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Faculty Member

Dr. Mike Stearns

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Office: 215
Mail Stop: 179
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=p8zQX30AAAAJ&hl=en&authuser=1
Curriculum Vitae: Michael Stearns CV

Biography

I studied geology at Eastern Michigan University and graduated with honors in 2006. My graduate eduction took me to the University of Utah where I earned a M.S. in 2009, followed by a Ph.D. degree from U.C. Santa Barbara in 2014. After my Ph.D. I was a postdoctoral and Assistant Research Professor at the University of Utah. I joined UVU in 2017.

Education

PhD, University of California Santa Barbara, 2014

Major: Earth Science

MS, University of Utah, 2009

Major: Geology

BS, Eastern Michigan University, 2006

Major: Professional Geology

Teaching

GEO 1010

Introduction to Geology PP, Spring 2025

GEO 101H

Introduction to Geology PP, Spring 2025

GEO 4080

Petrology, Spring 2025

GEO 4085

Petrology Laboratory, Spring 2025

GEO 489R

Student Research, Spring 2025

Presentations

Saunders, Emmaline (Presenter & Author), Stearns, Mike (Co-Author), Annual Meeting, "A Plagioclase Framework For the Differentiation of Plutons", Rocky Mountain Section Geological Society of America, Orem. (May, 2025)

Karns, Hayley (Presenter & Author), Bryant, Dylan (Co-Author), Stearns, Mike , Annual Meeting, "DEFORMATION-ENHANCED DIFFUSIVE LOSS OF TITANIUM IN QUARTZ DURING GREENSCHIST-FACIES CRYSTAL-PLASTIC DEFORMATION, WASATCH FAULT ZONE, UTAH", Rocky Mountain Section Geological Society of America, Orem, UT. (May, 2025)

Ward, Ami (Presenter & Author), Stearns, Mike (Co-Author), Coleman, Drew (Co-Author), Rasbury, E. Troy (Co-Author), Wooton, Kathleen (Co-Author), Thomas, Kamron (Co-Author), Annual Meeting, "TITANITE PETROCHRONOLOGY AND BORON-ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE TUOLUMNE INTRUSIVE SUITE, CA_ INSIGHTS INTO PLUTONIC GROWTH AND EVOLUTION", Cordilleran Section of Geological Society of America, Reno, NV. (April, 2025)

Bryant, Dylan (Presenter & Author), Karns, Hayley (Co-Author), Stearns, Mike (Co-Author), Annual Meeting, "Deformation-enhanced diffusive loss of titanium in quartz during greenschist-facies crystal-plastic deformation", American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C.. (December, 2024)

Bunds, Michael (Presenter & Author), Stearns, Mike (Co-Author), Annual Meeting, "Differential Uplift of the Uinta-Cottonwood Arch on the Salt Lake Segment of the Wasatch Fault Zone and Possible Implications for Wasatch Fault Structure", American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C.. (December, 2024)

Saunders, Emmaline (Presenter & Author), Stearns, Michael (Co-Author), Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, "Magmatic Processes in the Alta Stock, Utah_ The Impact of Tectonic Dilation on Granite Differentiation", American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C.. (December, 2024)

Scholarly/Creative Works

Beno, C. J., Stearns, Mike , Bowman, J. R., Bartley, J. M., Fernandez, D. P., Kylander‐Clark, A. R., (2025) "Timing of Dike and Sill Emplacement in the Inner Aureole of the Alta Stock, Utah Determined by Zircon and Monazite Petrochronology" (Issue: 5, vol. 26). Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gc011946

Beno, Carl J., Lackey, Jade Star, Schmitz, Mark D., Bowman, John R., Stearns, Mike , Bartley, John M., Fernandez, Diego P., (2024) "Assessment of Natural Reference Materials for U‐Pb Geochronology of Grossular‐Andradite Garnet" (Issue: 4, vol. 48). Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggr.12561

Morris, A. M., Lambart, S. , Stearns, Mike , Bowman, J. R., Jones, M. T., Mohn, G. , Andrews, G. , Millett, J. , Tegner, C. , Chatterjee, S. , Frieling, J. , Guo, P. , Jolley, D. W., Cunningham, E. H., Berndt, C. , Planke, S. , Alvarez Zarikian, C. A., Betlem, P. , Brinkhuis, H. , Christopoulou, M. , Ferré, E. , Filina, I. Y., Harper, D. T., Longman, J. , Scherer, R. P., Varela, N. , Xu, W. , Yager, S. L., Agarwal, A. , Clementi, V. J., (2024) "Evidence for Low‐Pressure Crustal Anatexis During the Northeast Atlantic Break‐Up" (Issue: 7, vol. 25). Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gc011413

