About

Mihai N. Ducea is a Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona. His research interests include magmatism at convergent margins, regional geology, and radiogenic isotopes. He is involved in academic activities related to geosciences, contributing to the department's research and educational missions.

Research topics

• Geology
• Geochemistry
• Paleontology
• Geophysics
• Petrology
• Earth science
• Seismology
• Geography
• Physical geography

Selected publications

• Data and results for "Crustal thickness and elevation of the North American Cordillera from the Late Cretaceous to Early Miocene"

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-01-01

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  Compiled geochemical data and Mohometry results for "Crustal thickness and elevation of the North American Cordillera from the Late Cretaceous to Early Miocene."

  PublisherDOI

• Data and results for "Crustal thickness and elevation of the North American Cordillera from the Late Cretaceous to Early Miocene"

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-01-01 · 1 citations

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  Compiled geochemical data and Mohometry results for "Crustal thickness and elevation of the North American Cordillera from the Late Cretaceous to Early Miocene."

  PublisherDOI

• The role of crustal magmatism in the formation and the evolution of orogenic plateaus

  Geological Society of America Bulletin · 2026-01-09 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Here we review regional geological, petrological, geochemical, and geophysical data from the Central Andean plateau (comprising two distinct areas, the Altiplano and Puna) and its defunct North American sibling, the Nevadaplano, as well as to a lesser extent Tibet, to show that magmatism in the middle crust of orogenic plateaus plays an important role in the development of relief and high elevation and drives the mechanical behavior of these features. We show that in situ, mostly S-type melting is an intrinsic feature of plateaus and that these melts can reside in the crust for millions to tens of millions of years without freezing just below a critical melt fraction. Some of these in situ partial melt masses escape their source regions and erupt at the surface. The chemical evolution of volcanic masses produced by partial escape from these migmatites can be predicted by simple forward petrologic calculations. Extensive migmatite in sub-plateau middle crust also contributes to the mechanical weakness of plateaus and their buoyancy. In addition, magmatism from the underlying mantle wedge can further sustain the life of these extensive partial melting zones. Additional, much deeper melt accumulation zones exist close to the bottom of these thick-crusted domains, but we have much less information about their evolution and chemistry; they are probably similar to the deepest crustal root zones of the frontal arcs. We also suggest that there is a link between the ability of Li, B, Cs, and other elements to be concentrated in S-type leucogranites of the extensive migmatite blanket of the middle crust and the concentration of Li (and other metals) in brines and ultimately in the salars of the Central Andean plateau. Hydrothermal activity directly related to the present day Altiplano-Puna magma body or the recent equivalents on South America’s plateau may have leaked these incompatible elements into the former lakes that are now hosting the largest concentrations of Li on the planet.

  PublisherDOI

• Supplementary material for the paper "Origin and evolution of the Sebes Lotru terrane, South Carpathians (Romania)"

  Open MIND · 2026-01-01

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Supplementary material for the paper "Origin and evolution of the Sebes Lotru terrane, South Carpathians (Romania)" published in the Journal of the Geological Society by Mihai N. Ducea. The files contain two appendices - . Appendix 1 describes the whole rock procedures for analyses presented in this paper. Appendix 2 describes geochronology procedures for analyses presented in this paper. The remainder of the files are supplementary data files (1 to 5). Supp data file 1 describes petrography and locations of samples, Supp data file 2 contains major and trace elemental analyses, Supp data file 3 contains results of whole rock Sr and Nd isotopic analyses, Supp data 4 contains zircon U-Pb ages and Supp data file 5 contains Sm-Nd geochronology results.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Understanding defect dynamics under irradiation in quartz: case study of a 1.4 Ga granite sample investigated by multispectroscopic methods

