AVO seismologists work to repair a seismic station on Little Sitkin Volcano in the western Aleutians Islands.
John Lyons
I study infrasound and seismic data from restless and erupting volcanoes in Alaska and around the world. Analyzing geophysical data from volcanoes helps me better understand the processes that generate the signals and informs the hazards associated with those processes. My research also aims to identify and develop better tools for monitoring changing and potentially hazardous eruptive activity.
Education
2011* - Ph.D. Geophysics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI *Includes 2 years (2005-07) of Peace Corps Service (Guatemala)
2002 - M.S. Geology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
1998 - B.S. Geology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
Professional Experience
Research Geophysicist, Volcano Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK (2016 – present)
Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, Volcano Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK (Nov. 2012 – Feb. 2016)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Instituto Geofísico – Escuela Politécnica, Ecuador (Sept. 2011 – Oct. 2012)
Research Scientist, Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo (May 2011 – Sept. 2011)
Education and Certifications
PhD in geophysics: Michigan Technological University (2004 – 2011*)
*Includes 27 months (2005-2007) of Peace Corps Service as part of Ph.D. studyMS in geology: University of Idaho (2002 – 2004)
BS (honors) in geology: Missouri State University (1998 – 2002)
Science and Products
Population Ecology of Red Knots (C. c. roselaari) in the Pacific-Americas Flyway
Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy data acquired at Mount Pagan volcano (Mariana Islands) on 6 April 2014
AVO seismologists work to repair a seismic station on Little Sitkin Volcano in the western Aleutians Islands.
Pagan Volcano is the largest and one of the most active volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands. Prior to 2013, the volcano was not monitored with any ground-based instruments, so activity was observed only by satellite or by the few island inhabitants. Although geographically remote, eruptions from Pagan can threaten international air traffic.
Pagan Volcano is the largest and one of the most active volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands. Prior to 2013, the volcano was not monitored with any ground-based instruments, so activity was observed only by satellite or by the few island inhabitants. Although geographically remote, eruptions from Pagan can threaten international air traffic.
2020 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
2021 Volcanic activity in Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
Atmospheric waves and global seismoacoustic observations of the January 2022 Hunga eruption, Tonga
Tracking secondary lahar flow paths and characterizing pulses and surges using infrasound array networks at Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala
Fitting jet noise similarity spectra to volcano infrasound data
High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate
Local explosion detection and infrasound localization by reverse time migration using 3-D finite-difference wave propagation
Volcanic seismicity beneath Chuginadak Island, Alaska (Cleveland and Tana volcanoes): Implications for magma dynamics and eruption forecasting
Linking subsurface to surface using gas emission and melt inclusion data at Mount Cleveland volcano, Alaska
Evolving infrasound detections from Bogoslof volcano, Alaska: Insights from atmospheric propagation modeling
Did ice-charging generate volcanic lightning during the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska?
Science and Products
- Science
Population Ecology of Red Knots (C. c. roselaari) in the Pacific-Americas Flyway
The Red Knot ( Calidris canutus roselaari ) is long-distance migrant in the Pacific-Americas Flyway. The subspecies relies on a small number of stopover sites between Mexico and Alaska during migration. Extreme site fidelity and small population size make it vulnerable to environmental impacts and the effects of climate change. - Data
Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy data acquired at Mount Pagan volcano (Mariana Islands) on 6 April 2014
On 6 April 2014, a Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) instrument was used to measure the radiance of scattered solar radiation passing through the plume emitted from Mount Pagan volcano, Mariana Islands. Spectra were recorded in the ultraviolet (UV: 240 - 390 nm) wavelength range at 0.6 nm resolution. A scanner was used to scan the spectrometer's viewing direction vertically throu - Multimedia
Repairing Seismic Stations in Alaska
AVO seismologists work to repair a seismic station on Little Sitkin Volcano in the western Aleutians Islands.
AVO seismologists work to repair a seismic station on Little Sitkin Volcano in the western Aleutians Islands.
Monitoring network installation at Pagan VolcanoPagan Volcano is the largest and one of the most active volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands. Prior to 2013, the volcano was not monitored with any ground-based instruments, so activity was observed only by satellite or by the few island inhabitants. Although geographically remote, eruptions from Pagan can threaten international air traffic.