Moser, A. C., Ault, A. K., Stearns, Mike , Evans, J. P., Guenthner, W. R., (2021) "Late Oligocene–Early Miocene Detachment Faulting in Crystalline Basement, Mecca Hills, CA, Documented With Zircon (U–Th)/He Date‐eU‐Visual Radiation Damage Patterns" (Issue: 9, vol. 40). Tectonics. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021tc006809

Bunds, Michael , Stearns, Mike , (2020) "Implications of the March 18, 2020 Magna Mw5. 7 Earthquake for Coulomb Stress Change, Earthquake Hazard, and Listric Structure on the Wasatch Fault, Utah, USA" .

Stearns, Mike , Bartley, John M, Bowman, John R, Forster, Clayton W, Beno, Carl J, Riddle, Daniel D, Callis, Samuel J, Udy, Nicholas D, (2020) "Simultaneous magmatic and hydrothermal regimes in alta--little cottonwood stocks, Utah, USA, Recorded Using Multiphase U-Pb Petrochronology" (Issue: 4, vol. 10). Geosciences.

Petrology, Spring 2018

GEO 489R

Student Research, Spring 2018

GEO 3085

Earth Materials Laboratory, Fall 2017

GEO 3080

Earth Materials WE, Fall 2017

GEO 1010

Introduction to Geology PP, Fall 2017

GEO 1010

Introduction to Geology PP, Fall 2017

GEO 101H

Introduction to Geology PP, Fall 2017

Udy, Nicholas (Presenter & Author), Stearns, Mike (Author Only), Annual Meeting, "Insights into chemical mobility in titanite driven by low-temperature crystal-plastic deformation", , European Geophysical Union, online. (April 28, 2021)

Stearns, Mike (Presenter & Author), Udy, Nicholas (Author Only), Annual Fall Meeting, "Isotope and trace element mobility in titanite during low-T crystal-plastic deformation", , Geological Society of America, virtual. (October, 2020)

Stearns, Mike (Presenter & Author), Invited seminar, "Dating low-temperature ductile deformation with titanite (sphene)", , Utah Valley University, virtual. (October, 2020)

Stearns, Mike (Presenter & Author), Invited seminar, "Dating low-temperature ductile deformation with titanite (sphene)", , Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, virtual. (September, 2020)

Stearns, Mike (Presenter & Author), Invited seminar, "Integrating the records of pluton emplacement and contact metamorphism", , University of Nevada Reno, virtual. (September, 2020)

Stearns, Mike (Presenter & Author), Invited seminar, "Integrating the records of pluton emplacement and contact metamorphism", , Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. (March, 2020)

Bartley, John M, Glazner, Allen F, Stearns, Mike , Coleman, Drew S, (2020) "The granite aqueduct and autometamorphism of plutons" (Issue: 4, vol. 10). Geosciences.

Cottle, John M, Stearns, Mike , (2018) "Application of Single-Shot Laser Ablation Split-Stream Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry to Accessory Phase Petrochronology" . Microstructural Geochronology_ Planetary Records Down to Atom Scale.

Primm, Jonathan W, Johnson, Cari L, Stearns, Mike , (2018) "Basin-axial progradation of a sediment supply driven distributive fluvial system in the Late Cretaceous southern Utah foreland" (Issue: 2, vol. 30). Basin Research.

Schmidt, Jennifer , Hacker, Bradley R, Ratschbacher, Lothar , Stuebner, Konstanze , Stearns, Mike , Kylander-Clark, Andrew , Cottle, John M, Webb, A Alexander G, Array , Gehrels, George , Minaev, Vladislav , (2018) "Cenozoic deep crust in the Pamir (vol 312, pg 411, 2011)" (vol. 493). EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS.

