Expertise
Geology; Geochemistry; Geochronology; Origin of Earth's oxygen; Impact of life on geology
Profile
Bucholz investigates a variety of questions related to the formation of the continental crust, subduction zones (where one tectonic plate slips beneath another), and variations in the chemistry and character of igneous rocks.
Languages Spoken
English;
Faculty Bio
B.S., Yale University, 2009; Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016. Assistant Professor, Caltech, 2017-24; Professor, 2024-
Related News
Watson Lecture on January 18: Claire Bucholz on the Fascinating Story of Earth's Oxygen
January 11, 2023
On Wednesday, January 18, at 7:30 p.m. PT in Beckman Auditorium on the Caltech campus, Claire E. Bucholz, Caltech assistant professor of geology and this year's Biedebach Memorial Lecturer, will continue the 100th anniversary season of the Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series with "When Earth Breathed Deeply."
How Life on Earth Affected Its Inner Workings
May 09, 2019
A new analysis of old records reveals that the oxygenation of the deep ocean produced a chemical signature that was recycled into the mantle and ultimately imprinted on magmas that are the building blocks of continental crust.
Digging for Answers: An Interview with Claire Bucholz
Read more news
April 17, 2018
Geologist Claire Bucholz searches in ancient igneous rocks for evidence for the ways that oxygen began shaping the earth 2.5 billion years ago.