Pagan Volcano is the largest and one of the most active volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands. Prior to 2013, the volcano was not monitored with any ground-based instruments, so activity was observed only by satellite or by the few island inhabitants. Although geographically remote, eruptions from Pagan can threaten international air traffic.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 32
2020 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at nine volcanic centers in Alaska in 2020. The most notable volcanic activity in 2020 was an eruption of Shishaldin Volcano, which produced lava flows, lahars, and ash. Mount Cleveland had one small ash-producing eruption in June but was quiet thereafterAuthorsTim R. Orr, Cheryl Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew W. Loewen, Taryn Lopez, John J. Lyons, Jenny Nakai, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Gabrielle Tepp, Christopher F. Waythomas2021 Volcanic activity in Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
In 2021, the Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at 15 volcanic centers in Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Eruptive activity in Alaska consisted of repeated small, ash-producing, phreatomagmatic explosions from Mount Young on Semisopochnoi Island; an explosion at GrAuthorsTim R. Orr, Hannah R. Dietterich, David Fee, Társilo Girona, Ronni Grapenthin, Matthew M. Haney, Matthew W. Loewen, John J. Lyons, John A. Power, Hans F. Schwaiger, David J. Schneider, Darren Tan, Liam Toney, Valerie K. Wasser, Christopher F. WaythomasAtmospheric waves and global seismoacoustic observations of the January 2022 Hunga eruption, Tonga
The 15 January 2022 climactic eruption of Hunga volcano, Tonga, produced an explosion in the atmosphere of a size that has not been documented in the modern geophysical record. The event generated a broad range of atmospheric waves observed globally by various ground-based and spaceborne instrumentation networks. Most prominent was the surface-guided Lamb wave (≲0.01 hertz), which we observed propAuthorsRobin S. Matoza, David Fee, Jelle D. Assink, Alexandra M. Iezzi, David N. Green, Keehoon Kim, Liam Toney, Thomas Lecocq, Siddharth Krishnamoorthy, Jean-Marie Lalande, Kiwamu Nishida, Kent L. Gee, Matthew M. Haney, Hugo D. Ortiz, Quentin Brissaud, Léo Martire, Lucie Rolland, Panagiotis Vergados, Alexandra Nippress, Junghyun Park, Shahar Shani-Kadmiel, Alex Witsil, Stephen Arrowsmith, Corentin Caudron, Shingo Watada, Anna Perttu, Benoit Taisne, Pierrick Mialle, Alexis Le Pichon, Julien Vergoz, Patrick Hupe, Philip S. Blom, Roger M. Waxler, Silvio De Angelis, Jonathan Snively, Adam T. Ringler, Robert E. Anthony, Arthur Din Jolly, Geoff Kilgour, Gil Averbuch, Maurizio Ripepe, Mie Ichihara, Alejandra Arciniega-Ceballos, Elvira Astafyeva, Lars Ceranna, Sandrine Cevuard, Il-Young Che, Rodrigo de Negri Leiva, Carl W. Ebeling, Läslo G. Evers, Luis E. Franco-Marin, Tom Gabrielson, Katrin Hafner, R. Giles Harrison, Attila Komjathy, Giorgio Lacanna, John J. Lyons, Kenneth A. Macpherson, Emanuele Marchetti, Kathleen McKee, Rob Mellors, Gerardo Mendo-Pérez, T. Dylan Mikesell, Edhah Munaibari, Mayra Oyola-Merced, Iseul Park, Christoph Pilger, Cristina Ramos, Mario Ruiz, Roberto Sabatini, Hans Schwaiger, Dorianne Tailpied, Carrick Talmadge, Jérôme Vidot, Jeremy Webster, David C. WilsonTracking secondary lahar flow paths and characterizing pulses and surges using infrasound array networks at Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala
Lahars are one of the greatest hazards at many volcanoes, including Volcán de Fuego (Guatemala). On 1 December 2018 at 8:00pm local Guatemala time (2:00:00 UTC), an hour-long lahar event was detected at Volcán de Fuego by two permanent seismo-acoustic stations along the Las Lajas channel on the southeast side. To establish the timing, duration, and speed of the lahar, infrasound array records wereAuthorsAshley Bosa, Jeffery Johnson, Silvio DeAngelis, John J. Lyons, Amilcar Roca, Jacob Anderson, Armando PinedaFitting jet noise similarity spectra to volcano infrasound data