Schmidt, Jennifer , Hacker, Bradley R, Ratschbacher, Lothar , St\"ubner, Konstanze, Array , Stearns, Mike , Kylander-Clark, Andrew , Cottle, John M, Webb, A Alexander G, Array , Gehrels, George , Minaev, Vladislav , (2018) "Erratum to Cenozoic deep crust in the Pamir[Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 312 (2011) 411-421]" (vol. 493). Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Jensen, Collin G, Christiansen, Eric H, Keith, Jeffrey D, Dorais, Michael , Chadburn, Ryan , Martin, Alec J, Kindred, Thane , Martin, Samuel , Jordan, Lars , Stearns, Mike , (2018) "MULTI-STAGE CONSTRUCTION OF THE LITTLE COTTONWOOD STOCK, UTAH_ INTRUSION, VENTING, MINERALIZATION, AND MASS MOVEMENT" .

Kindred, Thane , Keith, Jeffrey , Stearns, Mike , Harris, Ron , Biek, Robert F, Martin, Samuel G, Jordan, Lars , Chadburn, Ryan , Martin, Alec J, Hacker, David B, (2018) "PSEUDOTACHYLYTE--CATACLASITE IN THE DAMAGE ZONE LOCATED NORTH OF BOX ELDER PEAK, WASATCH MOUNTAINS, UTAH, ASSOCIATED WITH THE 57 KM 2 TRAVERSE MOUNTAIN LANDSLIDE" .

Stearns, Mike , (2018) "THE EFFECTS OF MINING ON RURAL COMMUNITIES_ CO-TEACHING SOCIAL AND EARTH SCIENCES TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS AND IMPROVE RETENTION IN MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY COURSES" .

Reat, Ellen , Stearns, Mike , Johnson, Cari , Fernandez, Diego , "Applications and Method Development for Detrital K-feldspar Common-Pb Provenance Analysis" .

Garber, Joshua M, Hacker, Bradley R, Kylander-Clark, Andrew R, Stearns, Mike , E Seward, Gareth G, (2017) "Assessing the Extent of Metamorphic Transformation in a Subducted Continental Slab_ Titanite Petrochronology of the Western Gneiss Region, Norway" .

Hacker, Bradley R, Ratschbacher, Lothar , Rutte, Daniel , Stearns, Mike , Malz, Nicole , St\"ubner, Konstanze, Array , Kylander-Clark, Andrew RC, Pf\"ander, J\"org A, Array , Everson, Alexa , (2017) "Building the Pamir-Tibet Plateau?Crustal stacking, extensional collapse, and lateral extrusion in the Pamir_ 3. Thermobarometry and petrochronology of deep Asian crust" (Issue: 9, vol. 36). Tectonics.

Rutte, Daniel , Ratschbacher, Lothar , Schneider, Susanne , St\"ubner, Konstanze, Array , Stearns, Mike , Gulzar, Muhammad A, Hacker, Bradley R, (2017) "Building the Pamir-Tibetan Plateau?Crustal stacking, extensional collapse, and lateral extrusion in the Central Pamir_ 1. Geometry and kinematics" (Issue: 3, vol. 36). Tectonics.

Reat, Ellen , Johnson, Cari , Stearns, Mike , (2017) "Common minerals and common Pb isotopes_ uncommon applications and new method development for detrital K-feldspar provenance analysis" .

Garber, JM , Hacker, BR , Kylander-Clark, ARC , Stearns, Mike , Seward, G , (2017) "Controls on trace element uptake in metamorphic titanite_ Implications for petrochronology" (Issue: 6, vol. 58). Journal of Petrology.

Stearns, Mike , Jensen, Collin , Keith, Jeffrey D, Christiansen, Eric H, (2017) "FOUR MILLION YEARS FROM INTRUSION TO ERUPTION IN THE WHITE PINE STOCK AND EAST TRAVERSE MOUNTAINS PEBBLE DIKE SWARM, WASATCH MOUNTAINS, UTAH, USA" .

Rea-Downing, Grant , Lippert, Peter C, Stearns, Mike , (2017) "Petrochronology of Granitoids in the Langshan Reveals Carboniferous Plutonism along the Northeast Edge of the Alxa Block (NW China)" (vol. 2017).

Chadburn, Ryan , Stearns, Mike , Christiansen, Eric H, Keith, Jeffrey D, Jensen, Collin , Burr, Spencer , Young, Bret , Pallo, Gage , Jordan, Lars , (2017) "TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS OF A MEGA-SCALE LANDSLIDE ORIGIN FOR THE EAST TRAVERSE MOUNTAINS, UTAH-EVIDENCE FROM MINERALS" .

