Professional Background

Dr. Metcalf received his B.S. in Geology from the University of Kentucky in 1979.  In the early 1980's he worked on a variety of mineral exploration projects in the eastern U.S. and Mexico.  In 1984 he completed a M.S. degree in Geology at the University of Kentucky.  His M.S. thesis, supervised by Dr. William H. Blackburn, dealt with U and Th geochemistry in a granite of Grenville-age in the Virginia Blue Ridge.  In 1990 he completed a Ph.D at the University of New Mexico under the supervision of Dr. Jeffrey. A. Grambling.  His Ph.D. dissertation research dealt with the origin and evolution of Proterozoic migmatites and related plutonic rocks in the central Santa Fe Range, northern New Mexico.  Dr. Metcalf joined the faculty at UNLV in the fall of 1990. He served as Department Chair from 2001-2004 and currently serves as Associate Dean for Planning and Facilities in the College of Sciences.  He has been active in professional service in various capacities, including two three-year terms as associate editor for the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, as a member of the GSA Grants Committeee and as General Co-Chair of the upcoming 2008 Joint Cordilleran and Rocky Mountain GSA Section meeting.

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Teaching

Undergraduate:
• GEOL 120: Natural Disasters
• GEOL 348: Field Geology I
• GEOL 370: Field Geology II
• GEOL 371: Field Geology III
• GEOL 427: Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology

Graduate:
• GEOL 701: Research Methods
• GEOL 708: Isotope Geochemistry
• GEOL 720: Geochemical Thermodynamics & Kinetics
• GEOL 725: Seminar in Petrology-Granitoid Petrology
• GEOL 725: Seminar in Petrology-Convergent Margins
• GEOL 727: Metamorphic Petrology

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Research

Broadly, my research interests center on the origin and evolution of the earth’s crust. My research tools are drawn primairly from igneous petrology, metamorphic petrology, mineral chemistry, trace element and isotope geochemistry and geochronology.  Much of my research in recent years has focused on the petrotectonic evolution of the Klamath Mountains province, California and Oregon.  This work seeks to understand the generation and modification of juvenile crust in a long-lived supa-subduction environment. Another avenue recent research has dealt with volcanic-plutonic connections in continental settings.  This work has focused on the volcanic-plutonic complexes in the Northern Colorado River Extensional Corridor south of Las Vegas. 
              
I am curently developing research plans and funding proposals for three projects: (1) exhumation history of a large coherent sheet of high pressure oceanic crust at a pacific-type subduction margin (Klamath Province), (2) tracking the long-term (>300 million years) chemical evolution of sub-arc asthenosphere (Klamath Province) and (3) testing models of melt-restite segregation during crustal anatexis (Proterozoic migmatites).

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Selected Research Publications

Metcalf, R.V. and Shervais, J. W. (in press) Supra-subduction zone ophiolites: Is there really an ophiolite conundrum? in Wright, J.E., and Shervais, J.W., eds., Ophiolites, Arcs, and Batholiths: Geological Society of America Special Paper 438

*Barrow, W. M. and Metcalf, R.V. (2006) A reevaluation of the paleotectonic significance of the Paleozoic central metamorphic terrane, eastern Klamath Mountains, California: New constraints from trace element geochemistry and 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology: in A. W. Snoke and C. G. Barnes eds., Geological Studies in the Klamath Mountains province, California and Oregon, Geological Society of America Special Paper v. 410, p. 393–410.

Metcalf, R.V. (2005) Volcanic-Plutonic Links, Plutons as Magma Chambers and Crust Mantle Interaction: A Lithospheric Scale View of Magma Systems: in S. Ishihara, W.E. Stephens, S.L. Harley, S. Arima and T. Nakajima, eds., Geological Society of America Special Paper no. 392, Fifth Hutton Symposium: The Origin of Granites and Related Rocks, p. 357-374. (Note: this paper is a reprint of the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh – Earth Sciences paper below that was published the previous year.)

Metcalf, R.V. (2004) Volcanic-Plutonic Links, Plutons as Magma Chambers and Crust Mantle Interaction: A Lithospheric Scale View of Magma Systems: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh – Earth Sciences, v. 95, p. 357-374.

Metcalf, R.V., Wallin, E.T., *Willse, K.R. and *Muller, E.R. (2000), Geology and geochemistry of the ophiolitic Trinity Terrane, California; Evidence of mid-Paleozoic ultradepleted supra-subduction zone magmatism in a proto-arc setting: in Y. Dilek, E. Moores, D. Elthon, and A. Nicolas eds., Geological Society of America Special Paper no. 349, Ophiolites and Oceanic Crust: New Insights from Field Studies and Oceanic Drilling, p. 409-426.

Wallin, E.T., and Metcalf, R.V., (1998) Supra-subduction zone ophiolite formed in an extensional forearc: Trinity Terrane, Klamath Mountains, California: Journal of Geology, v. 106, p. 591-608.

Metcalf, R.V., Smith E.I., Walker, J.D., Reed, R.C.*, and Gonzales, D.A. (1995) Isotopic disequilibrium among commingled hybrid magmas: Evidence of a two-stage magma mixing-commingling process in the Mt. Perkins Pluton, Arizona: Journal of Geology, v. 103, p.509-527.

Metcalf, R.V. and Smith, E.I. (1995) Introduction to special section: Magmatism and extension: Journal of Geophysical Research, v.100, p. 10249-10253.

