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Dawn C.S. Ruth, PhD

I use geochemical and diffusion datasets to investigate mafic volcanism in subduction zones. I am interested in open vent processes, explosive mafic eruptions, plumbing system dynamics, and the interplay between tectonics and eruptive style.

My interests lie in discovering the driving forces of explosive basaltic volcanism often observed at volcanoes such as Llaima (Chile), Mayon (Philippines), and Stromboli (Italy) among others. This includes trying to determine what causes transitions from passive degassing to paroxysmal (large) explosions in basaltic centers. I am also interested in linking physical volcanology (including geophysical monitoring) and petrology/geochemistry to create a more detailed picture of the processes occurring in the volcanic conduit, which will hopefully lead to better process-based predictive models for hazard assessment.

Professional Experience

  • 2019-present: Research Geologist and EPMA-SEM Lab Manager, USGS California Volcano Observatory

  • 2018-2019: Visiting Assistant Professor, Ohio University

  • 2017-2018: Visiting Assistant Professor, College of Charleston

  • 2014-2017: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Earth Observatory of Singapore

  • 2013-2014: American Dissertation Fellow, University at Buffalo

  • 2011-2012: Visiting Assistant Professor, Fredonia State University

  • 2008-2011, 2012-2013: TA, Department of Geology, University at Buffalo

  • 2006-2008: Senior Geological Research Associate, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources

Education and Certifications

  • PhD: 2014, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

  • MS: 2006, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, USA

  • BA: 2002, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Geological Society of America

  •  American Geophysical Union

  • International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior

  • Mineralogical Society of America

Honors and Awards

  • 2013: American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship

  • 2013: University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship

  • 2012: NSF East Asian and Pacific Summer Institute Fellowship

  • 2011: Finalist for University at Buffalo Alumni Association Alumnae Scholarship

  • 2010: Smithsonian Graduate Student Fellowship

  • 2002: Oberlin College Wharton Prize for Geology

Science and Products

Triggering the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa

Distinguishing periods of intermittent unrest from the run-up to eruption is a major challenge at volcanoes around the globe. Comparing multidisciplinary monitoring data with mineral chemistry that records the physical and spatio-temporal evolution of magmas fundamentally advances our ability to forecast eruptions. The recent eruption of Mauna Loa, Earth’s largest active volcano, provides a unique
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Drew T. Downs, Frank A. Trusdell, Penny E. Wieser, Berenise Rangel, Baylee Rose McDade, Alicia J. Hotovec-Ellis, Ninfa Lucia Bennington, Kyle R. Anderson, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Charlotte DeVitre, Andria P. Ellis, Patricia A. Nadeau, Laura E. Clor, Peter J. Kelly, Peter Dotray, Jefferson Chang
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Olivine diffusion constrains months-scale magma transport within Kīlauea volcano’s summit reservoir system prior to the 2020 eruption

The unprecedented 2018 summit collapse at Kīlauea and subsequent 2020–2021 eruption within the newly deepened Halema‘uma‘u Crater provide an unparalleled opportunity to understand how collapse events impact a volcano’s shallow reservoir system and magmatic processes. Glass and olivine from tephra ejected by lava fountains and several explosions on 20–21 December, within a few hours of the 2020 eru
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Patricia A. Nadeau, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Jefferson Chang, Peter Dotray, Ingrid A. Johanson
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Glass electron microprobe analyses methods, precision and accuracy for tephra studies in Alaska

No abstract available.
Authors
Matthew W. Loewen, Kristi L. Wallace, Jordan Edward Lubbers, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Pavel Izbekov, Jessica Larsen, Nathan Graham
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The presence of silicate melt may enhance rates of cation diffusion in olivine

Olivine is commonly used as a ‘crystal clock’ to extract timescales relevant to pre-eruptive perturbations within mafic magmatic systems. Diffusion chronometry applications require accurate calibrations for the rates at which Fe-Mg or other commonly measured elements like Ni, Mn, and Ca diffuse through the crystal lattice. In the past, these rates have been mainly characterized using solid-solid d
Authors
Thomas Shea, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Michael Jollands, Kenta Ohtaki, Hope Ishii, John Bradley
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Eruptive history of Mason Spur, a Miocene—Pleistocene polygenetic volcanic complex in southern Victoria Land, West Antarctic Rift System, Antarctica

Mason Spur is a deeply eroded Middle Miocene to Pleistocene (c. 13 to 0.37 Ma) volcanic complex in southern Victoria Land, within the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS). The oldest rocks include a large volume of trachyte ignimbrites that provided abundant volcanic detritus recovered in McMurdo Sound drill cores. The ignimbrites together with early-formed intrusions were strongly deformed during a
Authors
John L. Smellie, Gianfranco Di Vincenzo, Dougal B. Townsend, Matthew T. Heizler, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The Shallow Magmatic Plumbing System of the Deccan Traps, Evidence from Plagioclase Megacrysts and Their Host Lavas

We investigate the shallow plumbing system of the Deccan Traps Large Igneous Province using rock and mineral data from Giant Plagioclase Basalt (GPB) lava flows from around the entire province, but with a focus on the Saurashtra Peninsula, the Malwa Plateau, and the base and top of the Western Ghats (WG) lava pile. GPB lavas in the WG typically occur at the transition between chemically distinct b
Authors
A. Marzoli, Paul R. Renne, R Andreasen, R Spiess, M Chiaradia, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, A.J. Tholt, K Pande, Fábio J. V. Costa
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

A petrological and conceptual model of Mayon volcano (Philippines) as an example of an open-vent volcano

