Earthquake geology and mechanics, mid-ocean ridge and ophiolite dynamics, geo-archaeology, sea-level change and glaciation.

Research Students 

Erez Hassul (PhD Student)

Eshly Aizenshtat (PhD Student)

Shaked Engelberg (PhD Student)

Oksana Piatibratov (PhD Student)

Nuphar Gedulter (PhD Student)

Noga Rozen (MSc Student)

Anna Visloboko (MSc Student)

Contact Information 

 

Amotz Agnon | Room 216 South | 972-2-65-84743 | amotz@mail.huji.ac.il

 

The research straddles the interface between zoological, geological, and humanistic studies in that it focuses on faunal remains as paleoenvironmental indicators of past human societies. Within this broad discipline, we are involved in the study of fauna from Pleistocene sites ranging in time from nearly two million years ago to the Holocene. The scope of our research encompasses the paleoecologic, taphonomic and taxonomic implications of faunal assemblages from Pleistocene sites in the southern Levant.

Together with colleagues, we guide students from archaeology and from geology as they induce new fields of study, such as virtual paleontology; research on hitherto unknown faunal records from Mongolia; applying 3D models for the interpretation of Neanderthal faunal exploitation patterns, and even the use of Ichnotaxa as a tool for reconstruction of the paleoenvironment. 

Gali Beiner, is the conservator of the National Natural History Collections and she is also leading research into better conservation protocols in the lab and in the field.

Research Methods

Our research uses morphological observation with quantitative methods, microscopes and CT. We use the following collections as source of comparison and research.

The Archaeozoological collections comprise hundreds of sites representing the history of the fauna from the Pliocene to the Holocene of Israel, where major events in the history of human took place, from hunting, gathering, fishing, to domestication and husbandry. The collections are open to students and researchers from all over the world.

The recent vertebrate comparative collection represents the local fauna of Israel and adjacent regions. It includes specimens of all taxa collected during the past 60 years. This collection represents populations from various regions of the country. Prof. Israel Aharoni started the collection at the beginning of the 20th century, and was in turn followed by researchers and students who collected animals for research and teaching. Rare species, extinct species, and endangered species, including type specimens, are present in the collection. 

The Paleontological collections hold an impressive body of information on the fossil records of the eastern Mediterranean, its biogeographic origins and the evolution of invertebrates and vertebrates.

 We enlarge these collections through the research of our groups including survey and excavations.

Research Students 

Steiner, T. Doctoral student (with Prof. G. Shelah HUJI). 

Jallon. A., Doctoral student (with Prof. E. Hovers, HUJI)

Nikolskaia, P. Doctoral student

Frish, A. MA. students (with Prof. Y. Garfinkel HUJI).

Friedman, R. MSc. student (with Drs. A. Muskin and R. Calvo, Geological Survey Israel). 

 

Contact Information 

Rivka Rabinovich | rivkar@mail.huji.ac.il | Giveat Ram, Berman building, Floor -1 | Institute of Earth Sciences, south wing, Floor 0, room 12. 

Gali Beiner - Lab Manager | gali.beiner@mail.huji.ac.il

Our research focuses on the signal transfer between the modern atmosphere and oceans to the geological record, the impact of abrupt events on primary and export production in the oceans, trace element cycles, and reconstruction of Quaternary paleoclimate from lacustrine and marine archives. We combine between time series of modern marine and terrigenous particulate fluxes, coeval seawater compositions, and biogeochemical cycles in the oceans (see the REDMAST project).

Research Studants

Dr. Clara Flintrop - postdoc

Gil Lapid - Ph.D. Student

Noy Levy - Ph.D. Student (Supervised jointly with Dr. Ralf Schiebel from Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany)

Efraim Brill - M.Sc. Student

Aden Clarfield - M.Sc. Student

Lea Sivan - M.Sc. Student

Contact Information

Adi Torfstein | adi.torf@mail.huji.ac.il

Lab Manager - Sigalit Amiran-Kan

Our research group focuses on the recycling of volatiles such as carbon and hydrogen from the surface to the deep Earth and their relation to the evolution of oceanic and continental crust through time.  We combine petrologic, geochemical, and spectroscopic work to study the igneous samples that cover the spectrum of mantle compositional ‘flavors’, as monitors of deep Earth processes.