  2025-03-14

  preprintOpen access

  Point defects in quartz and their response to irradiation hold geological significance but are not well understood. They can be analyzed using methods like optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), electron spin resonance (ESR), and scanning electron microscopy with cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL). This study examines point defects in a granite sample (~1.4 Ga crystallization age, ~20–23 Ma cooling age) from the Catalina Metamorphic Core Complex, southwestern USA, part of a Proterozoic anorogenic granitic province.Defects analyzed include intrinsic ones (e.g., O-vacancies, Si vacancies, and nonbridging oxygen centers) and impurity-related defects (e.g., [AlO4]⁰ and [TiO4/M⁺]⁰). ESR identified E', peroxy, Al-, and Ti-related defects, with Al and Ti defects showing higher intensities. The Al-hole center increased exponentially with dose up to 40,000 Gy, while the Ti-electron center showed a nonmonotonic trend, peaking at 10,000 Gy and then decreasing, consistent with Benzid and Timar-Gabor (2020) and Woda and Wagner (2007). Oxygen-related defects were weak and generally dose-independent. OSL decay was dominated by a fast component, and SEM-CL showed strong blue emissions (~450 nm) and weak red emissions (~650 nm, related to NBOHC), confirming Ti-related defect dominance.One can explain the features of luminescence and ESR signal in quartz, especially their dependence on the irradiation dose, by modelling the charge transport processes during its exposure to high-energy radiation or light. So far, models based on the band theory used in simulations of the luminescence in quartz (e. g. Bailey, 2001) have not considered that, next to electrons, ions also carry the charge in this material. Ionic conduction in quartz is primarily related to interstitial light metal cations M+. These ions provide a charge balance in the lattice disturbed by substituting a silicon atom with an aluminium atom at the crystallization stage. Radiation generates free electrons and holes, causing local potential changes that induce cation transport in the crystal. Ionic conduction in quartz requires, therefore, considering, in the modelling, both electronic transitions and changes in the state of ions from bound to free and vice versa.A kinetic model was developed with differential equations describing M⁺-binding centers (Al and Ti), electronic states, and free electron and ion concentrations. The results, which provide insights into point defect dynamics in granitic quartz, will be discussed at the conference, offering new perspectives.References:Benzid, K., Timar-Gabor, A., 2020. Phenomenological model of aluminium-hole ([AlO4/h+]0) defect formation in sedimentary quartz upon room temperature irradiation: electron spin resonance (ESR) study, Radiation Measurements, 130,106187.Woda, C., Wagner, G. A., 2007. Non-monotonic dose dependence of the Ge-and Ti-centres in quartz. Radiation measurements, 42(9), 1441-1452.Bailey, R. M., 2001. Towards a General Kinetic Model for Optically and Thermally Stimulated Luminescence of Quartz. Radiation Measurements 33: 17-45.Acknowledgement: This research is funded by European Research Council ERC grant PROGRESS-CoG “Reading provenance from ubiquitous quartz: understanding the changes occurring in its lattice defects in its journey in time and space by physical methods”

  PublisherDOI

• Effect of Metamorphism on the Point Defects in Quartz: Characterization using Different Spectroscopic Techniques 

