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Publications

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Volcanic and tectonic sources of seismicity near the Tanaga Volcanic Cluster, Alaska

Tanaga Island in the Central Aleutian Islands includes four stratovolcanoes: Sajaka, Tanaga, and East Tanaga in the northwest, and Takawangha in the central part of the island. Of these volcanoes, only Tanaga has a confirmed record of historical eruptive activity. We use double-difference methods to relocate Tanaga Island earthquakes from the period 2003–2017 to gain insight into volcanic and tect
Authors
Kevin Lally, Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, John Power

2019 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at 17 volcanic centers in Alaska in 2019. The most notable volcanic activity was an eruption of Shishaldin Volcano, featuring eruptive activity that produced lava flows, lahars, and ash. Weak explosive activity also took place at Great Sitkin Volcano and
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Cheryl E. Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, James P. Dixon, Max L. Enders, Ronni Grapenthin, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Matthew W. Loewen, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Gabrielle Tepp, Liam Toney, Christopher F. Waythomas, Aaron G. Wech

Volcanic earthquake catalog enhancement using integrated detection, matched-filtering, and relocation tools

Volcanic earthquake catalogs are an essential data product used to interpret subsurface volcanic activity and forecast eruptions. Advances in detection techniques (e.g., matched-filtering, machine learning) and relative relocation tools have improved catalog completeness and refined event locations. However, most volcano observatories have yet to incorporate these techniques into their catalog-bui
Authors
Darren Tan, David Fee, Alicia J. Hotovec-Ellis, J. Pesicek, Matthew M. Haney, John Power, T. Girona

Garnet stability in arc basalt, andesite, and dacite—An experimental study

Garnet’s stability in arc magmas and its influences on their differentiation were explored experimentally in a typical basalt, andesite, and dacite at conditions of 0.9–1.67 GPa, 800–1300 °C, with 2–9 wt.% added H2O, and with oxygen fugacity buffered near Re + O2 = ReO2 (~ Ni-NiO + 1.7 log10 bars). Garnet did not grow at 0.9 GPa in any of the compositions, even with garnet seeds added to facilitat
Authors
Dawnika Blatter, Thomas W. Sisson, W. Ben Hankins

Weak degassing from remote Alaska volcanoes characterized with a new airborne Imaging DOAS instrument and a suite of in situ sensors

Gas emissions from volcanoes occur when volatile species exsolve from magmatic and hydrothermal systems and make their way to the surface. Measurements of emitted gases therefore provide insights into volcanic processes. On 16 July 2021, we made airborne measurements of weak gas plumes emitted from four remote Alaska volcanoes: Iliamna Volcano, Mount Douglas, Mount Martin, and Mount Mageik. Integr
Authors
Christoph Kern, Peter J. Kelly

It begins with curiosity—How do scientists learn from volcanoes?

This poster uses photographs of scientists in action to introduce the principles of critical thinking and curiosity-driven science as they relate to the study of volcanoes. Captions align with educational “Next Generation Science Standards” and include job titles and tasks to increase career awareness among students and their teachers. The poster is available in both English and Spanish.
Authors
Elizabeth G. Westby, Lisa M. Faust

2018 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, considerable and minor volcanic unrest, and seismic events at 15 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2018. The most notable volcanic activity came from Mount Cleveland, which had continuing intermittent dome growth and ash eruptions, and Mount Veniaminof, Great Sitkin Volcano, and Semisopochnoi Island, the three of which had minor eruptions. Thi
Authors
Cheryl E. Cameron, Tim R. Orr, James P. Dixon, Hannah R. Dietterich, Christopher F. Waythomas, Alexandra M. Iezzi, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Ronni Grapenthin, Gabrielle Tepp, Kristi L. Wallace, Taryn M. Lopez, Kimberly Degrandpre, John M. Perreault

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2022 annual report

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, carries out research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone Caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards. This report summarizes the activities and findings of YVO during the year 2022, focusing on the

Community for data integration 2019 project report

The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually supports small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 14 projects supported in fiscal year 2019 and outlines their goals, activities, and accomplishments. Proposals in 2019 were encouraged to addre
Authors
Amanda N. Liford, Caitlin M. Andrews, Aparna Bamzai, Joseph A. Bard, David S. Blehert, John B. Bradford, Wesley M. Daniel, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Frank Engel, Jason A. Ferrante, Amy K. Gilmer, Margaret E. Hunter, Jeanne M. Jones, Benjamin Letcher, Frances L. Lightsom, Richard R. McDonald, Leah E. Morgan, Sasha C. Reed, Leslie Hsu

Coordinating science during an eruption: Lessons from the 2020–2021 Kīlauea volcanic eruption

Data collected during well-observed eruptions can lead to dramatic increases in our understanding of volcanic processes. However, the necessary prioritization of public safety and hazard mitigation during a crisis means that scientific opportunities may be sacrificed. Thus, maximizing the scientific gains from eruptions requires improved planning and coordinating science activities among governmen
Authors
Kari M. Cooper, Kyle R. Anderson, Kathy Cashman, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Tobias Fischer, Bruce F. Houghton, Ingrid Johanson, Kendra J. Lynn, Michael Manga, Christelle Wauthier

UAS-Based Observations of Infrasound Directionality at Stromboli Volcano, Italy

Infrasound (low frequency sound waves) can be used to monitor and characterize volcanic eruptions. However, infrasound sensors are usually placed on the ground, thus providing a limited sampling of the acoustic radiation pattern that can bias source size estimates. We present observations of explosive eruptions from a novel uncrewed aircraft system (UAS)-based infrasound sensor platform that was s
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Richard M. Buzard, David Fee, Robin S. Matoza, Julia E. Gestrich, Arthur Din Jolly, Markus Schmid, Valeria Cigala, Ulrich Kueppers, Caron E.J. Vossen, Corrado Cimarelli, Giorgio Lacanna, Maurizio Ripepe

Calibration of imperfect geophysical models by multiple satellite interferograms with measurement bias

Model calibration consists of using experimental or field data to estimate the unknown parameters of a mathematical model. The presence of model discrepancy and measurement bias in the data complicates this task. Satellite interferograms, for instance, are widely used for calibrating geophysical models in geological hazard quantification. In this work, we used satellite interferograms to relate gr
Authors
Mengyang Gu, Kyle R. Anderson, Erika McPhillips