Contact Information
Research Interests
My primary research interests are in the fields of low-temperature thermochronology and tectonics, where I use the (U-Th)/He radiogenic isotopic systems to describe the thermal histories of rocks in the upper crust. Thermochronology has numerous applications in the geosciences, and my main focus is on using the collection of thermochronologic tools to understand the dates and rates of mountain creation and destruction, and the long-term ups and downs of cratons. I'm also interested in refining our understanding of the systematics that underpin the various thermochronometers at our disposal. This interest manifests as research in the kinetics of noble gas diffusion in complex minerals (e.g. zircon). My work therefore combines field and laboratory components.
At UIUC, I run a (U-Th)/He lab, the centerpiece of which is a noble gas extraction and measurement line with a diode laser microfurnace, cyrogenic trap, and gas source quadrupole mass spectrometer. I co-manage several fume hoods in a class 1000 clean lab for apatite and zircon dissolution, and share with several faculty an Analyte Excite excimer laser for laser ablation studies, and an iCap Q ICP-MS for isotope dilution work. Please visit my personal website for more information. I am open to collaborations so please contact me if you have interest in visiting the lab!
Education
- Ph.D. University of Arizona, 2013
- M.S. University of Arizona, 2009
- B.A. Carleton College, 2007
Awards and Honors
- 2023 Helen Corley Petit Scholar, UIUC
- 2020 Charles and Nancy Naesar Prize, early career award of the International Standing Committe on Thermochronology
- 2019 NSF CAREER award
Courses Taught
- 107 Physical Geology
- 411 Structural Geology
- 564 Geochronology
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Professor, Earth Science and Environmental Change
Recent Publications
Huff, D. E., Holley, E. A., & Guenthner, W. R. (2025). Igneous Geochronology and Thermochronology of the Northern Battle Mountain District, Nevada: Implications for Gold Mineralization. Economic Geology, 120(1), 137-169. https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.5114
Armstrong, E. M., Ault, A. K., Kaempfer, J. M., & Guenthner, W. R. (2024). Connecting visual metamictization to radiation damage to expand applications of zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometry. Chemical Geology, 648, Article 121949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2024.121949
Bastías-Silva, J., Chew, D., Poblete, F., Castillo, P., Guenthner, W., Grunow, A., Dalziel, I. W. D., Dias, A. N. C., Ramírez De Arellano, C., & Fernandez, R. (2024). Uplift and denudation history of the Ellsworth Mountains: insights from low-temperature thermochronology. Solid Earth, 15(4), 555-566. https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-555-2024
Dendy, S. N., Guenthner, W. R., Grimley, D. A., & Conroy, J. L. (2024). Quantifying Pleistocene loess provenance in midcontinental North America using a mixing model: Implications for glacial lobe evolution along the southern Laurentide ice sheet. Geosphere, 20(6), 1655-1669. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02770.1
Thurston, O. G., Guenthner, W. R., Karlstrom, K. E., Heizler, M. T., Ricketts, J. W., & McDannell, K. T. (2024). Deep-time thermal history of the Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon, USA: Combined zircon (U-Th)/He and K-feldspar 40Ar/39Ar thermochronometers. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 136(11-12), 4815-4835. https://doi.org/10.1130/B37358.1