  2025-03-14

  preprintOpen access

  The present study examines the effect of metamorphism on point defects in quartz. A granite sample with crystallization age of ~460 Ma (Albesti granite, Romania) and its metamorphic equivalent were used for the analysis. This sill-like granitoid occurs close to a ductile shear zone (locally named Bughea shear zone) of presumed Variscan age; the granitoid is exposed as relatively undeformed away from the shear zone as well as highly strained into a mylonitic fabric, when caught into the shear zone. Mineralogical differences were also observed, the metamorphic sample exhibiting lower quartz content and reduced grain strength. The point defects in quartz were characterized using thermoluminescence (TL), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), electron spin resonance (ESR), scanning electron microscopy coupled with cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) and Raman spectroscopy.ESR data showed the presence of E’ (an unpaired electron at an oxygen vacancy site (≡Si·), Al-related defects ([AlO4]0) and peroxy (≡Si-O-O·) in both the samples with increase of these centres in the metamorphic sample, especially in the case of the latter. TL measurements showed four peaks (110, 160, 280, 380 °C) in both samples, though TL intensity was 40% lower in the metamorphic quartz. The OSL decay curves were dominated by fast component for un-deformed sample and the OSL intensity of the metamorphic quartz was approximately 60% lower than that of un-deformed granite. The OSL dose-response curve (DRC) is well represented by a sum of two saturating exponential functions. The DRC of metamorphic granite exhibited higher uncertainties, due to its low signal. The DRC shapes before and after heating were nearly identical for both samples. SEM-CL analysis showed emission in blue (~450 nm) and red region (~650 nm; attributed to NBOHC (≡Si–O·)). The CL emission of metamorphic quartz was 65% lower than that of un-deformed quartz. Raman spectroscopy showed narrowing of quartz bands in the region of 100 to 500 cm⁻¹, reflecting the shortening of the O-Si-O bond (463 cm⁻¹) and lattice compression (125 and 204 cm⁻¹) during metamorphism. The increase at the 1030 cm⁻¹ peaks indicates the high aluminium-to-silicon ratio which concords with the ESR measurements.These findings provide new insights into mineralogy and quartz point defect dynamics under metamorphic conditions, with implications for geological processes. At the conference, detailed results and their implications will be presented.Acknowledgement: This research is funded by European Research Council ERC grant PROGRESS-CoG “Reading provenance from ubiquitous quartz: understanding the changes occurring in its lattice defects in its journey in time and space by physical methods” 

  PublisherDOI

• Tracking the transition from subduction to continental collision using Ce and Eu anomaly in detrital zircons

  2025-03-15

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Zircon geochemistry provides critical information on the melt from which they form. Specifically, Eu and Ce anomalies in zircons can be used to infer the evolution of average crustal thickness over time. However, they are typically influenced by multiple factors, such as the depth of magmagenetic processes, the nature of the parental magma, magma hydration, oxidation state, and the crystallization of minerals like plagioclase, apatite, and garnet. As a result, translating these data into paleo-depth is challenging and can introduce significant biases into interpretations of crustal evolution.We tested these proxies on detrital zircons from the well-known Pan-African Anti-Atlas orogen. Current geodynamic models suggest an initial igneous phase (>800 Ma) dominated by rifting mafic magmatism, and the formation of oceanic basins and passive margins along the northern boundary of the West African Craton. Between 760 and 650 Ma, magmatic arcs developed, characterized by juvenile mantle-derived magmas. This period is followed by the closure of oceanic domains around 630 Ma and the subsequent development of syn-orogenic flysch basins. Abundant post-collisional to Cadomian felsic magmatism ignited around 610 Ma and lasted until 550 Ma.A dataset of 827 Neoproterozoic zircons was statistically analyzed using bootstrap approach to produce chemical timeseries for both Eu and Ce anomalies. The results are the following: (i) pre-760 Ma (12% of zircons data): shows a slightly increasing trend in Eu (negative) and Ce (positive) anomalies. (ii) 760 - 710 Ma: zircon's age-frequency diagram suggests a first magmatic inflation around 750 Ma, Eu anomaly trends decrease while Ce anomaly remains constant. (iii) 710 - 630 Ma: Ce anomaly is still constant, but Eu anomaly shows a gradual decrease. (iv) 630 - 600 Ma: both proxies drop sharply and synchronously, coinciding with a negative shift from a compilation of whole-rock Nd signatures. This marks the implication of the West African Craton crust in the source of post-collision magmas. (v) 600 - 550 Ma: both proxies rise significantly and remain closely correlated.Our analysis reveals that the paroxysm of the magmatic flare-up occurs at the transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision (at ~630 Ma) in the Anti-Atlas orogenic belt. If used as a proxy for crustal thickness, the Eu/Eu* ratio in zircons would be expected to increase around 630 Ma, as most geological markers indicate crustal thickening related to continental collision. However, it instead shows a sharp decline strongly correlated with Ce anomaly and coinciding with a major shift in magma sources—from mantle-dominated to crust-dominated. Conversely, intervals associated with variations in crustal thickness (from 760 to 700 Ma for example) exhibit a clear decorrelation between the Eu and Ce anomalies time series. This shows that magmatic changes associated with geodynamic transitions (e.g., from rifting to subduction to collision) have a significant impact on zircon trace element composition which inhibits other variations related to petrogenetic processes or crustal architecture.

