B.S., Engineering and Geology, Cornell University, 1978
M.S., Economic Geology, Stanford University, 1982
Ph.D., Geology, Stanford University, 1987

Research
My interests lie in the general fields of structural geology and tectonics and are focused on deformational and thermal processes within the continental lithosphere. My research is mainly in the field of Extensional Tectonics and is focused on exactly how continents rift and the relationship between extension and magmatism. I make most of my observations and draw much of my scientific inspiration from field-based investigations. My research projects generally involve detailed geologic mapping of critical areas followed by appropriate laboratory measurements (e.g., radiometric dating, geochemical analyses) and numerical modeling in order to better understand the structural and/or thermal process under study. Recent work has focused on the Cenozoic evolution of the Basin and Range province of the western U.S. and on the origin of Cretaceous gneiss domes in Arctic Alaska and northeast Russia. Current and future studies will expanded on these themes and will focus on the evolution of the Mexican Basin and Range province and the structural evolution of gneiss domes on the Tibetan plateau.

 
Phil Gans with his rock hammer