Emily Montgomery-Brown
As a research geophysicist focusing on volcano geodesy, I analyze ground- and satellite-based data to explore how magma moves underground, and discover other ways volcanoes deform.
Prior to joining the USGS, I was a visiting researcher at the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo studying hydrothermal deformation at Miyake Jima volcano and an NSF post-doctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin studying the seismic signals associated with flank sector failure at Kilauea volcano.
Professional Experience
Co-chair of the joint IAVCEI/IAG Volcano Geodesy Commission
Prior AGU Geodesy section OSPA Coordinator
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Geophysics, Stanford University, September 2008
Thesis Title: Time dependent deformation of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii Advisor: Paul Segall
M.S. in Geophysics, Stanford University, June 2005
B.S. with High Honors in Geology with minor in Mathematics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, May 2002
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union
IAVCEI
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Magma reservoir failure and the onset of caldera collapse at Kīlauea volcano in 2018 Magma reservoir failure and the onset of caldera collapse at Kīlauea volcano in 2018
Caldera-forming eruptions are among Earths most hazardous natural phenomena, yet the architecture of subcaldera magma reservoirs and the conditions that trigger collapse are poorly understood. Observations from the formation of a 0.8cubic kilometer basaltic caldera at Klauea Volcano in 2018 included the draining of an active lava lake, which provided a window into pressure decrease in...
Authors
Kyle R. Anderson, Ingrid A. Johanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Mengyang Gu, Paul Segall, Michael P. Poland, Emily Montgomery-Brown, Asta Miklius
Regional Global Navigation Satellite System networks for crustal deformation monitoring Regional Global Navigation Satellite System networks for crustal deformation monitoring
Regional networks of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations cover seismically and volcanically active areas throughout the United States. Data from these networks have been used to produce high‐precision, three‐component velocity fields covering broad geographic regions as well as position time series that track time‐varying crustal deformation. This information has...
Authors
Jessica R. Murray, Noel Bartlow, Yehuda Bock, Benjamin A. Brooks, James H. Foster, Jeffery T. Freymueller, William C. Hammond, Kathleen Hodgkinson, Ingrid A. Johanson, Alberto Lopez-Venegas, Doerte Mann, Glen Mattioli, Timothy Melbourne, David Mencin, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Mark Hunter Murray, Robert Smalley, Valerie Thomas
Interseismic quiescence and triggered slip of active normal faults of Kīlauea Volcano’s south flank during 2001-2018 Interseismic quiescence and triggered slip of active normal faults of Kīlauea Volcano’s south flank during 2001-2018
The mobile south flank of Kīlauea Volcano hosts two normal fault systems, the Koa'e fault system (KFS) and the Hilina fault system (HFS). In historical time, at least three M>6.5 earthquakes have occurred on the basal detachment of the Kīlauea Volcano's south flank, with the most recent being the 4 May 2018 M6.9 earthquake. Here we analyze kinematic Global Positioning System data...
Authors
Kang Wang, Hayden MacArthur, Ingrid A. Johanson, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Michael P. Poland, Eric Cannon, Matthew d’Alessio, Roland Bürgmann
Rate of magma supply beneath Mammoth Mountain, California based on helium isotopes and CO2 emissions Rate of magma supply beneath Mammoth Mountain, California based on helium isotopes and CO2 emissions
Mammoth Mountain, California, has exhibited unrest over the past ~30 years, characterized by seismicity over a broad range of depths, elevated 3He/4He ratios in fumarolic gas, and large-scale diffuse CO2 emissions. This activity has been attributed to magmatic intrusion, but minimal ground deformation and the presence of a shallow crustal gas reservoir beneath Mammoth Mountain pose a...
Authors
Jennifer L. Lewicki, William C. Evans, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Margaret T. Mangan, John King, Andrew G. Hunt
Snowmelt-triggered earthquake swarms at the margin of Long Valley Caldera, California Snowmelt-triggered earthquake swarms at the margin of Long Valley Caldera, California
Fluids are well known to influence earthquakes, yet rarely are earthquakes convincingly linked to precipitation. Weak modulation or limited data often leads to ambiguous interpretations. In contrast, here we find that shallow seismicity in the Sierra Nevada range near Long Valley Caldera is strongly modulated by snowmelt. Over 33 years, shallow seismicity rates were ~37 times higher...