In particular, we work with diamonds and specialize in the analyses of their microinclusions. Such inclusions contain the most pristine samples of deep carbon- and water-rich (C-O-H) mantle fluids. Their high volatile content, strong enrichment in incompatible elements, and possible relation to subduction processes, make them a key player in the global circulation of volatiles. They elucidate the origin of various types of deep mantle fluids, the relationship between them and their host diamonds, and the metasomatic processes that led to their formation. 

The long-term intent is to remedy the full spectrum of deep mantle carbon- and water-rich (C-O-H) fluids, provide a first-order understanding of the role of such fluids in transporting volatiles and incompatible elements between mantle and crustal reservoirs, and link tectonic events in the shallow continental crust and chemical events involving C-O-H fluids in the deep mantle.

Research Methods

We combine petrographic, geochemical and spectroscopic work using various analytical capabilities including LA-ICP-MS, EPMA, TEM, TIMS and Raman and infrared spectroscopy, to study the minerals and fluids trapped in diamonds and the composition of igneous magmas.

Research Studants

Yael Kempe (PhD student)

Sharon Viater (MSc student)

Miriam Sokol (MSc student)

 Pazi Shacham (volunteer)

Contact Information

Yaakov Weiss | yakov.weiss@mail.huji.ac.il

Lab Manager - Ofir Tirosh | ofirtirosh@gmail.com

 

The research group focuses on the relationship between processes occurring at the earthquake source, ground vibrations, and the damage they cause, as well as analyzing ground noise from various sources. The group covers diverse research directions, including developing methods for assessing earthquake damage and early warning, understanding parameters controlling the earthquake source and magnitude, and using spatial seismic noise to understand subsurface structure and geology. The research utilizes earthquake data recorded through seismometers, accelerometers, and optical fibers using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). Optical fibers allow for extremely high-resolution ground vibration measurements in time and space, enabling a deeper understanding of seismic waves, earthquake sources, and the subsurface structure through which these waves pass.

The group collaborates with external companies such as Prisma Photonics and Mekorot Water Company to perform earthquake measurements using various optical fibers deployed in Israel. Additionally, some research is conducted in collaboration with researchers from other universities and the Geological Survey of Israel.

The work in the group involves seismic data analysis in time and space, developing various mathematical models and adapting them to observations, and field data collection.

Research Methods

• Analyzing seismic data, time and space series, and extracting significant parameters from the data.

• Developing theoretical, empirical, and statistical models.

• Developing algorithms for real-time seismic data analysis as part of earthquake warning system development.

• Analyzing seismic noise through correlations and inversion methods to develop models describing subsurface structure.

• Big data analysis using computer clusters

Research Students

Shahar Ben Zeev (Post-doc) 

Matty Sharon (PhD Student) 

Gil Noy (MSc Student) 

Linoy Greenberg  (MSc Student) 

Avinoam Hershler  (MSc Student) 

Contact Information

Itzhak Lior | itzhak.lior@mail.huji.ac.il | Room 14 South 

 

Our group focuses on the relationship between water and extreme weather events in regions characterised by scarcity of water as well as the impact of climate change on such interactions. The research lies at the boundary between hydrology, climatology, atmospheric sciences, and surface processes in environments ranging from vast barren deserts to Mediterranean catchments.

Research Methods

The interdisciplinary research we do combines the development of new tools, data analysis and collection, and modelling of climatic- and hydrologic-related phenomena.

 

Research Students

• Atul Rai; PhD student, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong. Co-supervised by Tim Cohen. Thesis title: Australia’s inland hydrology: quantifying discharge characteristics of the Lake Eyre basin and Australia’s channel country

• Miku Nakamura; MSc student, the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich. Co-supervised by Iris Thurnherr. Thesis title: Meteorological factors involved in heavy precipitation in and filling of Kati-Thanda Lake Eyre.

• Guorong Ling; MSc student in the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich. Co-supervised by Hilla Afargan-Gerstman. Thesis title: Forecasting cyclones related to heavy precipitation events in the Sahara.

 

Contact Information 

Moshe (Koko) Armon | moshe.armon@mail.huji.ac.il

 

Our research examines the processes shaping modern surface environments and investigates Quaternary terrestrial changes influenced by hydro-meteorological and climatic variations. We focus on landscape formation across diverse temporal and spatial scales, including slopes, fluvial systems, lakes, coastal areas, soils, and dust. A key emphasis is on quantifying and modeling the changes that occurred during the Quaternary period. Our approach integrates Quaternary sediment stratigraphy, sedimentological tools, and the study of sediment transport over both short and long timeframes, with particular attention to extreme events. Palaeohydrology of lakes and rivers has been a consistent theme in our research over the years.

