Terri Cook

Terri Cook is an award-winning freelance writer whose career has focused on exploring and explaining the 4.5-billion-year-history of the remarkable planet we live on. Cook, who has an M.S. degree in Earth science from the University of California, Santa Cruz, writes about geology, ecology, and the environment—as well as wine, tea, hiking, and biking—for a diverse group of publications, including Eos, Scientific American, NOVA Next, Science News, and EARTH magazine, as well as Avalon Travel and numerous other travel-related publications. Her reporting has taken her to 25 states and 20 countries scattered across 5 continents, from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the sandy Australian Outback to the mist-shrouded summit of Bali’s Mount Batur. As the coauthor of three popular guidebooks, including Hiking the Grand Canyon’s Geology and Geology Underfoot Along Colorado’s Front Range, Cook gives frequent presentations about geology and science communication. She is the recipient of a 2016 European Geosciences Union Science Journalism Fellowship and is based in beautiful Boulder, Colo.

Research Spotlights

Alaska's Semidi Segment Could Unleash a Devastating Tsunami

by Terri Cook 19 February 201619 February 2016

Study reveals structures along the Alaskan convergent margin capable of generating a powerful tsunami directed toward the United States's West Coast.

Research Spotlights

Objects That Slam into Ceres Remain on Its Surface

by Terri Cook 19 February 201628 January 2022

Hypervelocity impact experiments shed new light on the composition and evolution of the largest dwarf planet's little-known surface.

Research Spotlights

Satellites Reveal Dynamics of Suspended Mineral Particles

by Terri Cook 18 February 201618 February 2016

A case study of the Irish Sea evaluates the use of ocean color data to measure the optical properties of sedimentary particles in offshore waters.

Research Spotlights

Improved Models of Wind Flow over Mountains

by Terri Cook 15 February 20167 October 2021

A new approach for representing areas of low-lying mountains improves the simulation of atmospheric flow over gentle topography without increasing computational requirements.

Research Spotlights

Methyl Chloride Can Track Tropical Air in the Lower Stratosphere

by Terri Cook 3 February 20163 February 2016

A new study shows that trace gas samples collected aboard commercial airliners can be used to determine the origin and dynamics of atmospheric air masses.

Research Spotlights

New Model Improves Predictions of Shallow Landslides

by Terri Cook 2 February 20163 December 2021

An advanced, process-based model that incorporates typically neglected processes provides new insight into the complex dynamics controlling shallow landslide formation.