Stearns, Mike , Callis, Samuel , Beno, Carl , Bowman, John R, Bartley, John M, (2017) "The Wall-Rock Record of Incremental Emplacement in the Little Cottonwood-Alta Magmatic and Hydrothermal System, Wasatch Mountains, Utah, USA" (vol. 2017).

Moser, Amy Catherine, Ault, Alexis K, Evans, James P, Reiners, Peter W, Stearns, Mike , Guenthner, William , (2017) "Using zircon (U-Th)/He damage-diffusivity patterns to quantify detachment-related basement exhumation in the Mecca Hills, CA" (vol. 2017).

Stearns, Mike , Cottle, JM , Hacker, BR , Kylander-Clark, ARC , (2016) "Extracting thermal histories from the near-rim zoning in titanite using coupled U-Pb and trace-element depth profiles by single-shot laser-ablation split stream (SS-LASS) ICP-MS" (vol. 422). Chemical Geology.

Smit, Matthijs , Scherer, Erik , Mezger, Klaus , Lee, Jeffrey , Ratschbacher, Lothar , Kooijman, Ellen , Stearns, Mike , (2016) "Garnet geochronology_ improvements and application in studying India-Asia collision" .

Garzanti, Eduardo , Hu, Xiumian , (2016) "The chronology of the India-Asia collision" .

Garber, Joshua M, Kylander-Clark, Andrew R, Stearns, Mike , Seward, Gareth , Hacker, Bradley R, (2016) "Why Does Some Subducted Continental Crust Escape Deformation and Transformation?" (vol. 2016).

Smit, Matthijs A, Scherer, Erik E, Mezger, Klaus , Lee, Jeffrey , Ratschbacher, Lothar , Kooijman, Ellen , Stearns, Mike , (2015) "Garnet: a key to unraveling Earth's dynamic lithosphere" (vol. 2015).

Stearns, Mike , Hacker, BR , Ratschbacher, L , Rutte, D , Kylander-Clark, ARC , (2015) "Titanite petrochronology of the Pamir gneiss domes_ Implications for middle to deep crust exhumation and titanite closure to Pb and Zr diffusion" (Issue: 4, vol. 34). Tectonics.

Smit, Matthijs A, Ratschbacher, Lothar , Kooijman, Ellen , Stearns, Mike , (2014) "Early evolution of the Pamir deep crust from Lu-Hf and U-Pb geochronology and garnet thermometry" (Issue: 12, vol. 42). Geology.

Stearns, Mike , (2014) "Genesis and Evolution of the Pamir Plateau_ a Petrochronologic View" . University of California, Santa Barbara.

Stearns, Mike , Bartley, John M, (2014) "Multistage emplacement of the McDoogle pluton, an early phase of the John Muir intrusive suite, Sierra Nevada, California, by magmatic crack-seal growth" (Issue: 11-12, vol. 126). Bulletin.

Rutte, Daniel , Ratschbacher, Lothar , Schneider, Susanne , Stearns, Mike , (2014) "Shortening and syn-contractional extension_ the burial and exhumation history of the Cenozoic Central Pamir Gneiss domes, Tajikistan" .

Kylander-Clark, Andrew R, Stearns, Mike , Viete, Daniel R, Cottle, John M, Hacker, Bradley R, (2014) "Single-Shot Laser Ablation Split-Stream (SS-LASS) Analysis Depth Profiling" (vol. 2014).

Spencer, KJ , Hacker, BR , Kylander-Clark, ARC , Andersen, TB , Cottle, JM , Stearns, Mike , Poletti, JE , Seward, GGE , (2013) "Campaign-style titanite U--Pb dating by laser-ablation ICP_ Implications for crustal flow, phase transformations and titanite closure" (vol. 341). Chemical Geology.

Stearns, Mike , (2013) "FLUORINE-AIDED RE-EQUILIBRATION OF U-PB AND ZR IN TITANITE" .

Stearns, Mike , Hacker, Bradley R, Ratschbacher, Lothar , Lee, Jeffrey , Cottle, John M, Kylander-Clark, Andrew , (2013) "Synchronous Oligocene--Miocene metamorphism of the Pamir and the north Himalaya driven by plate-scale dynamics" (Issue: 10, vol. 41). Geology.

