Gifford H. Miller

Distinguished Professor • Director, Center for Geochemical Analysis of the Global Environment (GAGE) •
• Quaternary stratigraphy • Geochronology • Paleoclimatology

Geological Sciences

gmiller@colorado.edu

INSTAAR office: 303 492-6962
INSTAAR lab: 303 492-5075

Benson Earth Sciences office: 303 492-8437

Amino Acid Geochronology Lab

Bio

My primary scholarly interests focus on gaining an improved understanding of how the physical earth system operates.

Toward this end, I am specifically interested in using the Quaternary as a means to reconstruct the coupled ocean/atmospheric/ice climate system. By reconstructing past environmental changes it is possible to get a better understanding of the rates and magnitude of natural climate variability and the various feedback mechanisms in the global climate system. I am also interested in the role of humans in the modification of landscapes and ecosystem on Quaternary timescales.

Education

PhD: University of Colorado Boulder, 1975

Awards

Distinguished Professor, University of Colorado System, 2021
Distinguished Career Award, American Quaternary Association, 2018
Elected Fellow, American Geophysical Union, 2009
Elected Foreign Member, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, 2008
Easterbrook Distinguished Scientist Award, Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division, Geological Society of America, 2005
Elected Fellow, Geological Society of America, 1986

Research

My present research is on Quaternary stratigraphy and dating methods; amino acid geochronology and cosmogenic exposure dating; and glacial history of the Arctic, focusing on glacial chronology and ice-sheet dynamics using direct field evidence and quantitative estimates of the timing and magnitude of warm times in the Arctic. I also have research interests in monsoons on Quaternary time scales and the causes of megafauna extinctions.

Publications

Recent publications

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Teaching

Current courses

GEOL 5420: Quaternary Dating Methods
CVEN 5838-001: Rockfalls and Avalanches

Past courses

GEOL 1060-003: Global Change: An Earth Science Perspective
GEOL 5700: Holocene Nonlinearities
GEOL 3040-003: Geological Record of Global Change
GEOL 5420-003: Quaternary Geochronology/Quaternary Stratigraphy
GEOL 5700-001: Volcanism in the Arctic System

Jonathan Raberg

Postdoctoral Scholar •
• Paleoclimatology • Organic geochemistry • Quaternary research • Spectroscopy

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Outreach

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News

Simon Pendleton and Giff Miller collect ancient plant remains melted out of the edges of the ice cap on Baffin Island. Photo by Matt Kennedy, Earth Vision Trust.

Kirk Bryan Award goes to a team of INSTAARs, colleagues

Oct. 19, 2023

A team of researchers that included several INSTAAR scientists received the prestigious Kirk Bryan Award from the Quaternary Geology & Geomorphology Division of the Geological Society of America (GSA). The prestigious award honors the authors of a recent paper that advances the science of geomorphology.

Elephant bird eggshells lie exposed on a beach in Madagascar. Photo by Giff Miller.

How 1,200-year-old eggs from a 9-foot tall, 1,500-pound bird led to a scientific breakthrough (USA Today)

March 11, 2023

Towering over nine feet tall and weighing over 1,500 pounds, the now-extinct aepyornis lived more than 1,200 years ago and was Madagascar’s largest land animal. Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and Curtin University in Australia recently discovered a new lineage of the birds using eggshell remnants, as well as isotope geochemistry and protein extraction. The findings were published in Nature Communications.

The field team in May 2007, while i Madagascar where the samples in the paper were collected. From left to right: Ramil, lead guide from the National Museum in Antananarivo; Gifford Miller; Steve DeVogel; and guide Nemad. Photo courtesy Gifford Miller.

Giant eggshells reveal the secrets of Madagascar's elephant birds (NPR)

March 8, 2023

Before they were driven to extinction, giant elephant birds roamed Madagascar, weighing up to 2,000 pounds and towering 10 feet tall. A new analysis of DNA in their eggshells gives new information about the birds and identifies a previously unknown lineage. The story is a 2-minute listen on National Public Radio.

Surface scatter of Aepyornis eggshell exposed by active wind erosion of sand dunes in which the birds nested. Photo by Gifford Miller.

Ancient eggshells unlock discovery of extinct elephant bird lineage (CU Boulder Today)

March 1, 2023

More than 1,200 years ago, elephant birds roamed the island of Madagascar. While these ostrich-like giants are now extinct, new research from CU Boulder and Curtin University in Australia reveals that their eggshell remnants hold valuable clues about their time on Earth. Published today in Nature Communications, the study describes the discovery of a previously unknown, separate lineage of elephant bird that roamed the wet, forested landscapes on the northeastern side of Madagascar—a discovery made without access to any skeletal remains.

The giant bird Genyornis went extinct in Australia around 50,000 years ago. Illustration provided by Gifford Miller.

How we cracked the mystery of Australia’s prehistoric giant eggs (The Conversation)

Jan. 25, 2023

Gifford Miller and collaborators Matthew James Collins and Beatrice Demarchi tell the story of the ancient eggshell fragments found in eroding Australian sand dunes, the controversy around their origins, and how new techniques and AI helped solve the mystery. A summary chapter in the evolving story of Genyornis and the probable causes of its extinction.

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Gifford H. Miller