Publications

It is rare that a geologic map exists for a volcano prior to such a catastrophic modification as that produced by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. As such, this map provides an important historical record of the volcano prior to that eruption. The map has not been reviewed or checked for conformity to USGS editorial standards or stratigraphic nomenclature, and it has not been...

This contribution reports radiocarbon ages obtained from charcoal, wood and other samples collected between 1979 and 2001 in Lassen Volcanic National Park and vicinity and a few samples from other nearby localities. Most of the samples are from the Chaos Crags and Cinder Cone eruptive sequences. Brief summaries are given of the Chaos Crags and Cinder Cone eruptive sequences.

Modeling of very long period seismic data recorded during explosive activity at Stromboli in 1997 provides an image of the uppermost 1 km of its volcanic plumbing system. Two distinct dike-like conduit structures are identified, each representative of explosive eruptions from two different vents located near the northern and southern perimeters of the summit crater. Inferred volumetric...

Data from volcano-monitoring studies constitute the only scientifically valid basis for short-term forecasts of a future eruption, or of possible changes during an ongoing eruption. Thus, in any effective hazards-mitigation program, a basic strategy in reducing volcano risk is the initiation or augmentation of volcano monitoring at historically active volcanoes and also at geologically...

We report on 4 years of airborne measurements of CO2, SO2, and H2S emission rates during a quiescent period at White Island volcano, New Zealand, beginning in 2003. During this time a significant crater lake emerged, allowing scrubbig processes to be investigated. CO2 emissions varied from a baseline of 250 to >2000 t d-1 and demonstrated clear annual cycling that was consistent with...

The permeability of continental crust is so highly variable that it is often considered to defy systematic characterization. However, despite this variability, some order has been gleaned from globally compiled data. What accounts for the apparent coherence of mean permeability in the continental crust (and permeability–depth relations) on a very large scale? Here we argue that large...

Medicine Lake Volcano (MLV), located in the southern Cascades ∼ 55 km east-northeast of contemporaneous Mount Shasta, has been found by exploratory geothermal drilling to have a surprisingly silicic core mantled by mafic lavas. This unexpected result is very different from the long-held view derived from previous mapping of exposed geology that MLV is a dominantly basaltic shield volcano...

Airborne surveillance of gas emissions from Augustine for SO2, CO2 and H2S showed no evidence of anomalous degassing from 1990 through May 2005. By December 20, 2005, Augustine was degassing 660 td−1 of SO2, and ten times that by January 4, 2006. The highest SO2 emission rate measured during the 2006 eruption was 8650 td−1 (March 1); for CO2, 13000 td−1 (March 9), and H2S, 8 td−1...

We characterize and quantify volatile emissions at Hot Spring Basin (HSB), a large acid-sulfate region that lies just outside the northeastern edge of the 640 ka Yellowstone Caldera. Relative to other thermal areas in Yellowstone, HSB gases are rich in He and H2, and mildly enriched in CH4 and H2S. Gas compositions are consistent with boiling directly off a deep geothermal liquid at...

Products of the 1915 Lassen Peak eruption reveal evidence for a magma recharge–magma mixing event that may have catalyzed the eruption and from which four compositional members were identified: light dacite, black dacite, andesitic inclusion, and dark andesite. Crystal size distribution, textural, and in situ chemical (major and trace element and Sr isotope) data for plagioclase from...

Evolution of CO2 in Lakes Monoun and Nyos (Cameroon) before and during controlled degassing is described using results of regular monitoring obtained during the last 21 years. The CO2(aq) profiles soon after the limnic eruptions were estimated for Lakes Monoun and Nyos using the CTD data obtained in October and November 1986, respectively. Based on the CO2(aq)profiles through time, the...

We present analyses of two swarms of long-period (LP) earthquakes at > 30 km depth that accompanied the geodetically observed 2002–2005 Mauna Loa intrusion. The first LP earthquake swarm in 2002 consisted of 31 events that were precursory and preceded the start of Mauna Loa inflation; the second LP swarm of two thousand events occurred from 2004–2005. The rate of LP earthquakes slowed