Rutte, Daniel , Stearns, Mike , Ratschbacher, Lothar , (2013) "The eastern Central Pamir Gneiss Domes_ temporal and spatial geometry of burial and exhumation" .

St\"ubner, Konstanze, Array , Ratschbacher, Lothar , Weise, Carsten , Chow, Judy , Hofmann, Jakob , Khan, Jahanzeb , Rutte, Daniel , Sperner, Blanka , Pf\"ander, J\"org A, Array , Hacker, Bradley R, others, Array , (2013) "The giant Shakhdara migmatitic gneiss dome, Pamir, India-Asia collision zone_ 2. Timing of dome formation" (Issue: 5, vol. 32). Tectonics.

Stearns, Mike , Hacker, BR , Ratschbacher, L , Rutte, D , Kylander-Clark, AR , (2013) "Two modes of orogenic collapse of the Pamir plateau recorded by titanite" (vol. 2013).

HEINER, KayeLinda , (2012) "BULK MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AS A PROXY FOR COMPOSITIONAL VARIATION IN PLUTONIC ROCKS_ MAGMA MIXING CAN BE A PROBLEM" (Issue: 7, vol. 44).

Stearns, Mike , Hacker, BR , Ratschbacher, L , Kylander-Clark, AR , Minaev, V , (2012) "Early Miocene extension within the Pamir plateau_ constructing Temperature-time-Deformation paths with U-Pb titanite geochronology" (vol. 2012).

Schmidt, Jennifer , Hacker, Bradley R, Ratschbacher, Lothar , St\"ubner, Konstanze, Array , Stearns, Mike , Kylander-Clark, Andrew , Cottle, John M, Alexander, A , Webb, G , Gehrels, George , others, Array , (2011) "Cenozoic deep crust in the Pamir" (Issue: 3-4, vol. 312). Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Hacker, Bradley R, Kylander-Clark, Andrew , Lee, Jeffrey , Cottle, John , Stearns, Mike , (2011) "Laser-Ablation Split-Stream Petrochronology of Kangmar and Mabja North Himalayan Gneiss Domes" (Issue: 1, vol. 44). Journal of Himalayan Earth Sceinces.

Davis, Jesse W, Coleman, Drew S, Gracely, John T, Gaschnig, Richard , Stearns, Mike , (2011) "Magma accumulation rates and thermal histories of plutons of the Sierra Nevada batholith, CA" . Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology.

Stearns, Mike , Hacker, BR , Kylander-Clark, AR , Ratschbacher, L , Seward, G , (2011) "Thickening and propagation of the Pamir plateau_ insights from monazite and titanite geochronology and trace-element geochemistry, eastern Tajikistan" (vol. 2011).

Stearns, Mike , Hacker, BR , Kylander-Clark, ARC , (2011) "Titanite geochronology from the mid to lower crust of the Pamir plateau, eastern Tajikistan" (Issue: 1, vol. 44). Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences.

Hacker, BR , Ratschbacher, L , Stearns, Mike , McGraw, J , St\"ubner, K, Array , Kylander-Clark, AR , Pfander, J , Weise, C , Minaev, V , Gadoev, M , others, Array , (2011) "Widespread, Miocene, Large-Magnitude Exhumation of the Pamir Deep Crust Driven by the India-Asia Collision" (vol. 2011).

Stearns, Mike , (2009) "Anatomy and Assembly of the McDoogle Pluton Near Sawmill Lake, Central Sierra Nevada, California" . Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah.

Stearns, Mike , (2009) "COALESCENCE OF SLIPPED JOINTS IN GRANITIC PLUTONS TO FORM THE WEST PINNACLE FAULT, SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA" .

Stearns, Mike , (2008) "ASSEMBLY OF THE INCREMENTALLY EMPLACED MCDOOGLE PLUTON, CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA, CA" (Issue: 1, vol. 40).

Stearns, Mike , Bartley, JM , (2008) "Petrologic controls of bulk magnetic susceptibility in the McDoogle pluton, Sierra Nevada, California" (vol. 2008).

Stearns, Mike , (2008) "Rapid Emplacement of the Mcdoogle Pluton into the Sawmill Lake Shear Zone, Sierra Nevada, California" .