Joseph Colgan
I study magmatism and deformation of the earth’s crust, and how these processes influence the formation and distribution of natural resources and geologic hazards. This work involves geologic mapping at different scales, interpretation of subsurface and geophysical data, and laboratory analyses to determine the age and composition of rocks and minerals.
Professional Experience
2014 - present Research Geologist, USGS, Denver CO
2009 - 2014 Research Geologist, USGS, Menlo Park CA
2006 - 2009 Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, USGS, Menlo Park CA
1999 - 2005 Teaching and Research Assistant, Stanford University, Stanford CA
1998 - 1999 Earth Science Intern, USGS, Menlo Park CA
Education and Certifications
2005 Ph.D., Geological & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford CA
1998 B.A., Geology, Carleton College, Northfield MN
Honors and Awards
2012 - Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE)
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
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Fault geometry and cumulative offsets in the central Coast Ranges, California: Evidence for northward increasing slip along the San Gregorio-San Simeon-Hosgri fault Fault geometry and cumulative offsets in the central Coast Ranges, California: Evidence for northward increasing slip along the San Gregorio-San Simeon-Hosgri fault
Estimates of the dip, depth extent, and amount of cumulative displacement along the major faults in the central California Coast Ranges are controversial. We use detailed aeromagnetic data to estimate these parameters for the San Gregorio–San Simeon–Hosgri and other faults. The recently acquired aeromagnetic data provide an areally consistent data set that crosses the onshore-offshore...
Authors
V.E. Langenheim, R.C. Jachens, R. W. Graymer, J.P. Colgan, C. M. Wentworth, R. G. Stanley
Timing, distribution, amount, and style of Cenozoic extension in the northern Great Basin Timing, distribution, amount, and style of Cenozoic extension in the northern Great Basin
This field trip examines contrasting lines of evidence bearing on the timing and structural style of Cenozoic (and perhaps late Mesozoic) extensional deformation in northeastern Nevada. Studies of metamorphic core complexes in this region report extension beginning in the early Cenozoic or even Late Cretaceous, peaking in the Eocene and Oligocene, and being largely over before the onset...
Authors
Christopher D. Henry, Allen J. McGrew, Joseph P. Colgan, Arthur W. Snoke, Matthew E. Brueseke
The regional structural setting of the 2008 Wells earthquake and Town Creek Flat Basin: implications for the Wells earthquake fault and adjacent structures The regional structural setting of the 2008 Wells earthquake and Town Creek Flat Basin: implications for the Wells earthquake fault and adjacent structures
The 2008 Wells earthquake occurred on a northeast-striking, southeast-dipping fault that is clearly delineated by the aftershock swarm to a depth of 10-12 km below sea level. However, Cenozoic rocks and structures around Wells primarily record east-west extension along north- to north-northeast-striking, west-dipping normal faults that formed during the middle Miocene. These faults are...
Authors
Christopher S. Henry, Joseph P. Colgan
Oligocene and Miocene arc volcanism in northeastern California: evidence for post-Eocene segmentation of the subducting Farallon plate Oligocene and Miocene arc volcanism in northeastern California: evidence for post-Eocene segmentation of the subducting Farallon plate
The Warner Range in northeastern California exposes a section of Tertiary rocks over 3 km thick, offering a unique opportunity to study the long-term history of Cascade arc volcanism in an area otherwise covered by younger volcanic rocks. The oldest locally sourced volcanic rocks in the Warner Range are Oligocene (28–24 Ma) and include a sequence of basalt and basaltic andesite lava...
Authors
J.P. Colgan, A.E. Egger, D. A. John, B. Cousens, R.J. Fleck, C.D. Henry
Hydrothermal alteration of the Late Eocene Caetano ash-flow caldera, north-central Nevada: A field and ASTER remote sensing study Hydrothermal alteration of the Late Eocene Caetano ash-flow caldera, north-central Nevada: A field and ASTER remote sensing study
Geologic mapping and analysis of ASTER remote sensing data were used to define the effects of a large hydrothermal system in the 12–18 by 22 km Caetano caldera. The caldera formed at ~33.8Ma during eruption of >1100km3 of the rhyolitic Caetano Tuff that left a 1 km deep basin which was partly filled by a lake. Magma resurgence resulted in shallow(
Authors
David A. John, Barnaby W. Rockwell, Christopher D. Henry, Joseph P. Colgan
Rapid middle Miocene extension and unroofing of the southern Ruby Mountains, Nevada Rapid middle Miocene extension and unroofing of the southern Ruby Mountains, Nevada
Paleozoic rocks in the northern Ruby Mountains were metamorphosed during Mesozoic crustal shortening and Cenozoic magmatism, but equivalent strata in the southern Ruby Mountains were never buried deeper than stratigraphic depths prior to exhumation in the footwall of a west dipping brittle normal fault. In the southern Ruby Mountains, Miocene sedimentary rocks in the hanging wall of this...
