Jacob B. Lowenstern
Jake Lowenstern is a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver, WA. He serves as the Chief of the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, which is a partnership of the USGS and USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance.
From 2002-2017, Jake served as Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Through his career, he has worked on a wide variety of topics related to magmas and their overlying hydrothermal systems.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Stanford University 1992
M.S. Stanford University 1991
A. B. Dartmouth College 1986
Affiliations and Memberships*
Geological Society of America (GSA)
Mineralogical Society of America (MSA)
American Geophysical Union
Society of Economic Geologists (SEG)
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
Honors and Awards
Fellow, GSA 2010
Fellow, MSA 2021
Lindgren Award (SEG) 2000
AAPG Distinguished Lecturer, 2006
Science and Products
Geologic field-trip guide to the volcanic and hydrothermal landscape of the Yellowstone Plateau
Monitoring gas and heat emissions at Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA based on a combined eddy covariance and Multi-GAS approach
Probing magma reservoirs to improve volcano forecasts
The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program—Helping to save lives worldwide for more than 30 years
Causes of distal volcano-tectonic seismicity inferred from hydrothermal modeling
Conversion of wet glass to melt at lower seismogenic zone conditions: Implications for pseudotachylyte creep
Multireaction equilibrium geothermometry: A sensitivity analysis using data from the Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA
Quantifying gas emissions from the 946 CE Millennium Eruption of Paektu volcano, Democratic People's Republic of Korea/China
Abstract volume for the 2016 biennial meeting of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
Low-δD hydration rinds in Yellowstone perlites record rapid syneruptive hydration during glacial and interglacial conditions
Geothermal solute flux monitoring and the source and fate of solutes in the Snake River, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Radiocarbon dating of silica sinter deposits in shallow drill cores from the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 68
Geologic field-trip guide to the volcanic and hydrothermal landscape of the Yellowstone Plateau
Yellowstone National Park, a nearly 9,000 km2 (~3,468 mi2) area, was preserved in 1872 as the world’s first national park for its unique, extraordinary, and magnificent natural features. Rimmed by a crescent of older mountainous terrain, Yellowstone National Park has at its core the Quaternary Yellowstone Plateau, an undulating landscape shaped by forces of late Cenozoic explosive and effusive volAuthorsLisa Ann Morgan Morzel, W. C. Pat Shanks, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Jamie M. Farrell, Joel E. RobinsonMonitoring gas and heat emissions at Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA based on a combined eddy covariance and Multi-GAS approach
We quantified gas and heat emissions in an acid-sulfate, vapor-dominated area (0.04-km2) of Norris Geyser Basin, located just north of the 0.63 Ma Yellowstone Caldera and near an area of anomalous uplift. From 14 May to 3 October 2016, an eddy covariance system measured half-hourly CO2, H2O and sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes and a Multi-GAS instrument measured (1 Hz frequency) atmospheriAuthorsJennifer L. Lewicki, Peter J. Kelly, Deborah Bergfeld, R. Greg Vaughan, Jacob B. LowensternProbing magma reservoirs to improve volcano forecasts
When it comes to forecasting eruptions, volcano observatories rely mostly on real-time signals from earthquakes, ground deformation, and gas discharge, combined with probabilistic assessments based on past behavior [Sparks and Cashman, 2017]. There is comparatively less reliance on geophysical and petrological understanding of subsurface magma reservoirs.AuthorsJacob B. Lowenstern, Thomas W. Sisson, Shaul HurwitzThe Volcano Disaster Assistance Program—Helping to save lives worldwide for more than 30 years
What do you do when a sleeping volcano roars back to life? For more than three decades, countries around the world have called upon the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) to contribute expertise and equipment in times of crisis. Co-funded by the USGS and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA),AuthorsJacob B. Lowenstern, David W. RamseyCauses of distal volcano-tectonic seismicity inferred from hydrothermal modeling