Our work establishes critical links between climate, hydrology, pedology, active tectonics, and the processes of dust and loess creation, deposition, and accumulation—primarily in arid-desert regions, their margins, and Mediterranean and monsoon areas. A significant focus of our research is on climate change in the world's deserts, often in collaboration with other experts. The rapidly declining water levels of the Dead Sea and its associated salt deposits serve as a "natural laboratory" for many of our studies.

Research Methods:

Our research heavily relies on extensive fieldwork and observations, involving the quantification of processes through measurements, sedimentological characterization, and landscape modeling. We collaborate closely with hydrogeologists and experts in sediments, soils, and limnology. Field mapping and topographic data at various resolutions are fundamental to our research, with GIS and remote sensing techniques being essential tools for our investigations.

Research Studants: 

Haggai Eyal (PhD. Studant) 

Guy Tau (PhD. Studant) 

Maayan Harel (PhD. Studant) 

Contact Information:

yehouda.enzel@mail.huji.ac.il

Research Interests:

My group studies coupled physical and chemical processes, that control deformation and evolution of rocks and soils. Most of our studies involve fluid flow in porous media coupled with chemical and mechanical deformation of the matrix. We focus on how relatively small-scale processes (at the pore, grain, or asperity scale) control basic large-scale geological phenomena. Some of the physical processes we study pertain to rapid, often catastrophic, deformation: soil-liquefaction, the physics of friction, and the physics of dry and fluid-induced landslides and earthquakes. Other processes we study occur on geological time scales: coupled brittle - ductile deformation, gas migration through sediments, the creation of pockmarks on the ocean floor, and karst-cave formation. I work at the boundary between physics and geology, using mainly theoretical and numerical tools. To study grain-fluid systems, we have written a unique coupled granular-fluid code. I also use network and other numerical models. 

Ongoing projects:

1. Karst cave formation by cooling of hydrothermal flows.

2. Earthquake physics – with and without fluids. 

3. Seismically-induced soil liquefaction. 

4. Dynamic earthquake triggering. 

5. Ductile-brittle coupling: Fault formation due to lower crustal flow. 

Research Methods

Our work is usually constrained by observations: to understand the physics of a system of interest and I collaborate also with field geologists and experimentalists who provide an empirical foundation to the theoretical work.

 

Research Studants 

Pritom Sarma (PhD. Studant)

Rawi Dawood (PhD. Studant)

Daniel Caspi (PhD. Studant)

Contact Information

Einat Aharonov | Room 311 South | 972-2-65-84670 | einatah@mail.huji.ac.il

 

Ground water hydrology, Israel water resources

Research Studants 

Ohad Shalom (PhD. Studant)

Elad Benzur (PhD. Studant)

Hallel Lutzky (PhD. Studant)

Contact Information

Haim Gvirtzman | haim.gvirtzman@mail.huji.ac.il

Magnetic minerals are virtually everywhere. They exist in dust, soils, sediments, rocks, organsims, and even extraterrestrial materials. Magnetic minerals are also extremely useful. Thanks to their ability to store magnetic memory and their sensitivity to changes in ambient conditions, they are a fundamental source of information on our planet.

The ultimate goal of our research at the paleomagentic laboratory is utilizing the wealth of magnetic information stored in natural magnetic materials in a broad range of applications in wide research fields including geology, geophysics, environmental research, and archaeology.

Currently, our group is conducting some paleo- and rock- magnetic surveys in different environments. To name a few: Pleistocene-Holocene Dead Sea sediments, Plio-Pleistocene Golan Heights volcanic sequence, Triassic rocks in Machtesh Ramon, Cambrian rocks in Eilat complex, marine sedimentary cores, cave speleothems, Wonderwerk cave in South Africa, Tel-Megiddo, Tel-Hazor, and a large number of archaeological sites in Israel.

Research methods

In the The Paleomagnetic Lab we use advanced anlytic tools. Visit our website for more information 

Research Studants 

Erez Hassul (PhD. Studant)

Lior Bar (MSc. Studant) 

Tomer Moshe (MSc. Studant) 

Contact Information 

Ron Shaar | ron.shaar@mail.huji.ac.il

My research focuses on global climate change and the use of isotope geochemistry to understand climatic and atmospheric processes. I am interested in the parameters and mechanisms that control paleotemperature proxies; in particuler, my group develops and uses the novel proxy carbonate clumped isotopes. We examine biological parameters that affect clumped isotopes and develop its use in new archive materials; we study the effect of non equilibrium processes on clumped isotopes and oxygen isotopes. We apply clumped isotpes to reconstruct paleotemperature and paleo-rainfall in different time periods during the Cenzoic. I am also interested in the use of isotopes to understand the modern carbon cycle and the effect of the biosphere of atmospheric chemistry.