Infrasound (low-frequency acoustic waves) has proven useful to detect and characterize subaerial volcanic activity, but understanding the infrasonic source during sustained eruptions is still an area of active research. Preliminary comparison between acoustic eruption spectra and the jet noise similarity spectra suggests that volcanoes can produce an infrasonic form of jet noise from turbulence. TAuthorsJulia Gestrich, David Fee, Robin Matoza, John J. Lyons, Mario RuizHigh-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano produced large and destructive lava flows from the fissure 8 (Ahu ‘aila ‘au) vent with flow velocities up to 17 m s−1, highly variable effusion rates over both short (minutes) and long (hours) time scales, and a proximal channel or spillway that displayed flow features similar to open channel flow in river systems. Monitoring such dynamic vent and lava flow sysAuthorsJohn J. Lyons, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick, David FeeLocal explosion detection and infrasound localization by reverse time migration using 3-D finite-difference wave propagation
Infrasound data are routinely used to detect and locate volcanic and other explosions, using both arrays and single sensor networks. However, at local distances (<15 km) topography often complicates acoustic propagation, resulting in inaccurate acoustic travel times leading to biased source locations when assuming straight-line propagation. Here we present a new method, termed Reverse Time MigratiAuthorsDavid Fee, Liam Toney, Keehoon Kim, Richard Sanderson, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Robin S Matoza, Silvio DeAngelis, Art Jolly, John J. Lyons, Matthew M. HaneyVolcanic seismicity beneath Chuginadak Island, Alaska (Cleveland and Tana volcanoes): Implications for magma dynamics and eruption forecasting
Cleveland and Tana are remote volcanoes located in the central Aleutian volcanic arc on the eastern end of the Islands of Four Mountains (IFM). The persistently active Mount Cleveland volcano, on the western side of Chuginadak Island, is surrounded by several closely spaced Quaternary volcanic centers including Carlisle, Herbert, Kagamil, Tana, and Uliaga, and numerous small satellite vents on ChiAuthorsJohn Power, Diana Roman, John J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney, Daniel J. Rasmussen, Terry Plank, K. P. Nicolaysen, Pavel Izbekov, C. Werner, A KaufmanLinking subsurface to surface using gas emission and melt inclusion data at Mount Cleveland volcano, Alaska
Mount Cleveland is one of Alaska's most active volcanoes, yet little is known about the magmatic system driving persistent and dynamic volcanic activity. Volcanic gas and melt inclusion (MI) data from 2016 were combined to investigate shallow magmatic processes. SO2 emission rates were between 166 and 324 t/day and the H2O/SO2 was 600 ± 53, whereas CO2 and H2S were below detection. Olivine‐, clinoAuthorsCynthia Werner, Daniel J. Rasmussen, Terry Plank, Peter J. Kelly, Christoph Kern, Taryn Lopez, Jonas Gliss, John Power, Diana Roman, Pavel Izbekov, John J. LyonsEvolving infrasound detections from Bogoslof volcano, Alaska: Insights from atmospheric propagation modeling
Bogoslof volcano, a back-arc volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian arc, began an eruptive sequence in mid-December 2016 that ended in late August 2017, with 70 individual eruptive episodes. Because there were no local seismic or infrasound stations on the island, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) relied on distant geophysical networks and remote sensing techniques to assess activity during the eruption.AuthorsHans Schwaiger, John J. Lyons, Alexandra M. Iezzi, David Fee, Matthew M. HaneyDid ice-charging generate volcanic lightning during the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska?
The 2016–2017 shallow submarine eruption of Bogoslof volcano in Alaska injected plumes of ash and seawater to maximum heights of ~ 12 km. More than 4550 volcanic lightning strokes were detected by the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) and Vaisala’s Global Lightning Dataset (GLD360) over 9 months. Lightning assisted monitoring efforts by confirming ash-producing explosions in near-realAuthorsAlexa R. Van Eaton, David J. Schneider, Cassandra Marie Smith, Matthew M. Haney, John J. Lyons, Ryan Said, David Fee, Robert H. Holzworth, Larry G. Mastin