Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Daniel O'Hara

I am a volcanic geomorphologist, specializing in understanding how magmatic, volcanic, and surficial processes compete to shape volcanoes and generate hazards.

As a Mendenhall Fellow at the USGS, my research focus is to investigate the ability of island volcanoes to experience large-scale flank collapses that can trigger tsunamis. As demonstrated by cirque-like topography, planar scars, or offshore deposits at island volcanoes across the world, these landforms can be prone to flank collapses due to structural weakening of the edifice. Although such events are rare, geologic evidence has shown that these types of collapses can generate significant tsunamis that can impact neighboring coastlines. Understanding which volcanoes may be candidates for future collapses allows us to quantify the risk associated with these low-frequency, high-magnitude events.

Professional Experience

  • 2025 – Present : USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, Volcano Science Center, Moffett Field, CA

  • 2024: GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences Postdoctoral Fellow, Earth Surface Process Modelling Section, Potsdam, Germany

  • 2021 – 2023: Vjire Universiteit Brussel Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Geography, Brussels, Belgium

  • 2018: USGS Graduate Research Internship Program (GRIP) Intern, Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, WA

  • 2014 – 2020: Research and Teaching Assistant, University of Oregon, Department of Earth Science, Eugene, OR

  • 2013: Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP) Intern, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2011: Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Intern, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, VA

Education and Certifications

  • PhD: 2020, University of Oregon, Department of Earth Sciences, Eugene, OR

  • BS Geology: 2014, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Department of Geoscience, Indiana, PA

  • BS Applied Computer Science: 2014, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Department of Computer Science, Indiana, PA

Honors and Awards

  • Mendenhall Fellowship, USGS, 2025 – Present

  • Procope-Mobilitӓt Research Grant, Office of the French Ambassador in Germany, 2024

  • Michael H. Freilich Student Visualization Competition Grand Prize, AGU, 2020

  • Dissertation Fellowship, University of Oregon College of Art and Science, 2019 – 2020

  • Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, University of Oregon Department of Earth Science, 2019

  • Research Excellence Award, University of Oregon Department of Earth Science, 2018

  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2014 – 2019

  • Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, 2013

  • Outstanding Research Award in Geoscience, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2013

  • Ronald E. McNair Scholar, 2011

Science and Products

Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades Arc: Reply Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades Arc: Reply

No abstract available.
Authors
Daniel O'Hara, Leif Karlstrom, David Ramsey
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades arc Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades arc

Increased resolution of data constraining topography and crustal structures provides new quantitative ways to assess province-scale surface-subsurface connections beneath volcanoes. We used a database of mapped vents to extract edifices with known epoch ages from digital elevation models (DEMs) in the Cascades arc (western North America), deriving volumes that likely represent ∼50% of...
Authors
Daniel O’Hara, Leif Karlstrom, David Ramsey
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The prevalence and significance of offset magma reservoirs at arc volcanoes The prevalence and significance of offset magma reservoirs at arc volcanoes

Determining the spatial relations between volcanic edifices and their underlying magma storage zones is fundamental for characterizing long-term evolution and short-term unrest. We compile centroid locations of upper crustal magma reservoirs at 56 arc volcanoes inferred from seismic, magnetotelluric, and geodetic studies. We show that magma reservoirs are often horizontally offset from...
Authors
Allan Lerner, Daniel O'Hara, Leif Karlstrom, Susanna Ebmeier, Kyle Anderson, Shaul Hurwitz
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

O'Hara, D., Goren, L., van Wees, R. M. J., Campforts, B., Grosse, P., Lahitte, P., Kereszturi, G., and Kervyn, M (2024). Time-varying drainage basin development and erosion on volcanic edifices, Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 709–726, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-709-2024
O’Hara, D., Karlstrom, L., & Roering, J. J. (2019). Distributed landscape response to localized uplift and the fragility of steady states. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 506, 243–254, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.006

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products

Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades Arc: Reply Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades Arc: Reply

No abstract available.
Authors
Daniel O'Hara, Leif Karlstrom, David Ramsey
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades arc Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades arc

Increased resolution of data constraining topography and crustal structures provides new quantitative ways to assess province-scale surface-subsurface connections beneath volcanoes. We used a database of mapped vents to extract edifices with known epoch ages from digital elevation models (DEMs) in the Cascades arc (western North America), deriving volumes that likely represent ∼50% of...
Authors
Daniel O’Hara, Leif Karlstrom, David Ramsey
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The prevalence and significance of offset magma reservoirs at arc volcanoes The prevalence and significance of offset magma reservoirs at arc volcanoes

Determining the spatial relations between volcanic edifices and their underlying magma storage zones is fundamental for characterizing long-term evolution and short-term unrest. We compile centroid locations of upper crustal magma reservoirs at 56 arc volcanoes inferred from seismic, magnetotelluric, and geodetic studies. We show that magma reservoirs are often horizontally offset from...
Authors
Allan Lerner, Daniel O'Hara, Leif Karlstrom, Susanna Ebmeier, Kyle Anderson, Shaul Hurwitz
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

O'Hara, D., Goren, L., van Wees, R. M. J., Campforts, B., Grosse, P., Lahitte, P., Kereszturi, G., and Kervyn, M (2024). Time-varying drainage basin development and erosion on volcanic edifices, Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 709–726, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-709-2024
O’Hara, D., Karlstrom, L., & Roering, J. J. (2019). Distributed landscape response to localized uplift and the fragility of steady states. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 506, 243–254, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.006

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Was this page helpful?