Authors
Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, David R. Shelly, Paul A. Hsieh
The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano
In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 km. A 4 May earthquake (M6.9) produced ~5 m of fault slip. Lava erupted at rates exceeding 100 m3/s...
Authors
Christina A. Neal, Steven Brantley, Loren Antolik, Janet Babb, Matthew K. Burgess, Michael Cappos, Jefferson Chang, Sarah Conway, Liliana G. Desmither, Peter Dotray, Tamar Elias, Pauline Fukunaga, Steven Fuke, Ingrid A. Johanson, Kevan Kamibayashi, James P. Kauahikaua, R. Lopaka Lee, S. Pekalib, Asta Miklius, Brian Shiro, Don Swanson, Patricia A. Nadeau, Michael H. Zoeller, P. Okubo, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, William Tollett, Frank A. Trusdell, Edward F. Younger, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Michael P. Poland, Jessica L. Ball, Joseph A. Bard, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Christoph Kern, Weston Thelen, Peter Cervelli, Tim R. Orr, Bruce F. Houghton, Cheryl Gansecki, Richard Hazlett, Paul Lundgren, Angela K. Diefenbach, Allan Lerner, Greg Waite, Peter J. Kelly, Laura E. Clor, Cynthia Werner, Katherine Mulliken, Gary B. Fisher, David Damby
Inflation leading to a Slow Slip Event and volcanic unrest at Mt. Etna in 2016: Insights from CGPS data Inflation leading to a Slow Slip Event and volcanic unrest at Mt. Etna in 2016: Insights from CGPS data
Global Positioning System (CGPS) data from Mount Etna between May 2015 and September 2016 show intense inflation and a concurrent Slow Slip Event (SSE) from 11 December 2015 to 17 May 2016. In May 2016, an eruptive phase started from the summit craters, temporarily stopping the ongoing inflation. The CGPS data presented here give us the opportunity to determine (1) the source of the...
Authors
V. Bruno, M. Mattia, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, M. Rossi, D. Scandura
Long Valley caldera and the UCERF depiction of Sierra Nevada range-front faults Long Valley caldera and the UCERF depiction of Sierra Nevada range-front faults
Long Valley caldera lies within a left-stepping offset in the north-northwest-striking Sierra Nevada range-front normal faults with the Hilton Creek fault to the south and Hartley Springs fault to the north. Both Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF) 2 and its update, UCERF3, depict slip on these major range-front normal faults as extending well into the caldera, with...
Authors
David P. Hill, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown
Tremor-genic slow slip regions may be deeper and warmer and may slip slower than non-tremor-genic regions Tremor-genic slow slip regions may be deeper and warmer and may slip slower than non-tremor-genic regions
Slow slip events (SSEs) are observed worldwide and often coincide with tectonic tremor. Notable examples of SSEs lacking observed tectonic tremor, however, occur beneath Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, the Boso Peninsula, Japan, near San Juan Bautista on the San Andreas Fault, California, and recently in Central Ecuador. These SSEs are similar to other worldwide SSEs in many ways (e.g., size or...
Authors
Emily Montgomery-Brown, Ellen M. Syracuse
Renewed inflation of Long Valley Caldera, California (2011 to 2014) Renewed inflation of Long Valley Caldera, California (2011 to 2014)
Slow inflation began at Long Valley Caldera in late 2011, coinciding with renewed swarm seismicity. Ongoing deformation is concentrated within the caldera. We analyze this deformation using a combination of GPS and InSAR (TerraSAR-X) data processed with a persistent scatterer technique. The extension rate of the dome-crossing baseline during this episode (CA99 to KRAC) is 1 cm/yr...
Authors
Emily Montgomery-Brown, Charles W. Wicks, Peter F. Cervelli, John O. Langbein, Jerry L. Svarc, David R. Shelly, David P. Hill, Michael Lisowski
Delicate balance of magmatic-tectonic interaction at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, revealed from slow slip events: Chapter 13 Delicate balance of magmatic-tectonic interaction at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, revealed from slow slip events: Chapter 13
Eleven slow slip events (SSEs) have occurred on the southern flank of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i, since 1997 through 2014. We analyze this series of SSEs in the context of Kilauea’s magma system to assess whether or not there are interactions between these tectonic events and eruptive/intrusive activity. Over time, SSEs have increased in magnitude and become more regular, with interevent...
