Ryan Mills
Education
Ph.D. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 2012
M.S. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 2008
B.S. University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 2001
Research Interests
I am a geologist who focuses on the isotopic, chemical, and textural differentiation of Earth and other terrestrial objects in the solar system. I mainly use isotope geochemistry to test hypotheses about the timing and process of planetary differentiation.
Research and Activities
Here are a few of the things keeping me busy these days:
- Investigating the generation and modification of continental crust using radiogenic isotopes; w/ M.S. student Han Truong
- Modeling of the atmospheric effects on impactors across the terrestrial objects in the solar system; w/ M.S. student Marissa Dudek
- Dating magmatism on Mars using radiogenic isotope analyses of Martian meteorites
- Assessing the role of hydrogen during lunar differentiation using NAMs (nominally anhydrous minerals)
- Utilizing geochemical databases of the Earth and Moon to test hypotheses about magmatic differentiation
- Working with archaeologists to understand human migration patterns using Sr and Pb isotopic compositions of human remains
Selected Publications
Yousefi, F., Sadeghian, M., Lentz, D.R., Wanhainen, C., and Mills, R.D., 2021, Petrology, petrogenesis, and geochronology review of the Cenozoic adakitic rocks of northeast Iran: Implications for evolution of the northern branch of Neo‐Tethys: Geological Journal, 56:298–315 Yousefi, F., Mills, R.D., Sadeghian, M., Lentz, D.R., Wanhainen, C., Ghasemi, H., and Miao, L., 2021, Geochemical and Nd-Sr Isotopic Compositions of Hypabyssal Adakites in the Torud-Ahmad Abad Magmatic Belt, Northern Central Iran Zone: Analysis of Petrogenesis and Geodynamic Implications: Journal of Earth Science Simon, J.I., Christoffersen, R., Wang, J., Mouser, M.D., Mills, R.D., Ross, D.K., and Rahman, Z., 2020, Volatiles in lunar felsite clasts: Impact-related delivery of hydrous material to an ancient dry lunar crust: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 276:299-326 Allen, K.G., Mills, R.D., Knudson, K.J., and von Cramon‐Taubadel, N., 2020, Biological diversity in an Islamic archaeological population: A radiogenic strontium isotope and craniometric analysis of affinity in Ottoman Romania: American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 171:569-583 Freiwald, C., Woodfill, B., Mills, R.D., 2019, Chemical signatures of salt sources in the Maya world: implications for isotopic signals in ancient consumers: Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports Naumann, E., Glorstad, A.Z., Breiby, M., Mills, R.D., Fullagar, P., 2019, Who were the first urban settlers of Oslo? A discussion of early medieval urbanization based on isotopic analyses of human remains: Archaeometry Mills, R.D., Simon, J.I., and DePaolo, D.J., 2018, Calcium and neodymium radiogenic isotopes of igneous rocks: Tracing crustal contributions in felsic magmas related to super-eruptions and continental rifting: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 495:242-250 Mills, R.D., Simon, J.I., Alexander, C.M.O’D., Wang, J., and Hauri, E.H., 2017, Water in alkali feldspar: The effect of rhyolite generation on the lunar hydrogen budget: Geochemical Perspective Letters, 3:115-123 Coleman, D.S., Mills, R.D., and Zimmerer, M.J., 2016, The pace of plutonism: Elements, 12:97-102 Glazner, A.F., Coleman, D.S., and Mills, R.D, 2015, The volcanic-plutonic connection: Advances in Volcanology, Springer, 1-22 Frazer, R.E., Coleman, D.S., and Mills, R.D., 2014, Zircon U-Pb geochronology of the Mount Givens Granodiorite: Implications for the genesis of large volumes of eruptible magma: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 119:2907-2924 Mills, R.D., and Glazner, A.F., 2013, Experimental study of temperature cycling on coarsening of plagioclase and olivine in an alkali basalt: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 166:97-111 Mills, R.D., and Coleman, D.S., 2013, Temporal and chemical connections between plutons and ignimbrites from the Mount Princeton magmatic center: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 165:961-980 Glazner, A.F., and Mills, R.D., 2012, Interpreting two-dimensional cuts through broken geologic objects: Fractal and non-fractal size distributions: Geosphere, 8:902-914 Mills, R.D., Ratner, J.J., and Glazner, A.F., 2011, Experimental evidence for crystal coarsening and fabric development during temperature cycling: Geology, 9:1139-1142 Tappa, M.J., Coleman, D.S., Mills, R.D., and Samperton, K.M., 2011, The plutonic record of a silicic ignimbrite from the Latir volcanic field, New Mexico: G-cubed, 12:Q10011 Mills, R.D., Glazner, A.F., and Coleman, D.S., 2009, Scale of pluton/wall rock interaction near May Lake, Yosemite National Park, CA, USA: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 158:263-281