One area of research for the Department of Earth Sciences is marine geology. Marine geologists go to sea to study active processes of sedimentation on the ocean floor, to study the architecture and development of sedimentary basins, and to investigate past climates. Bathymetric and seismic tools are used for imaging the seafloor and its subsurface while corers and drills are used to sample the seabed directly to recover samples for lithological, paleontological and stratigraphic interpretation. Some faculty are engaged in research in the offshore of Newfoundland and Labrador, in marine and petroleum geology, and in exploration geophysics as it pertains to oil and gas resources.  

The Centre for Earth Resources Research (CERR) is a unit of the Department of Earth Sciences wth a mandate to collaborate with industry and government on research matters related to earth resources. CERR uses the department's capabilities to develop consortia with industrial partners to bid on larger, more complex contracts and to pursue basic research problems having both academic and industrial interest. CERR also makes its facilities available to the private sector and transfers its technical knowledge to companies through professional development and training courses.

The MUNAPS consortia under CERR undertakes a broad range of applied seismology projects, both onshore and marine. The MUNAPS group has access to the newly-refitted CSS Louis M. Lauzier research vessel which is on long term lease to Memorial University and is outfitted for a range of marine research activities, including multichannel seismic acquisition.