The Department investigates geochemical and microbial processes in the Earth System. The goal is to identify and quantify the interaction between inorganic, organic and biogeochemical material cycles over geological time scales and from depth to the surface. A focus is placed on generation, transport and transformation processes of matter as well as the formation of geo-resources. The chemical and microbiological processes and the properties of the involved geomaterials, addressed by our research, are highly complex in their heterogeneity and depend on many physical and chemical factors. As part of our research, we look at mineral and hydrocarbon resources in the context of geodynamic and paleoclimatic processes, as well as the interactions between the geo-, hydro-, atmo- and biosphere.