What is clumped isotopes geochemistry?

Analysis of an isotopic composition is a measurement of the relative abundance of a heavy, rare, isotope within a group of molecules. The term ‘clumped isotopes’ refers to the natural abundance of molecules containing two heavy isotopes, such as ¹³C¹⁸O¹⁶O, and is a measure of the preference of two heavy isotopes to clump together into a chemical bond. This preference is temperature dependent with the isotopes distributed randomly among all molecules at very high temperatures and are clustered together into a more ordered system at low temperatures.

This results in an isotopic parameter, ∆₄₇, that can record the temperature in which these bonds were formed. ‘Clumped isotopes’ measurements are currently applied for ¹³C-¹⁸O bonds in CO₂ molecules that are extracted either from carbonate minerals or from the atmosphere. In carbonates ‘clumped isotopes’ are used to determine the formation temperature of the mineral with most applications associated with reconstruction of past climatic conditions. In atmospheric CO₂ it is used as a tracer for partitioning and quantifying the different CO₂ sources and sinks of the global carbon cycle.

Research Studants 

Ahinoam Assor (MSc. Studant)

Yael Tal (MSc. Studant)

Contact Information 

Hagit Affek |  Hagit.Affek@mail.huji.ac.il | 972-2-6584654

The combination of experimental petrology and thermodynamic modeling provides powerful insights into the igneous and metamorphic processes by which Earth and other planets evolved.  My research involves the development of experimental techniques together with modeling of the experimental data to constrain the nature of both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments through the study of synthetic analogs. 

The topics I am currently involved with:

Melt and fluid compositions in equilibrium with mantle material. Aqueous fluids play an important role in melting and metasomatism of the Earth’s mantle; I study the role of volatiles (H₂O, CO₂, etc.) in dehydration/hydration and melting processes in the mantle.

The evolution of meteorite groups. Samples delivered to the Earth as meteorites provide us with a unique opportunity to study the timing and the processes by which our solar system formed and evolved.  I combine both experimental and analytical methods to understand the formation conditions of different groups of meteorites.

Research Studants 

Dr. Amit Meltzer (Post-doc)

Stav Gitler  (PhD. Studant)

Husam Tufjaji (MSc. Studant)

Michael Piven (MSc. Studant)

Contact Information 

Ronit Kessel | ronit.kessel@mail.huji.ac.il 

Our environment is shaped by the interaction between water and rock. This interaction has a crucial impact on a range of diverse processes, such as the way landscapes develop and erode, the spread of contaminants in groundwater, and the storage of carbon dioxide in subsurface reservoirs. In my group, we study these processes using a combination of cutting edge lab technology, state-of-the-art modeling, and field work. Current research projects include:

• Developing new methods for carbon storage
• Mitigating contaminant transport in aquifers
• Quantifying weathering in carbonate rocks

Students in my team are part of a dynamic research program that is pioneering new projects at the interface between hydrology, geology, and geochemistry. Scholarships are available for creative and talented candidates with backgrounds in Earth Sciences and Natural Sciences. 

Research Students 

Moshe Eliyahu (Lab manager) 

Dr. Rolando Carbonari (Post-doc) 

Roni Grayevsky (PhD Studant) 

Tomer Ben-David (MSc Studant) 

Hadar Kravitz (MSc Studant) 

 

Contact Details 

Simon Emmanuel | simon.emmanuel@mail.huji.ac.il 

Moshe Eliyahu | moshe.eliyahu4@mail.huji.ac.il 

The laboratory is designed for preparing samples for analysis in a particle accelerator. The samples are collected from various locations around the world. So far, we have prepared samples from places such as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Egypt, Jordan, Mongolia, China, Nepal, the USA, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and of course, Israel

Research Students

Alona Kozmenko

Hagar Nachmias

Gali Schreiber

Neta Weissman

Contact Us

 

Ari Matmon (head researcher) – arimatmon@mail.huji.ac.il

Yona Geller (lab manager) – yona.geller@mail.huji.ac.il

Room 1006

 

Earth Surface Geochemistry

Research Studants 

Daniel Freedberg (MSc studant)

Contact Details

 

Netta Shalev | netta.shalev@mail.huji.ac.il