Distal volcano-tectonic (dVT) seismicity typically precedes eruption at long-dormant volcanoes by days to years. Precursory dVT seismicity may reflect magma-induced fluid-pressure pulses that intersect critically stressed faults. We explored this hypothesis using an open-source magmatic-hydrothermal code that simulates multiphase fluid and heat transport over the temperature range 0 to 1200 °C. WeAuthorsCecile A. Coulon, Paul A. Hsieh, Randall A. White, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Steven E. IngebritsenConversion of wet glass to melt at lower seismogenic zone conditions: Implications for pseudotachylyte creep
Coseismic frictional melting and the production of quenched glass called pseudotachylyte is a recurring process during earthquakes. To investigate how glassy materials affect the postseismic strength and stability of faults, obsidian gouges were sheared under dry and wet conditions from 200°C to 300°C at ~150 MPa effective normal stress. Dry glass exhibited a brittle rheology at all conditions tesAuthorsBrooks P. Proctor, David A. Lockner, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Nicholas M. BeelerMultireaction equilibrium geothermometry: A sensitivity analysis using data from the Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA
A multireaction chemical equilibria geothermometry (MEG) model applicable to high-temperature geothermal systems has been developed over the past three decades. Given sufficient data, this model provides more constraint on calculated reservoir temperatures than classical chemical geothermometers that are based on either the concentration of silica (SiO2), or the ratios of cation concentrations. AAuthorsJonathan M. King, Shaul Hurwitz, Jacob B. Lowenstern, D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskeyQuantifying gas emissions from the 946 CE Millennium Eruption of Paektu volcano, Democratic People's Republic of Korea/China
Paektu volcano (Changbaishan) is a rhyolitic caldera that straddles the border between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and China. Its most recent large eruption was the Millennium Eruption (ME; 23 km3 DRE) circa 946 CE, which resulted in the release of copious magmatic volatiles (H2O, CO2, sulfur, and halogens). Accurate quantification of volatile yield and composition is criticalAuthorsKayla Iacovino, Kim Ju-Song, Thomas W. Sisson, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Ri Ku-Hun, Jang Jong-Nam, Song Kun-Ho, Ham Song-Hwan, Clive Oppenheimer, James O.S. Hammond, Amy Donovan, Kosima Weber-Liu, Ryu Kum-RanAbstract volume for the 2016 biennial meeting of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
IntroductionEvery two years, scientists, natural resource managers, outreach specialists, and a variety of other interested parties get together for the biennial meeting of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO). Each time, the theme varies. In past years, we have focused the meeting around topics including monitoring plans, emergency response, geodesy, and outreach. This year, we spent the firLow-δD hydration rinds in Yellowstone perlites record rapid syneruptive hydration during glacial and interglacial conditions
Hydration of silicic volcanic glass forms perlite, a dusky, porous form of altered glass characterized by abundant “onion-skin” fractures. The timing and temperature of perlite formation are enigmatic and could plausibly occur during eruption, during post-eruptive cooling, or much later at ambient temperatures. To learn more about the origin of natural perlite, and to fingerprint the hydration watAuthorsIlya N. Bindeman, Jacob B. LowensternGeothermal solute flux monitoring and the source and fate of solutes in the Snake River, Yellowstone National Park, WY
The combined geothermal discharge from over 10,000 features in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) can be can be estimated from the Cl flux in the Madison, Yellowstone, Falls, and Snake Rivers. Over the last 30 years, the Cl flux in YNP Rivers has been calculated using discharge measurements and Cl concentrations determined in discrete water samples and it has been determined that approximately 12% ofAuthorsR. Blaine McCleskey, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Jonas Schaper, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Henry P. Heasler, Dan MahonyRadiocarbon dating of silica sinter deposits in shallow drill cores from the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
To explore the timing of hydrothermal activity at the Upper Geyser Basin (UGB) in Yellowstone National Park, we obtained seven new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon 14C ages of carbonaceous material trapped within siliceous sinter. Five samples came from depths of 15–152 cm within the Y-1 well, and two samples were from well Y-7 (depths of 24 cm and 122 cm). These two wells, at BlackAuthorsJacob B. Lowenstern, Shaul Hurwitz, John McGeehin - Software
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*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