Faulds, J.E., Feuerbach, D., Reagan, Metcalf, R.V., Gans, P., and Walker J.D., (1995) The Mt. Perkins block, northwestern Arizona: An exposed cross section of an evolving, pre- to syn-extensional magma system: Journal of Geophysical Research, v.100, p.15249-15,266.

*denotes student author

Recent Abstracts

Barnes, C.G., Miller, K., Snoke, A.W., Yosihinobu, A., Snelson, C. M., Frost, C.D., and Metcalf, R. V., (accepted) Imaging accreted terranes at the cascadia margin: The Klamath Mountains Province of California and Oregon: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 2007 Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, v. 39, no. 6

Metcalf, R.V. and *Barrow, W.M, 2007, Paleozoic evolution of the Cordilleran convergent margin: A view from the Eastern Klamath Mountains: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 2007 Cordilleran Annual Meeting, Bellingham, Washington, v. 39, no. 4,  p. 70.

*Barrow, W. M., Metcalf, R.V., and Fairhurst, R. J., 2006, Late Paleozoic Exhumation of Subducted Oceanic Crust by Extensional Reactivation of a Mid-Paleozoic Subduction Margin: Central Metamorphic Terrane, Klamath Mountains, California: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 2006 Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, v. 38, no. 7,  p. 422

*Grady, J.C., and Metcalf, R.V. (2005) Middle Jurassic Sexton Mountain supra-subduction zone ophiolite complex, Klamath Mountains, Oregon: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 2004 Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, v. 37, No. 7, p. 19

*Barrow , W. M., and Metcalf, R. V. (2004) The mid-Paleozoic Trinity thrust fault of the Eastern Klamath Mountains, northern California: reactivated in the Permian as an extensional structure: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 2004 Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, v. 36, no. 5,  p. 148.

Metcalf, R.V. (2004) Evolution and subduction polarity of the mid-Paleozoic Klamath-Sierra volcanic arc: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 36, no. 4, p. 70.

Metcalf, R.V. (2003) Volcanic-Plutonic Links, Plutons as Magma Chambers and Crust Mantle Interaction: A Lithospheric Scale View of Magma Systems: Fifth Hutton Symposium on the Origin of Granites and Related Rocks, abstracts w/ programs, Geol. Survey Japan, Interim-Report 29, p. 89. (invited speaker)

Metcalf, R.V. and *Barrow, W.J. (2002) Paleozoic-Mesozoic subduction related crustal growth in the Klamath Mountains: a view from the Eastern Klamath terrane: Geol. Soc. Amer. Abstracts w/programs, vol. 34 #5, p. A-43.

*Barrow, W.J. and Metcalf, R.V. (2002) Central Metamorphic Terrane, Northern CA: Geochemical Evidence of a Mid-Ocean Ridge Origin: Geol. Soc. Amer. Abstracts w/programs, vol. 34 #5, p. A-43.

Metcalf, R.V. (2001) Silurian-Devonian Initiation of Subduction along the Proto-Cordilleran Margin of Laurentia: Response to Closure of the Early Paleozoic Iapetus Ocean? Geol. Soc. of Amer. and Geol. Soc. of London, Earth Systems Processes: Programmes with Abstracts, p. 42. 

Metcalf, R.V., and Shervais, John (2001): Supra-Subduction Zone (SSZ) Ophiolites: Is There Really an “Ophiolite Conundrum”? Geol. Soc. Amer., Abstracts with Programs. vol. 33, no.6, p. A-173.

Metcalf, R.V., and Wallin, E.T. (2000) Mid-Paleozoic development of the Klamath-Sierra forearc-arc-backarc subduction system, northern California: Geol. Soc. Amer., abstr. vol. 32, no.7, p. A-497.

Presenter underlined; *denotes student author

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Students

• Wendy Barrow: Ph.D. degree May 2007
Dissertation Topic: Paleotectonic Significance of the Central Metamorphic Terrane, Northern California

• Jesse Grady: M.S. degree May 2007
Thesis Topic: The Sexton Mountain Area, Southerwestern Oregon: A Tectonically Imbricated Middle Jurassic Supra-Subduction Zone Ophiolite Complex

• David Shields: M.S. degree May 2003
Thesis Topic: Garnet-Biotite Thermometry, Garnet-Al2SiO5-Silica-Plagioclase Barometry and EMP Monozite Geochronology of the Early Proterozoic Ivanpah Mountains, Eastern Mojave Desert, SE California

• Edward Muller: M.S. degree May 2000
Thesis Topic: Petrogenetic Study of the Porcupine Lake Mafic IntrusiveComplex, Trinity Terrane, Northern California

• Keith Willse: MS degree May 1999
Thesis Topic: Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of the Bonaza King Mafic Intrusive Complex, Trinity Terrane Ophiolite, Northern California

• Rhonda Knupp: M.S. degree May 1999
Thesis Topic: Origin of Hydrothermal Brucite Veins: Implications for Fluid Flow Associated with the Miocene Devil Peak Intrusion, Southern Nevada

• Deborah Potts: M.S. degree May 1999
Thesis Topic: Hydrothermal Occurrence of Sodic Amphibole in an Extensional Terrane: Wilson Ridge Pluton, Northwestern Arizona

• Lisa Danielson: M.S. degree May 1998
Thesis Topic: Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications of Phase One Gabbro- Diorite, Miocene Mount Perkins Pluton, Arizona

• Scott McDaniel: M.S. degree Dec. 1995
Thesis Title: Geochemical Evolution of a Mid-Miocene Syn-Extensional Volcanic Complex: The Dolan Springs Volcanic Field, Northwestern Arizona

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