Satellite map of the Nenana area in central Alaska showing locations for the three components of the Aug. 20, 2025, earthquake. Red markers north of Nenana identify the foreshock and very-low-frequency earthquake and the main shock location. A green marker shows the nearby NEA2 seismic station.
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A whisper from within

July 27, 2026
An unusual signal seconds ahead of an Alaska earthquake could help solve a seismic mystery
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A helicopter carrying a water bucket flies beside a massive plume of gray and brown smoke rising above a forest from the lightning-caused Starry Fire, which started June 20 near Anderson.

Alaska climate report: A quiet June … except for all that lightning

July 21, 2026
June was mostly a meteorologically mild month across Alaska, with temperatures near or slightly below normal. Precipitation was below average in...
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Map of the United States showing the newest NSF Regional Innovation Engine awards to 12 teams across 20 states. Labeled markers identify each engine’s region, including the NSF Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine in Alaska; solid dots represent Cohort 1 and gear-shaped symbols represent Cohort 2.

National Science Foundation funds UAF-led critical minerals coalition

July 14, 2026
The U.S. National Science Foundation announced today that it will fund a major critical minerals project led by the University of Alaska...
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Satellite map of the Nenana area in central Alaska showing locations for the three components of the Aug. 20, 2025, earthquake. Red markers north of Nenana identify the foreshock and very-low-frequency earthquake and the main shock location. A green marker shows the nearby NEA2 seismic station.

Unusual seismic signal detected in 2025 central Alaska earthquake

July 7, 2026
An unusual seismic signal recorded less than a minute before a widely felt magnitude 4.2 earthquake in central Alaska may have given scientists a...
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Part of Fourth Avenue in downtown Anchorage lies collapsed after subsiding nearly 11 feet during the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake, with damaged buildings, cars and trucks visible along the broken street.
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A history of Alaska's seismic monitoring

June 30, 2026
Tracking Alaska's ground motion started with a single station installed in 1904. A second station was established in Fairbanks in 1935.
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A New York Air National Guard LC-130 Skibird cargo aircraft sits on a snow runway atop the Greenland Ice Cap under a clear blue sky. The ski-equipped aircraft, operated by the 109th Airlift Wing, is parked on the windswept ice with a small field camp, flags and support structures visible.

Frozen Arctic lakes becoming less capable of supporting cargo aircraft

June 4, 2026
The ability to land a military cargo plane on a frozen Arctic lake is becoming less likely as a warming environment reduces the number of...
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Visitors on the Geophysical Institute summer tour will learn about the large blue satellite antenna atop the Elvey Building and the sounding rocket installation displayed on the lawn outside. The photo shows the rocket model rising in the foreground in front of the building under a partly cloudy sky

Geophysical Institute, Poker Flat Research Range announce summer tours

May 26, 2026
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute is offering free public tours this summer to showcase some of its science facilities...
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A sled dog stands alert on a snowy porch in early April in Two Rivers, just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, watching a pair of moose among birch and spruce trees in the forest beyond. Sunlight filters through the trees onto the snow-covered ground as the moose partially hide in the woods.

Alaska climate report: April brought sharp weather swings

May 18, 2026
April was a month of meteorological change in Alaska, as expected each year. What stood out this time, however, was the wide range of conditions...
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A NASA sounding rocket carrying the FOXSI-5 mission lifts off from Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks at 11:23 a.m. Thursday, May 14, 2026. A bright plume of flame and smoke rises from the launch pad as the rocket climbs above a dense forest of spruce and leafless birch trees.

Mission to study solar flares launches from Poker Flat

May 15, 2026
A NASA sounding rocket launched from Poker Flat Research Range at 11:23 a.m. Thursday in a continuing mission that uses X-rays to study the sun...
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Waiting to fail

May 6, 2026
Research about 2025 Alaska landslide and tsunami warns that more are coming
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A wide aerial view shows the landslide scar, descending from a steep mountainside into the fjord near a glacier terminus. Gray rock and debris cut through the center of the mountain, reaching the water below, where floating ice and sediment spread across the fjord.

