The Department of Geology (now Earth and Planetary Sciences) was established in 1897, some five years after the founding of the University. From the beginning, the department has held an important position in the University, as indicated by the fact that the second and third presidents of UNM were geology faculty. Expansion of the geology program has been continuous since that time, with the first master's degree awarded in 1930 and the first doctorate in 1962. The department, then with a faculty of five, moved into its newly constructed building (Northrop Hall) in 1954. Growth of all aspects of the geology program has accelerated in recent years to make it the largest in the state. At present, approximately 15 doctoral, 30 masters, and 85 undergraduate students are pursuing degrees within the department.

Geology is one of the youngest of the sciences. Though geological observations have be recorded in virtually all cultures including the Aztecs and Greeks, as a science geology was born in the late 18th Century through the work of James Hutton, Charles Lyell, and later Jean Lamark and Charles Darwin. These pioneers turned observation into solid theories which could be tested by further observation and experiment, and launched our ongoing quest to understand the Earth and how it functions. This is a quest in which the faculty, staff and students of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences are actively involved on a daily basis.

The department offers programs leading to Undergraduate B.A. and B.S., Graduate M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Earth and Planetary Sciences and a B.S. degree in Environmental Sciences. The department also offers a large and expanding variety of introductory and intermediate courses for undergraduate students who are interested in learning about how our fascinating planet works (including an option for a Minor in Earth Sciences).

Undergraduate programs emphasize a solid foundation in a broad range of Earth and Planetary Science disciplines, with research opportunities for advanced undergraduates in particular fields. Graduate students may pursue studies emphasizing structural, field, and regional geology; mineralogy, crystallography and materials science; volcanology; igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology; geomorphology, soils, climatology, paleoclimatology and environmental geology; stratigraphy; sedimentology; tectonics; invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology; geophysics; geodynamics; paleomagnetism; geochemistry; geochronology; meteoritics and planetology; and environmental sciences.