Authors
Emily Montgomery-Brown, Michael P. Poland, Asta Miklius
Magma supply, storage, and transport at shield-stage Hawaiian volcanoes Magma supply, storage, and transport at shield-stage Hawaiian volcanoes
The characteristics of magma supply, storage, and transport are among the most critical parameters governing volcanic activity, yet they remain largely unconstrained because all three processes are hidden beneath the surface. Hawaiian volcanoes, particularly Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, offer excellent prospects for studying subsurface magmatic processes, owing to their accessibility and...
Authors
Michael P. Poland, Asta Miklius, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Magma reservoir failure and the onset of caldera collapse at Kīlauea volcano in 2018 Magma reservoir failure and the onset of caldera collapse at Kīlauea volcano in 2018
Caldera-forming eruptions are among Earths most hazardous natural phenomena, yet the architecture of subcaldera magma reservoirs and the conditions that trigger collapse are poorly understood. Observations from the formation of a 0.8cubic kilometer basaltic caldera at Klauea Volcano in 2018 included the draining of an active lava lake, which provided a window into pressure decrease in...
Authors
Kyle R. Anderson, Ingrid A. Johanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Mengyang Gu, Paul Segall, Michael P. Poland, Emily Montgomery-Brown, Asta Miklius
Regional Global Navigation Satellite System networks for crustal deformation monitoring Regional Global Navigation Satellite System networks for crustal deformation monitoring
Regional networks of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations cover seismically and volcanically active areas throughout the United States. Data from these networks have been used to produce high‐precision, three‐component velocity fields covering broad geographic regions as well as position time series that track time‐varying crustal deformation. This information has...
Authors
Jessica R. Murray, Noel Bartlow, Yehuda Bock, Benjamin A. Brooks, James H. Foster, Jeffery T. Freymueller, William C. Hammond, Kathleen Hodgkinson, Ingrid A. Johanson, Alberto Lopez-Venegas, Doerte Mann, Glen Mattioli, Timothy Melbourne, David Mencin, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Mark Hunter Murray, Robert Smalley, Valerie Thomas
Interseismic quiescence and triggered slip of active normal faults of Kīlauea Volcano’s south flank during 2001-2018 Interseismic quiescence and triggered slip of active normal faults of Kīlauea Volcano’s south flank during 2001-2018
The mobile south flank of Kīlauea Volcano hosts two normal fault systems, the Koa'e fault system (KFS) and the Hilina fault system (HFS). In historical time, at least three M>6.5 earthquakes have occurred on the basal detachment of the Kīlauea Volcano's south flank, with the most recent being the 4 May 2018 M6.9 earthquake. Here we analyze kinematic Global Positioning System data...
Authors
Kang Wang, Hayden MacArthur, Ingrid A. Johanson, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Michael P. Poland, Eric Cannon, Matthew d’Alessio, Roland Bürgmann
Rate of magma supply beneath Mammoth Mountain, California based on helium isotopes and CO2 emissions Rate of magma supply beneath Mammoth Mountain, California based on helium isotopes and CO2 emissions
Mammoth Mountain, California, has exhibited unrest over the past ~30 years, characterized by seismicity over a broad range of depths, elevated 3He/4He ratios in fumarolic gas, and large-scale diffuse CO2 emissions. This activity has been attributed to magmatic intrusion, but minimal ground deformation and the presence of a shallow crustal gas reservoir beneath Mammoth Mountain pose a...
Authors
Jennifer L. Lewicki, William C. Evans, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Margaret T. Mangan, John King, Andrew G. Hunt
Snowmelt-triggered earthquake swarms at the margin of Long Valley Caldera, California Snowmelt-triggered earthquake swarms at the margin of Long Valley Caldera, California
Fluids are well known to influence earthquakes, yet rarely are earthquakes convincingly linked to precipitation. Weak modulation or limited data often leads to ambiguous interpretations. In contrast, here we find that shallow seismicity in the Sierra Nevada range near Long Valley Caldera is strongly modulated by snowmelt. Over 33 years, shallow seismicity rates were ~37 times higher...
Authors
Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, David R. Shelly, Paul A. Hsieh
The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano
In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 km. A 4 May earthquake (M6.9) produced ~5 m of fault slip. Lava erupted at rates exceeding 100 m3/s...
