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The researchers found that several crosscutting bands of light terrain in the Nippur/Philus Sulci site show varying degrees of tectonic deformation, and the chronology of tectonic activity implied by mapped crosscutting relationships revealed three eras of distinct geologic activity: ancient, intermediate and youngest.

In a second publication, Burkhard and her co-authors investigated the geologic history of Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, in the area of Nippur/Philus Sulci by examining high-resolution data available for this region and conducting a tidal stress investigation of Ganymede's past.

Dr. Civil participated in excavations at the ancient city of Nippur and assembled texts that resembled literary jigsaw puzzles, piecing together hundreds of clay fragments stored at institutions around the world.

A “spreadsheet” from 1,400BC Nippur, for example, lists 3,000 cattle coming from other sites to be used for a plowing project, while a medical text describes recipes for poultices.

In 1889, the university sponsored an expedition to Nippur – the first American-led excavation in Mesopotamia – and it later went on to explore some 40 sites in what is now Iraq and Iran.