Mayon is a basaltic andesitic, open-vent volcano characterized by persistent passive degassing from the summit at 2463 m above sea level. Mid-size (<0.1 km3) and mildly explosive eruptions and occasional phreatic eruptions have occurred approximately every 10 years for over a hundred years. Mayon’s plumbing system structure, processes, and time scales driving its eruptions are still not well-known
Authors
Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Fidel Costa
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The interaction between concentrated pyroclastic density currents and snow: a case study from the 2008 mixed-avalanche from Volcán Llaima (Chile)

The incorporation of snow and ice by pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) can generate mixed-avalanches and pose significant hazards at snow-clad volcanoes. Commonly, the poor preservation of these thin deposits, combined with the subtle characteristics of PDC-snow interaction, has limited their recognition in the geological record. A small-volume (2.5 × 105 m3), basaltic-andesite, mixed-avalanche
Authors
E.C.P. Breard, Eliza S. Calder, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

**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.

New electron microprobe installed at Menlo Park

New electron microprobe installed at Menlo Park

On March 25th, the USGS California Volcano Observatory celebrated the delivery of a new 'baby' - our brand new electron microprobe is finally up and...

Read Article

Science and Products

Triggering the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa

Distinguishing periods of intermittent unrest from the run-up to eruption is a major challenge at volcanoes around the globe. Comparing multidisciplinary monitoring data with mineral chemistry that records the physical and spatio-temporal evolution of magmas fundamentally advances our ability to forecast eruptions. The recent eruption of Mauna Loa, Earth’s largest active volcano, provides a unique
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Drew T. Downs, Frank A. Trusdell, Penny E. Wieser, Berenise Rangel, Baylee Rose McDade, Alicia J. Hotovec-Ellis, Ninfa Lucia Bennington, Kyle R. Anderson, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Charlotte DeVitre, Andria P. Ellis, Patricia A. Nadeau, Laura E. Clor, Peter J. Kelly, Peter Dotray, Jefferson Chang
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Olivine diffusion constrains months-scale magma transport within Kīlauea volcano’s summit reservoir system prior to the 2020 eruption

The unprecedented 2018 summit collapse at Kīlauea and subsequent 2020–2021 eruption within the newly deepened Halema‘uma‘u Crater provide an unparalleled opportunity to understand how collapse events impact a volcano’s shallow reservoir system and magmatic processes. Glass and olivine from tephra ejected by lava fountains and several explosions on 20–21 December, within a few hours of the 2020 eru
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Patricia A. Nadeau, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Jefferson Chang, Peter Dotray, Ingrid A. Johanson
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Glass electron microprobe analyses methods, precision and accuracy for tephra studies in Alaska

No abstract available.
Authors
Matthew W. Loewen, Kristi L. Wallace, Jordan Edward Lubbers, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Pavel Izbekov, Jessica Larsen, Nathan Graham
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The presence of silicate melt may enhance rates of cation diffusion in olivine

Olivine is commonly used as a ‘crystal clock’ to extract timescales relevant to pre-eruptive perturbations within mafic magmatic systems. Diffusion chronometry applications require accurate calibrations for the rates at which Fe-Mg or other commonly measured elements like Ni, Mn, and Ca diffuse through the crystal lattice. In the past, these rates have been mainly characterized using solid-solid d
Authors
Thomas Shea, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Michael Jollands, Kenta Ohtaki, Hope Ishii, John Bradley
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Eruptive history of Mason Spur, a Miocene—Pleistocene polygenetic volcanic complex in southern Victoria Land, West Antarctic Rift System, Antarctica

Mason Spur is a deeply eroded Middle Miocene to Pleistocene (c. 13 to 0.37 Ma) volcanic complex in southern Victoria Land, within the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS). The oldest rocks include a large volume of trachyte ignimbrites that provided abundant volcanic detritus recovered in McMurdo Sound drill cores. The ignimbrites together with early-formed intrusions were strongly deformed during a
Authors
John L. Smellie, Gianfranco Di Vincenzo, Dougal B. Townsend, Matthew T. Heizler, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The Shallow Magmatic Plumbing System of the Deccan Traps, Evidence from Plagioclase Megacrysts and Their Host Lavas

We investigate the shallow plumbing system of the Deccan Traps Large Igneous Province using rock and mineral data from Giant Plagioclase Basalt (GPB) lava flows from around the entire province, but with a focus on the Saurashtra Peninsula, the Malwa Plateau, and the base and top of the Western Ghats (WG) lava pile. GPB lavas in the WG typically occur at the transition between chemically distinct b
Authors
A. Marzoli, Paul R. Renne, R Andreasen, R Spiess, M Chiaradia, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, A.J. Tholt, K Pande, Fábio J. V. Costa
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

A petrological and conceptual model of Mayon volcano (Philippines) as an example of an open-vent volcano

Mayon is a basaltic andesitic, open-vent volcano characterized by persistent passive degassing from the summit at 2463 m above sea level. Mid-size (<0.1 km3) and mildly explosive eruptions and occasional phreatic eruptions have occurred approximately every 10 years for over a hundred years. Mayon’s plumbing system structure, processes, and time scales driving its eruptions are still not well-known
Authors
Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Fidel Costa
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The interaction between concentrated pyroclastic density currents and snow: a case study from the 2008 mixed-avalanche from Volcán Llaima (Chile)

The incorporation of snow and ice by pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) can generate mixed-avalanches and pose significant hazards at snow-clad volcanoes. Commonly, the poor preservation of these thin deposits, combined with the subtle characteristics of PDC-snow interaction, has limited their recognition in the geological record. A small-volume (2.5 × 105 m3), basaltic-andesite, mixed-avalanche
Authors
E.C.P. Breard, Eliza S. Calder, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

**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.

New electron microprobe installed at Menlo Park

New electron microprobe installed at Menlo Park

On March 25th, the USGS California Volcano Observatory celebrated the delivery of a new 'baby' - our brand new electron microprobe is finally up and...

Read Article

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government

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