater dynamics and quality in the Texas Hill Country and in Cuatrociénegas, Mexico.

⛰️ GEO 660 spent their time identifying, measuring and interpreting outcrops in Utah and Colorado.

🚢 MG&G conducted seismic surveys and collected sediment and core samples in Port Aransas, Texas.

Thanks to everyone who sent photos, tagged, and collaborated with us! 🤘

Did you just get back from the field? Share your favorite part in a comment below!

In the Permian Basin, injecting produced water into shallower reservoirs has helped mitigate injection-induced seismicity. However, it has also contributed to a new emerging issue: pressure increases that can threaten groundwater or lead to surface brine release.

In an article for the Journal of Petroleum Technology, the Jackson School's Katie Smye, the principal investigator of the Center for Injection and Seismicity Research, provides an overview of the issue and what can be done about it.

Guest Editorial: Rising Pressures and Legacy Wells—The Permian Basin’s Next Challenge This guest editorial from the Center for Injection and Seismicity Research (CISR) at The University of Texas at Austin details the emerging risks posed by injection in Texas and what steps might be taken to mitigate them.

That's a wrap on our annual Marine Geology and Geophysics field camp! 🏖️🏖️🏖️

GEO349/397 provides hands-on training in marine geological and geophysical data collection and processing for graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Working in teams, students travel to Port Aransas, TX and hop on University of Texas Marine Science Institute research vessels to learn sediment coring and analysis and seafloor mapping techniques using streamer seismic reflection, side-scan sonar and multibeam bathymetry.

Teams then integrate and interpret data collected here to examine Gulf Coast shelf geology and present findings to their peers and members of the energy industry.

Congrats to this year's teams!🎉