Study of 2025 Alaska landslide and tsunami contains warnings

May 6, 2026
Scientists studying the massive August 2025 landslide and tsunami in Southeast Alaska warn that the likelihood of similar large-scale events has...
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Three bundled researchers work at a snow-covered permafrost coring site in a boreal forest near Fairbanks under a bright, low winter sun. From left, Louise Farquharson of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and Shannon Hibbard and Jennifer Kielhofer, both of the Desert Research Institute, operate coring equipment beside a dug trench, with shovels, packs and field gear spread across the snow in the Goldstream Creek area on March 23, 2026.
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Reading the permafrost

May 4, 2026
Scientists want to understand how people can adapt to, and plan for, a warming Arctic.
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Three bundled researchers work at a snow-covered permafrost coring site in a boreal forest near Fairbanks under a bright, low winter sun. They are operating coring equipment beside a dug trench, with shovels, packs and field gear spread across the snow in the Goldstream Creek area on April 13, 2026.

Coring for permafrost insights in the Goldstream Valley

May 4, 2026
GOLDSTREAM CREEK, Fairbanks — Drilling for a permafrost core on this late-March day first required creation of a workspace. At this site low in...
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The payload section of the FOXSI-5 mission rests on a wheeled support frame inside the payload assembly building at Poker Flat Research Range. The cylindrical instrument, wrapped partly in gold thermal insulation, is surrounded by equipment crates and technicians preparing it for flight.

Poker Flat to launch rocket to image solar flares

April 30, 2026
The fifth flight of a NASA-led mission using X-rays to learn more about the sun is scheduled for a daytime launch from Poker Flat Research Range...
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A round outdoor thermometer mounted on a snow-covered tree reads about minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit in a quiet, snow-blanketed forest of tall trees. Long blue shadows stretch across the deep snow under a clear sky. The image shows extreme cold conditions at a home in Two Rivers, Alaska.

Alaska climate report: March 2026 saw dangerous weather

April 21, 2026
March brought a series of dangerous and disruptive weather events across Alaska. Severe cold combined with powerful storms to affect communities...
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Cover of the book “Journey Through the Heliosphere." The design features a dark background with a bright, symmetrical, mandala-like illustration in warm colors (orange, red, and yellow) representing the sun and solar system processes.

UAF, NASA create fact-filled coloring book about the sun

April 20, 2026
A new sun-based and science-focused coloring book produced by the University of Alaska Fairbanks in collaboration with NASA is now available. The...
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Audience members sit in reclined theater seats, looking up at a curved dome screen displaying a vivid space scene during a movie screening. The image shows the interior of the new planetarium, where attendees enjoy a pre-opening event March 31, with the immersive image filling the entire ceiling.

Let the show begin! New planetarium at UAF ready to open

April 14, 2026
The stars finally aligned to bring a planetarium to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Now it’s ready for the public. The Walt and Marita Babula...
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A wide view of Columbia Glacier in Alaska shows a broad river of ice flowing between dark, rocky mountains, with snow-covered peaks in the distance and floating ice in the water at the glacier’s front.

Seismic record analysis can reveal a glacier’s past

April 10, 2026
The history of earthquake-like signals created by the crashing of glacial ice into the ocean can reveal how a glacier has changed over time...
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About

Since it was established by an Act of Congress in 1946, scientists at the Geophysical Institute have studied geophysical processes from the center of the Earth to the surface of the sun and beyond, turning data and observations into information useful for state, Arctic and national priorities.

Contact info

The GI is located on the West Ridge of the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

2156 Koyukuk Drive
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775

We acknowledge the Alaska Native nations upon whose ancestral lands our campuses reside. In Fairbanks, our Troth Yeddha' Campus is located on the ancestral lands of the Dena people of the lower Tanana River.

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