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
Timing, distribution, amount, and style of Cenozoic extension in the northern Great Basin
The regional structural setting of the 2008 Wells earthquake and Town Creek Flat Basin: implications for the Wells earthquake fault and adjacent structures
Oligocene and Miocene arc volcanism in northeastern California: evidence for post-Eocene segmentation of the subducting Farallon plate
Hydrothermal alteration of the Late Eocene Caetano ash-flow caldera, north-central Nevada: A field and ASTER remote sensing study
Rapid middle Miocene extension and unroofing of the southern Ruby Mountains, Nevada
Provenance and palaeogeographic implications of Eocene-Oligocene sedimentary rocks in the northwestern Basin and Range
Rapid middle Miocene collapse of the Mesozoic orogenic plateau in north-central Nevada
Magmatic and tectonic evolution of the Caetano caldera, north-central Nevada: A tilted, mid-Tertiary eruptive center and source of the Caetano Tuff
Large-magnitude Miocene extension of the Eocene Caetano caldera, Shoshone and Toiyabe Ranges, Nevada
Miocene extension in the East Range, Nevada: A two-stage history of normal faulting in the northern basin and range
Two-phase Neogene extension in the northwestern basin and range recorded in a single thermochronology sample
Tectonic and magmatic evolution of the northwestern Basin and Range and its transition to unextended volcanic plateaus: Black Rock Range, Nevada
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Timing, distribution, amount, and style of Cenozoic extension in the northern Great Basin
The regional structural setting of the 2008 Wells earthquake and Town Creek Flat Basin: implications for the Wells earthquake fault and adjacent structures
Oligocene and Miocene arc volcanism in northeastern California: evidence for post-Eocene segmentation of the subducting Farallon plate
Hydrothermal alteration of the Late Eocene Caetano ash-flow caldera, north-central Nevada: A field and ASTER remote sensing study
Rapid middle Miocene extension and unroofing of the southern Ruby Mountains, Nevada
Provenance and palaeogeographic implications of Eocene-Oligocene sedimentary rocks in the northwestern Basin and Range
Rapid middle Miocene collapse of the Mesozoic orogenic plateau in north-central Nevada
Magmatic and tectonic evolution of the Caetano caldera, north-central Nevada: A tilted, mid-Tertiary eruptive center and source of the Caetano Tuff
Large-magnitude Miocene extension of the Eocene Caetano caldera, Shoshone and Toiyabe Ranges, Nevada
Miocene extension in the East Range, Nevada: A two-stage history of normal faulting in the northern basin and range
Two-phase Neogene extension in the northwestern basin and range recorded in a single thermochronology sample
Tectonic and magmatic evolution of the northwestern Basin and Range and its transition to unextended volcanic plateaus: Black Rock Range, Nevada
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.