State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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Drilling into the Jurassic in New Jersey

One hour from New York City, where the suburbs of New Jersey give way to farms, a team of scientists are drilling for ancient rocks on the edge of a cornfield. The rocks hold clues about what the earth was like about 201 million years ago,during the great extinction that allowed dinosaurs to dominate. Listen to paleontologist Paul Olsen describe his drilling operation in Stockton, N.J. while colleagues Morgan Schaller, a geochemist at Rutgers University and Dennis Kent, a paleomagnetics expert at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, operate the drill.

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PICTURE GALLERY FROM THE COAST OF BRITAIN

INTERVIEW WITH PALEONTOLOGIST PAUL OLSEN

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

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