Authors
Joseph P. Colgan, Keith A. Howard, Robert J. Fleck, Joseph L. Wooden
Non-USGS Publications**
Henry, C.D., Bell, J.W., John, D.A., and Colgan, J.P., 2013, Preliminary geologic map of the West Gate quadrangle, Churchill County, Nevada: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Open-File Report 13-9, scale 1:24,000.
Henry, C.D., Hinz, N.H., Faulds, J.E., Colgan, J.P., John, D.A., Brooks, E.R., Cassel, E.J., Garside, L.J., Davis, D.A., and Castor, S.B., 2012, Eocene–Early Miocene paleotopography of the Sierra Nevada–Great Basin–Nevadaplano based on widespread ash-flow tuffs and paleovalleys: Geosphere, v. 8, p. 1–27, doi:10.1130/GES00727.1.
Colgan, J.P., Wyld, S.J., and Wright, J., 2010, Geologic map of the Vicksburg Canyon 7.5’ quadrangle, Humboldt County, Nevada: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Map M169, scale 1:24,000.
Lerch, D.W., Klemperer, S.L., Egger, A.E., Colgan, J.P., and Miller, E.L., 2009, The northwestern margin of the Basin and Range Province, part 1: Reflection profiling of the moderate-angle (35°) Surprise Valley Fault: Tectonophysics, v. 488(1–4), p. 143–149, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2009.05.028.
Mattinson, C.G., Colgan, J.P., Metcalf, J.R., Miller E.L., and Wooden, J.L., 2007, Late Cretaceous to Paleocene metamorphism and magmatism in the Funeral Mountains metamorphic core complex, Death Valley, California, in Cloos, M., Carlson, W.D., Gilbert, M.C., Liou, J.G., and Sorensen, S.S., eds., Convergent Margin Terranes and Associated Regions: A Tribute to W.G. Ernst: Geological Society of America Special Paper 419, p. 205–223, doi:10.1130/2006.2419(11).
Lerch, D.W., Klemperer, S.L., Glen, J.M.G., Ponce, D.A., Miller, E.L., and Colgan, J.P., 2007, Crustal structure of the northwestern Basin and Range Province and its transition to unextended volcanic plateaus: Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Geosystems, v. 8, doi:10.1029/2006GC001429.
Colgan, J.P., Dumitru, T.A., Reiners, P.W., Wooden, J.L., and Miller, E.L., 2006, Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Basin and Range Province in northwestern Nevada: American Journal of Science, v. 306(8), p. 616–654.
Colgan, J.P., Dumitru, T.A., McWilliams, M.O., and Miller, E.L., 2006, Timing of Cenozoic volcanism and Basin and Range extension in northwestern Nevada: new constraints from the northern Pine Forest Range: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 118(1-2), p. 126–139, doi:10.1130/B25681.1.
Colgan, J.P., Dumitru, T.A., and Miller, E.L., 2004, Diachroneity of Basin and Range faulting and Yellowstone hotpsot volcanism in northwestern Nevada: Geology, v. 32(2), p. 121–124, doi:10.1130/G20037.1.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 41
Fault geometry and cumulative offsets in the central Coast Ranges, California: Evidence for northward increasing slip along the San Gregorio-San Simeon-Hosgri fault Fault geometry and cumulative offsets in the central Coast Ranges, California: Evidence for northward increasing slip along the San Gregorio-San Simeon-Hosgri fault
Estimates of the dip, depth extent, and amount of cumulative displacement along the major faults in the central California Coast Ranges are controversial. We use detailed aeromagnetic data to estimate these parameters for the San Gregorio–San Simeon–Hosgri and other faults. The recently acquired aeromagnetic data provide an areally consistent data set that crosses the onshore-offshore...
Authors
V.E. Langenheim, R.C. Jachens, R. W. Graymer, J.P. Colgan, C. M. Wentworth, R. G. Stanley
Timing, distribution, amount, and style of Cenozoic extension in the northern Great Basin Timing, distribution, amount, and style of Cenozoic extension in the northern Great Basin
This field trip examines contrasting lines of evidence bearing on the timing and structural style of Cenozoic (and perhaps late Mesozoic) extensional deformation in northeastern Nevada. Studies of metamorphic core complexes in this region report extension beginning in the early Cenozoic or even Late Cretaceous, peaking in the Eocene and Oligocene, and being largely over before the onset...
Authors
Christopher D. Henry, Allen J. McGrew, Joseph P. Colgan, Arthur W. Snoke, Matthew E. Brueseke
The regional structural setting of the 2008 Wells earthquake and Town Creek Flat Basin: implications for the Wells earthquake fault and adjacent structures The regional structural setting of the 2008 Wells earthquake and Town Creek Flat Basin: implications for the Wells earthquake fault and adjacent structures
The 2008 Wells earthquake occurred on a northeast-striking, southeast-dipping fault that is clearly delineated by the aftershock swarm to a depth of 10-12 km below sea level. However, Cenozoic rocks and structures around Wells primarily record east-west extension along north- to north-northeast-striking, west-dipping normal faults that formed during the middle Miocene. These faults are...
