Chronology of the School
| 1891 | Stanford University's first President, David Starr Jordan, hires John Casper Branner as Stanford's first professor and Chairman of the Department of Geology. |
| 1898 | Lou Henry (later to become Mrs. Herbert Hoover), the first female geology major, graduates in the Department of Geology and Mining. |
| 1899 | The Department of Geology and Mining Engineering is renamed "Geology and Mining" and includes metallurgy and mining. |
| 1902 | Summer field geology is added to the curriculum. |
| 1903 | The first summer geology field trip is led by John Casper Branner to the Santa Cruz Mountains. |
| 1904 | The construction of Geology Corner is completed. |
| 1913 | John Casper Branner becomes President of Stanford University. |
| 1914 | The first courses in petroleum technology are established. |
| 1916 | Bailey Willis is appointed department chairman. |
| 1922 | Eliot Blackwelder is appointed department chairman. |
| 1925 | The Department of Mining and Metallurgy separates from the Department of Geology and Mining to become part of the Department of Engineering. |
| 1936 | Myra Keen becomes curator of the malacology collection. |
| 1946 | The Associates (now known as the Associates of the School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University - ASESSU) is formed. |
| 1947 | The Department of Geology and the Department of Mining Engineering unite to form the School of Mineral Sciences under the deanship of Arville I. Levorsen. Degrees are offered in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, mining, metallurgy, and petroleum engineering. |
| 1950 | Charles F. Park is appointed dean of the school. |
| 1953 | The Petroleum Investments Committee is established. |
| 1954 | Myra Keen becomes the school's first female faculty member. |
| 1955 | A visiting committee is organized, which later becomes the School of Earth Sciences (and the university's first) Advisory Board. |
| 1957 | The school is reorganized into five departments: Metallurgy (Cutler Shepard, chair), Geology (Benjamin M. Page, chair), Mineral Engineering (Fred L. Humphrey, chair), Petroleum Engineering (Frank G. Miller, chair), and Geophysics (Joshua L. Soske, chair). |
| 1960 | Physical Metallurgy separates from the School to become the Department of Materials Sciences in the School of Engineering. |
| 1962 | The school's name is changed to the School of Earth Sciences. |
| 1964 | Women are admitted to field geology courses |
| 1965 | Richard Jahns is appointed dean. |
| 1970 | The Ruth Wattis Mitchell Earth Sciences Building is dedicated on November 19. |
| 1979 | Allan V. Cox is appointed dean. |
| 1987 | George A. Thompson is appointed dean. |
| 1989 | Geology Corner is closed following the Loma Prieta earthquake. W. Gary Ernst is appointed dean. |
| 1992 | The Earth Systems Program is established. |
| 1993 | The school is reorganized into three departments: Geological & Environmental Sciences (David Pollard, chair), Geophysics (Mark Zoback, chair), and Petroleum Engineering (Franklin M. Orr, Jr., chair). The Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Earth Sciences Research Building is dedicated on October 21. |
| 1994 | The number of Industrial Affiliates Programs reaches 17. |
| 1995 | Franklin M. Orr, Jr. is appointed dean. |
| 1996 | Geology Corner reopens as Braun Hall. |
| 1997 | The school celebrates the 50th anniversary of the formation of the School of Mineral Sciences. |
| 1999 | A bequest from Dewilda Harris, named for her father, Chester Naramore (AB '03, Geology & Mining), endows the school's deanship. |
| 2002 | Pamela Matson is appointed dean. |
Also see "Earth Sciences: The First 106 Years", an illustrated timeline by Janet Basu of the Stanford Report.