New Leadership at Arizona Geological Survey

Dr. Phil Pearthree

AZGS has a new director and Arizona a new State Geologist. University of Arizona Dean of Science, Dr. Joaquin Ruiz, confirmed that Phil Pearthree, Ph.D., is the new director of the Arizona Geological Survey. As part of his duties, Dr. Pearthree assumes the role of Arizona State Geologist. Phil follows former State Geologist Lee Allison who died tragically in a fall in Aug. 2016.

Phil received his B.S. at Oberlin College, and M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Arizona. He joined AZGS in 1988 and was chief of the Environmental Geology section for more than a decade. As an AZGS research geologist, Phil has authored or co-authored more than 100 geologic reports and maps over the past 29 years.

In 2013, Phil and two co-authors received the prestigious Kirk Bryan Award from the Geological Society of America’s Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division for their report, 'Stratigraphic evidence for the role of lake-spillover in the inception of the lower Colorado River in southern Nevada and western Arizona'.

Dr. Pearthree mapping surficial deposits in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Park