Authors
Christopher S. Henry, Joseph P. Colgan
Oligocene and Miocene arc volcanism in northeastern California: evidence for post-Eocene segmentation of the subducting Farallon plate Oligocene and Miocene arc volcanism in northeastern California: evidence for post-Eocene segmentation of the subducting Farallon plate
The Warner Range in northeastern California exposes a section of Tertiary rocks over 3 km thick, offering a unique opportunity to study the long-term history of Cascade arc volcanism in an area otherwise covered by younger volcanic rocks. The oldest locally sourced volcanic rocks in the Warner Range are Oligocene (28–24 Ma) and include a sequence of basalt and basaltic andesite lava...
Authors
J.P. Colgan, A.E. Egger, D. A. John, B. Cousens, R.J. Fleck, C.D. Henry
Hydrothermal alteration of the Late Eocene Caetano ash-flow caldera, north-central Nevada: A field and ASTER remote sensing study Hydrothermal alteration of the Late Eocene Caetano ash-flow caldera, north-central Nevada: A field and ASTER remote sensing study
Geologic mapping and analysis of ASTER remote sensing data were used to define the effects of a large hydrothermal system in the 12–18 by 22 km Caetano caldera. The caldera formed at ~33.8Ma during eruption of >1100km3 of the rhyolitic Caetano Tuff that left a 1 km deep basin which was partly filled by a lake. Magma resurgence resulted in shallow(
Authors
David A. John, Barnaby W. Rockwell, Christopher D. Henry, Joseph P. Colgan
Rapid middle Miocene extension and unroofing of the southern Ruby Mountains, Nevada Rapid middle Miocene extension and unroofing of the southern Ruby Mountains, Nevada
Paleozoic rocks in the northern Ruby Mountains were metamorphosed during Mesozoic crustal shortening and Cenozoic magmatism, but equivalent strata in the southern Ruby Mountains were never buried deeper than stratigraphic depths prior to exhumation in the footwall of a west dipping brittle normal fault. In the southern Ruby Mountains, Miocene sedimentary rocks in the hanging wall of this...
Authors
Joseph P. Colgan, Keith A. Howard, Robert J. Fleck, Joseph L. Wooden
Non-USGS Publications**
Henry, C.D., Bell, J.W., John, D.A., and Colgan, J.P., 2013, Preliminary geologic map of the West Gate quadrangle, Churchill County, Nevada: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Open-File Report 13-9, scale 1:24,000.
Henry, C.D., Hinz, N.H., Faulds, J.E., Colgan, J.P., John, D.A., Brooks, E.R., Cassel, E.J., Garside, L.J., Davis, D.A., and Castor, S.B., 2012, Eocene–Early Miocene paleotopography of the Sierra Nevada–Great Basin–Nevadaplano based on widespread ash-flow tuffs and paleovalleys: Geosphere, v. 8, p. 1–27, doi:10.1130/GES00727.1.
Colgan, J.P., Wyld, S.J., and Wright, J., 2010, Geologic map of the Vicksburg Canyon 7.5’ quadrangle, Humboldt County, Nevada: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Map M169, scale 1:24,000.
Lerch, D.W., Klemperer, S.L., Egger, A.E., Colgan, J.P., and Miller, E.L., 2009, The northwestern margin of the Basin and Range Province, part 1: Reflection profiling of the moderate-angle (35°) Surprise Valley Fault: Tectonophysics, v. 488(1–4), p. 143–149, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2009.05.028.
Mattinson, C.G., Colgan, J.P., Metcalf, J.R., Miller E.L., and Wooden, J.L., 2007, Late Cretaceous to Paleocene metamorphism and magmatism in the Funeral Mountains metamorphic core complex, Death Valley, California, in Cloos, M., Carlson, W.D., Gilbert, M.C., Liou, J.G., and Sorensen, S.S., eds., Convergent Margin Terranes and Associated Regions: A Tribute to W.G. Ernst: Geological Society of America Special Paper 419, p. 205–223, doi:10.1130/2006.2419(11).
Lerch, D.W., Klemperer, S.L., Glen, J.M.G., Ponce, D.A., Miller, E.L., and Colgan, J.P., 2007, Crustal structure of the northwestern Basin and Range Province and its transition to unextended volcanic plateaus: Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Geosystems, v. 8, doi:10.1029/2006GC001429.
Colgan, J.P., Dumitru, T.A., Reiners, P.W., Wooden, J.L., and Miller, E.L., 2006, Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Basin and Range Province in northwestern Nevada: American Journal of Science, v. 306(8), p. 616–654.
Colgan, J.P., Dumitru, T.A., McWilliams, M.O., and Miller, E.L., 2006, Timing of Cenozoic volcanism and Basin and Range extension in northwestern Nevada: new constraints from the northern Pine Forest Range: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 118(1-2), p. 126–139, doi:10.1130/B25681.1.
Colgan, J.P., Dumitru, T.A., and Miller, E.L., 2004, Diachroneity of Basin and Range faulting and Yellowstone hotpsot volcanism in northwestern Nevada: Geology, v. 32(2), p. 121–124, doi:10.1130/G20037.1.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.