  PublisherDOI

• Significant magmatic differentiation induced by crustal shearing: implications for rare metal enrichment in Himalayan leucogranites

  2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• New Insights into the Paleoecology of Brachiopod-Arthropod-Microbial Assemblages from Late Triassic Cryptic Submarine Cavities

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Age and palaeoenvironmental constraints on the earliest dinosaur-bearing strata of the Densuș-Ciula Formation (Hațeg Basin, Romania): Evidence of their late Campanian-early Maastrichtian syntectonic deposition

  Cretaceous Research · 2025-01-30 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  The Haţeg Basin is famous for its rich uppermost Cretaceous continental vertebrate assemblages, with some of the most important ones originating from the Densuş-Ciula Formation. The present study aims to provide a more accurate picture of the geological and palaeoenvironmental context of this important dinosaur-bearing succession through complex spatial analysis based on detailed geological mapping combined with results of zircon U–Pb geochronology, sedimentology, vertebrate palaeontology and micropalaeontology investigations. This integrated stratigraphical survey revealed that the important environmental shift from marine to continental deposition in western Haţeg Basin occurred significantly earlier (by middle late Campanian) than hitherto considered, and that the lower Densuș-Ciula Formation – previously thought to be restricted to the Maastrichtian – covers a good part of the upper Campanian as well. Sedimentological investigations, aimed to characterize palaeoenvironmental changes during basin evolution, identify two, vertically superimposed fining-upward successions within the lower Densuș-Ciula Formation, reconstructed as alluvial fan environments linked to distinct stages of basin tectonic evolution. Contrary to previous interpretations as a post-orogenic molasse, the lower Densuș-Ciula Formation is here re-interpreted as a largely syntectonic unit deposited in a transtensional, dextral strike-slip basin initiated during the late Campanian. The stratigraphic positions and palaeoenvironmental settings of all major vertebrate sites from this area are re-assessed using our new age constraints and improved tectonic-stratigraphic-sedimentologic framework, documenting a significantly earlier start of the accumulation of vertebrate-bearing deposits than thought before, and challenging previous ideas about the timing of assembly, isolation and evolution of the Haţeg Island faunas. • Updated latest Cretaceous geological evolution of the Densuș-Ciula Fm., Haţeg Basin. • Two vertically superimposed sedimentary cycles separated in lower part of the unit. • Sedimentation of this syntectonic continental unit started by the middle Campanian. • The investigated area hosts the oldest well-dated vertebrate sites of Haţeg Basin. • New age and depositional environment constraints provided for these fossil sites.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Constraints on Plateau Architecture and Assembly From Deep Crustal Xenoliths, Northern Altiplano (Southern Peru)

  NSF · $112k · 2015–2017

• Collaborative Research: Crustal Overturn in Continental Margin Arcs During Magmatic Surges

  NSF · $198k · 2011–2014

• Collaborative Research: In Pursuit of Missing Andean Lithosphere: Constraining Late Cenozoic Crust-mantle Processes in the Puna Plateau, Central Andes

  NSF · $369k · 2009–2012

• Collaborative Research: BATHOLITHS: Generation and evolution of crust in continental magmatic arcs

  NSF · $803k · 2003–2008

• Rare Earth Elements Tracing Crustal Evolution Through Time: A Detrital Zircon Study

  NSF · $213k · 2017–2021

Frequent coauthors

• Antoine Triantafyllou

  Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon : Terre, Planètes et Environnement

  87 shared

• James B. Chapman

  60 shared

• George E. Gehrels

  58 shared

• Fangyang Hu

  Chinese Academy of Sciences

  47 shared

• Paul Kapp

  University of Arizona

  41 shared

• Jason B. Saleeby

  California Institute of Technology

  40 shared

• Alan D. Chapman

  Macalester College

  34 shared

• Fu‐Yuan Wu

  Institute of Geology and Geophysics

  31 shared