Authors
Christina A. Neal, Steven Brantley, Loren Antolik, Janet Babb, Matthew K. Burgess, Michael Cappos, Jefferson Chang, Sarah Conway, Liliana G. Desmither, Peter Dotray, Tamar Elias, Pauline Fukunaga, Steven Fuke, Ingrid A. Johanson, Kevan Kamibayashi, James P. Kauahikaua, R. Lopaka Lee, S. Pekalib, Asta Miklius, Brian Shiro, Don Swanson, Patricia A. Nadeau, Michael H. Zoeller, P. Okubo, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, William Tollett, Frank A. Trusdell, Edward F. Younger, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Michael P. Poland, Jessica L. Ball, Joseph A. Bard, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Christoph Kern, Weston Thelen, Peter Cervelli, Tim R. Orr, Bruce F. Houghton, Cheryl Gansecki, Richard Hazlett, Paul Lundgren, Angela K. Diefenbach, Allan Lerner, Greg Waite, Peter J. Kelly, Laura E. Clor, Cynthia Werner, Katherine Mulliken, Gary B. Fisher, David Damby
Inflation leading to a Slow Slip Event and volcanic unrest at Mt. Etna in 2016: Insights from CGPS data Inflation leading to a Slow Slip Event and volcanic unrest at Mt. Etna in 2016: Insights from CGPS data
Global Positioning System (CGPS) data from Mount Etna between May 2015 and September 2016 show intense inflation and a concurrent Slow Slip Event (SSE) from 11 December 2015 to 17 May 2016. In May 2016, an eruptive phase started from the summit craters, temporarily stopping the ongoing inflation. The CGPS data presented here give us the opportunity to determine (1) the source of the...
Authors
V. Bruno, M. Mattia, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, M. Rossi, D. Scandura
Long Valley caldera and the UCERF depiction of Sierra Nevada range-front faults Long Valley caldera and the UCERF depiction of Sierra Nevada range-front faults
Long Valley caldera lies within a left-stepping offset in the north-northwest-striking Sierra Nevada range-front normal faults with the Hilton Creek fault to the south and Hartley Springs fault to the north. Both Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF) 2 and its update, UCERF3, depict slip on these major range-front normal faults as extending well into the caldera, with...
Authors
David P. Hill, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown
Tremor-genic slow slip regions may be deeper and warmer and may slip slower than non-tremor-genic regions Tremor-genic slow slip regions may be deeper and warmer and may slip slower than non-tremor-genic regions
Slow slip events (SSEs) are observed worldwide and often coincide with tectonic tremor. Notable examples of SSEs lacking observed tectonic tremor, however, occur beneath Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, the Boso Peninsula, Japan, near San Juan Bautista on the San Andreas Fault, California, and recently in Central Ecuador. These SSEs are similar to other worldwide SSEs in many ways (e.g., size or...
Authors
Emily Montgomery-Brown, Ellen M. Syracuse
Renewed inflation of Long Valley Caldera, California (2011 to 2014) Renewed inflation of Long Valley Caldera, California (2011 to 2014)
Slow inflation began at Long Valley Caldera in late 2011, coinciding with renewed swarm seismicity. Ongoing deformation is concentrated within the caldera. We analyze this deformation using a combination of GPS and InSAR (TerraSAR-X) data processed with a persistent scatterer technique. The extension rate of the dome-crossing baseline during this episode (CA99 to KRAC) is 1 cm/yr...
Authors
Emily Montgomery-Brown, Charles W. Wicks, Peter F. Cervelli, John O. Langbein, Jerry L. Svarc, David R. Shelly, David P. Hill, Michael Lisowski
Delicate balance of magmatic-tectonic interaction at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, revealed from slow slip events: Chapter 13 Delicate balance of magmatic-tectonic interaction at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, revealed from slow slip events: Chapter 13
Eleven slow slip events (SSEs) have occurred on the southern flank of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i, since 1997 through 2014. We analyze this series of SSEs in the context of Kilauea’s magma system to assess whether or not there are interactions between these tectonic events and eruptive/intrusive activity. Over time, SSEs have increased in magnitude and become more regular, with interevent...
Authors
Emily Montgomery-Brown, Michael P. Poland, Asta Miklius
Magma supply, storage, and transport at shield-stage Hawaiian volcanoes Magma supply, storage, and transport at shield-stage Hawaiian volcanoes
The characteristics of magma supply, storage, and transport are among the most critical parameters governing volcanic activity, yet they remain largely unconstrained because all three processes are hidden beneath the surface. Hawaiian volcanoes, particularly Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, offer excellent prospects for studying subsurface magmatic processes, owing to their accessibility and...
Authors
Michael P. Poland, Asta Miklius, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown
*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