Hannah R Dietterich, Ph.D.
Hannah works on eruption dynamics, remote sensing, and quantitative volcanic hazard assessment at the USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, AK.
Biography
Hannah Dietterich is a Research Geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory. Her work focuses on the physics of volcanic processes, remote sensing of volcanic activity, numerical modeling of volcanic hazards, and probabilistic volcanic hazard assessment. She integrates geologic mapping, physical volcanology, remote sensing, and numerical modeling with observations of ongoing eruptions to advance our understanding of volcanic hazards.
EDUCATION
University of Oregon: Ph.D. (2014), Geological Sciences
Pomona College: B.A. (2009), Geology
APPOINTMENTS
2018–present, Research Geophysicist, USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory, Anchorage, AK
2015–2018, Research Geologist (postdoc), USGS Volcano Science Center, Menlo Park, CA
2014–2014, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR and University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
2013–2014, Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
2010–2013, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
2009–2010, Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Science and Products
Geologic map of the northern Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Harrat Rahat, in the west-central part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the largest of 15 Cenozoic harrats (Arabic for “volcanic field”) distributed on the Arabian plate. It extends more than 300 km north-south and 50 to 75 km east-west, and it covers an area of approximately 20,000 km2, has a volume of approximately 2,000 km3, and encompasses...
Downs, Drew T.; Robinson, Joel E.; Stelten, Mark E.; Champion, Duane E.; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Sisson, Thomas W.; Zahran, Hani; Hassan, Khalid; Shawali, JamalAnalog experiments of lava flow emplacement
Laboratory experiments that simulate lava flows have been in use by volcanologists for many years. The behavior of flows in the lab, where “eruption” parameters, material properties, and environmental settings are tightly controlled, provides insight into the influence of various factors on flow evolution. A second benefit of laboratory lava flows...
Lev, Einat; Rumpf, Mary (Elise); Dietterich, Hannah R.Cyclic lava effusion during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano
Lava flows present a recurring threat to communities on active volcanoes, and volumetric eruption rate is one of the primary factors controlling flow behavior and hazard. The timescales and driving forces of eruption rate variability, however, remain poorly understood. In 2018, a highly destructive eruption occurred on the lower flank of Kīlauea...
Patrick, Matthew R.; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Lyons, John J.; Diefenbach, Angela K.; Parcheta, Carolyn; Anderson, Kyle R.; Namiki, Atsuko; Sumita, Ikuro; Shiro, Brian; Kauahikaua, James P.Topographic changes during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption from Single-pass Airborne InSAR
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Hawai‘i, was its most effusive in over 200 years. We apply the airborne Glacier and Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN‐A) interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) instrument to measure topographic change associated with the eruption. The GLISTIN‐A radar flew in response to the eruption,...
Lundgren, Paul R; Bagnardi, Marco; Dietterich, Hannah R.Lava flow morphology at an erupting andesitic stratovolcano: A satellite perspective on El Reventador, Ecuador
Lava flows pose a significant hazard to infrastructure and property located close to volcanoes, and understanding how flows advance is necessary to manage volcanic hazard during eruptions. Compared to low-silica basaltic flows, flows of andesitic composition are infrequently erupted and so relatively few studies of their characteristics and...
Arnold, David W. D.; Biggs, Juliet; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Vallejo Vargas, Silvia; Wadge, Geoffrey; Mothes, PatriciaThe 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...
