Question 1

Which countries lead Geophysics research?

Accepted Answer

On research quality in 2022-now, China, the United States and France rank highest in Geophysics. By volume, China and the United States publish the most (21k and 16k works in 2022-now).

Question 2

Which institutions lead Geophysics research?

Accepted Answer

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) ranks first in Geophysics on research quality in 2022-now, followed by ETH Zurich and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

Question 3

Who are the leading researchers in Geophysics?

Accepted Answer

Counting only their work in Geophysics, Fu‐Yuan Wu, Simon A. Wilde and Guochun Zhao have the most papers in the world top 10% for their subfield and year beyond the 10% expected.

Question 4

Where is Geophysics research done?

Accepted Answer

The largest centres of Geophysics research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Moscow (Russia), Berkeley (United States) and West Lafayette (United States). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Brentwood, Emeryville and Paratunka.

Question 5

Where is the best place to study Geophysics?

Accepted Answer

Among universities, judged by research, ETH Zurich, California Institute of Technology and Stanford University score highest, combining standing in the field's ranking, excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

Question 6

Is Geophysics research growing?

Accepted Answer

Output in 2022-2025 was 6% lower than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2022. The fastest-growing topics are Earthquake Detection and Analysis, Seismic Waves and Analysis and Seismic Imaging and Inversion Techniques.

Question 7

What are the most cited papers in Geophysics?

Accepted Answer

The most cited paper in Geophysics is "From ultrasoft pseudopotentials to the projector augmented-wave method" (Georg Kresse, Daniel P. Joubert, 1999), with 85,965 citations. Next come "Ab initio molecular dynamics for liquid metals" (45,996) and "Chemical and isotopic systematics of oceanic basalts: implications for mantle composition and processes" (25,720).