Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Genna Chiaro

I am a Mendenhall research fellow working on refining the eruptive chronology of the Mono Craters and understanding how magmatic conditions have changed through time. By integrating radiometric dating techniques, field observations, and glass and mineral textures and compositions, I aim to improve our understanding of volcanic hazards in Eastern California. 

Professional Experience

  • 2024-present: USGS Mendenhall Research Fellow, California Volcano Observatory

  • 2017- 2023: Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant, Vanderbilt University

  • 2017: Geocorps Cave Guide at El Capitan Cave, Prince of Wales Island, SE Alaska 

  • 2015: Science Camp Assistant, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL

Education and Certifications

  • PhD, Earth and Environmental Sciences - Vanderbilt University (2023)

  • MSc, Earth and Environmental Sciences - Vanderbilt University (2019)

  • BA, Geology, Minor in Spanish - DePauw University (2017)

Honors and Awards

  • 2016: E.R. “Rock” Smith Award, DePauw Geoscience Department

  • 2015: Pamela (Lorman) and Ben Peternell Endowed Environmental Scholarship, DePauw University

Science and Products

An extensive and short-lived episode of mid-Holocene fayalite- bearing high-silica rhyolite eruptions at Mono Craters, California An extensive and short-lived episode of mid-Holocene fayalite- bearing high-silica rhyolite eruptions at Mono Craters, California

Having last erupted ~ 700 years ago, the Mono Craters volcanic chain is an active system with a history of explosive and effusive high-silica rhyolite eruptions. Approximately ~ 30 lava domes and flows range from ~ 42 to ~ 0.7 ka, form a ~ 15 km curvilinear trend, and change mineralogy (biotite-, orthopyroxene-, or fayalite-bearing) and crystallinity through time. However, the eruptive...
Authors
Genna Raine Chiaro, Jorge A. Vazquez, Judith Fierstein, Andrew T. Calvert, Shaul Hurwitz, Joel E. Robinson
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

An assessment of the quality of microanalysis of natural silicate glass using scanning electron microscope-based energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) An assessment of the quality of microanalysis of natural silicate glass using scanning electron microscope-based energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS)

The composition of volcanic glass records important clues into the origin and evolution of magmatic systems. However, the analysis of volcanic glass presents challenges when performed using electron-beam techniques, particularly due to Na mobility. While microanalysis of geological materials is usually performed using electron probe microanalyzer-based wavelength-dispersive spectrometry...
Authors
Guilherme A.R. Gualda, Alessandro Frontoni, Blake M. Wallrich, Lydia J. Harmon, Sarah L. Smithies, Genna Raine Chiaro, Ayla S. Pamukcu
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Chiaro GR, Gualda GAR, Miller C, et al (2024) Mush Architecture and Processes in the Reservoirs of a Supereruption-Scale Magma System, Permian Ora Ignimbrite (Northern Italy). Journal of Petrology 65:egae016. https://doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egae016
Chiaro, G., Gualda, G., and Miller, C. (2026) Modeling alkali-exchange alteration in volcanic glass to obtain original rhyolitic melt compositions and magma storage pressures for the Permian Ora Ignimbrite (Italy). Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, June 2026, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-026-02335-8

**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

An extensive and short-lived episode of mid-Holocene fayalite- bearing high-silica rhyolite eruptions at Mono Craters, California An extensive and short-lived episode of mid-Holocene fayalite- bearing high-silica rhyolite eruptions at Mono Craters, California

Having last erupted ~ 700 years ago, the Mono Craters volcanic chain is an active system with a history of explosive and effusive high-silica rhyolite eruptions. Approximately ~ 30 lava domes and flows range from ~ 42 to ~ 0.7 ka, form a ~ 15 km curvilinear trend, and change mineralogy (biotite-, orthopyroxene-, or fayalite-bearing) and crystallinity through time. However, the eruptive...
Authors
Genna Raine Chiaro, Jorge A. Vazquez, Judith Fierstein, Andrew T. Calvert, Shaul Hurwitz, Joel E. Robinson
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

An assessment of the quality of microanalysis of natural silicate glass using scanning electron microscope-based energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) An assessment of the quality of microanalysis of natural silicate glass using scanning electron microscope-based energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS)

The composition of volcanic glass records important clues into the origin and evolution of magmatic systems. However, the analysis of volcanic glass presents challenges when performed using electron-beam techniques, particularly due to Na mobility. While microanalysis of geological materials is usually performed using electron probe microanalyzer-based wavelength-dispersive spectrometry...
Authors
Guilherme A.R. Gualda, Alessandro Frontoni, Blake M. Wallrich, Lydia J. Harmon, Sarah L. Smithies, Genna Raine Chiaro, Ayla S. Pamukcu
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Chiaro GR, Gualda GAR, Miller C, et al (2024) Mush Architecture and Processes in the Reservoirs of a Supereruption-Scale Magma System, Permian Ora Ignimbrite (Northern Italy). Journal of Petrology 65:egae016. https://doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egae016
Chiaro, G., Gualda, G., and Miller, C. (2026) Modeling alkali-exchange alteration in volcanic glass to obtain original rhyolitic melt compositions and magma storage pressures for the Permian Ora Ignimbrite (Italy). Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, June 2026, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-026-02335-8

**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?