Neal, Christina A.; Brantley, Steven; Antolik, Loren; Babb, Janet; Burgess, Matthew K.; Cappos, Michael; Chang, Jefferson; Conway, Sarah; Desmither, Liliana; Dotray, Peter; Elias, Tamar; Fukunaga, Pauline; Fuke, Steven; Johanson, Ingrid; Kamibayashi, Kevan; Kauahikaua, James P.; Lee, R. Lopaka; Pekalib, S.; Miklius, Asta; Shiro, Brian; Swanson, Don; Nadeau, Patricia; Zoeller, Michael H.; Okubo, P.; Parcheta, Carolyn; Patrick, Matthew R.; Tollett, William; Trusdell, Frank A.; Younger, Edward F.; Montgomery-brown, Emily; Anderson, Kyle R.; Poland, Michael P.; Ball, Jessica L.; Bard, Joseph A.; Coombs, Michelle L.; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Kern, Christoph; Thelen, Weston; Cervelli, Peter; Orr, Tim R.; Houghton, Bruce F.; Gansecki, Cheryl; Hazlett, Richard; Lundgren, Paul; Diefenbach, Angela K.; Lerner, Allan; Waite, Greg; Kelly, Peter J.; Clor, Laura E.; Werner, Cynthia; Burgess, Matthew; Mulliken, Katherine; Fisher, GaryReconstructing lava flow emplacement histories with rheological and morphological analyses: the Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mafic volcanic fields are widespread, but few have erupted in historic times, providing limited observations of the magnitudes, dynamics, and timescales of lava flow emplacement in these settings. To expand our knowledge of effusive mafic eruptions, we must evaluate solidified flows to discern syn-eruptive conditions. The Harrat Rahat volcanic...
Dietterich, Hannah R.; Downs, Drew T.; Stelten, Mark E.; Zahran, HaniTimescales of magmatic differentiation from alkali basalt to trachyte within the Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
A fundamental goal of igneous petrology is to quantify the duration of time required to produce evolved magmas following influx of basalt into the crust. However, in many cases, complex field relations and/or the presence of a long-lived magmatic system make it difficult to assess how basaltic inputs relate to more evolved magmas, therefore,...
Stelten, Mark E.; Downs, Drew T.; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Mahood, Gail A.; Calvert, Andrew T.; Sisson, Thomas W.; Zahran, Hani; Shawali, JamalVolcanic history of the northernmost part of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Saudi Arabia
We present a detailed geologic investigation of Pleistocene to Holocene mafic volcanism within the northernmost part of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field, proximal to the city of Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Our study area covers ∼570 km2, and encompasses lava flows, scoria cones, and shield volcanoes of 32 mapped eruptive units consisting of...
Downs, Drew T.; Stelten, Mark E.; Champion, Duane E.; Dietterich, Hannah R.; Nawab, Zohair; Zahran, Hani; Hassan, Khalid; Shawali, JamalBenchmarking computational fluid dynamics models of lava flow simulation for hazard assessment, forecasting, and risk management
Numerical simulations of lava flow emplacement are valuable for assessing lava flow hazards, forecasting active flows, designing flow mitigation measures, interpreting past eruptions, and understanding the controls on lava flow behavior. Existing lava flow models vary in simplifying assumptions, physics, dimensionality, and the degree to which...
Dietterich, Hannah R.; Lev, Einat; Chen, Jiangzhi; Richardson, Jacob A.; Cashman, Katharine V.Diverting lava flows in the lab
Recent volcanic eruptions in Hawai'i, Iceland and Cape Verde highlight the challenges of mitigating hazards when lava flows threaten infrastructure. Diversion barriers are the most common form of intervention, but historical attempts to divert lava flows have met with mixed success and there has been little systematic analysis of optimal...
Dietterich, Hannah R.; Cashman, Katharine V.; Rust, Alison C.; Lev, EinatTracking lava flow emplacement on the east rift zone of Kilauea, Hawai’i with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) coherence
Lava flow mapping is both an essential component of volcano monitoring and a valuable tool for investigating lava flow behavior. Although maps are traditionally created through field surveys, remote sensing allows an extraordinary view of active lava flows while avoiding the difficulties of mapping on location. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR)...
Dietterich, Hannah R.; Poland, Michael P.; Schmidt, David; Cashman, Katharine V.; Sherrod, David R.; Espinosa, Arkin Tapia