Jon Major
My research focuses on hydrological hazards associated with volcanic eruptions and landscape responses to large inputs of sediment, including from dam removals. Projects focus on: (1) identifying hydrogeomorphic processes altered by volcanic disturbance; (2) evaluating hydrogeomorphic consequences; and (3) quantifying characteristic hydrogeomorphic response times and durations.
Professional Experience
Scientist-in-Charge, USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, 2021–present
Research hydrologist, USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1997–2021
Hydrologist, USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1993–1997
Geologist, USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1984–1993
Hydrologic field assistant, technician, USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1982–1984
Other professional service:
Panel member, GSA Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology (QG&G) Division, 2002-2004
Secretary, GSA QG&G Division, 2006-2012
Member, International Organizing Committee, International Debris Flow Hazards Mitigation Conferences (DFHM), 2008-2015
Chair, DFHM IOC, 2008-2012Chair, DFHM IOC, 2008-2012
Co-chair of local planning committee for IAVCEI 2017 Scientific Assembly, Portland,
Education and Certifications
University of Dayton, B.S., 1980, Geology
The Pennsylvania State University, M.S., 1984, Geology
University of Washington, Ph.D., 1996, Geology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Geological Society of America
American Geophysical Union
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
American Avalanche Association (Member affiliate)
Editor:
Associate editor, Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2000-2011
Associate editor, Journal of Geophysical Research–Earth Surface, 2010-2014
Review editor, Frontiers in Volcanology, 2014 - Present
Co-editor, Geological Society of America Special Paper 375, Natural Hazards in El Salvador
Co-editor, Debris Flow Hazards Mitigation--Mechanics, Prediction, and Assessment: Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Debris Flow Hazards Mitigation (Millpress)
Chief guest editor, Andean Geology issue focused on the eruption of Chaitén Volcano (2013, v. 40(2))
Honors and Awards
Fellow, Geological Society of America (GSA)
E.B. Burwell Award, GSA, 1991
University of Dayton Alumni Special Achievement Award, 1999
Kirk Bryan Award, GSA, 2008
DOI Superior Service Award, 2018
Science and Products
My research publications can be parsed among various disciplinary studies. A full listing can be found on my Google Scholar profile (search for this via your web browser) and under the publications tab listing below. Publication topics include:
- Landslides, debris flows, and slurry rheology
- Volcanic eruptions and volcaniclastic processes (lahars, pyroclastic flows)
- Hydrogeomorphic responses to eruptions
- Geomorphic and ecologic responses to dam removals
- Photogrammetric analyses of eruptive processes
Volcanic debris flows in developing countries - The extreme need for public education and awareness of debris-flow hazards
Assessment of landslide hazards resulting from the February 13, 2001, El Salvador earthquake; a report to the government of El Salvador and the U. S. Agency for International Development
Volcano-hazard zonation for San Vicente volcano, El Salvador
Evolution and timing of suspended-sediment transport following the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption
Volcano hazards in the San Salvador region, El Salvador
Lahar-hazard zonation for San Miguel volcano, El Salvador
Gravity-driven consolidation of granular slurries: Implications for debris-flow deposition and deposit characteristics
Mount Hood - history and hazards of Oregon's most recently active volcano
No abstract available.
Sediment yield following severe volcanic disturbance - A two-decade perspective from Mount St. Helens
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Publications
My research publications can be parsed among various disciplinary studies. A full listing can be found on my Google Scholar profile (search for this via your web browser) and under the publications tab listing below. Publication topics include:
- Landslides, debris flows, and slurry rheology
- Volcanic eruptions and volcaniclastic processes (lahars, pyroclastic flows)
- Hydrogeomorphic responses to eruptions
- Geomorphic and ecologic responses to dam removals
- Photogrammetric analyses of eruptive processes
Filter Total Items: 99Volcanic debris flows in developing countries - The extreme need for public education and awareness of debris-flow hazards
In many developing countries, volcanic debris flows pose a significant societal risk owing to the distribution of dense populations that commonly live on or near a volcano. At many volcanoes, modest volume (up to 500,000 m 3) debris flows are relatively common (multiple times per century) and typically flow at least 5 km along established drainages. Owing to typical debris-flow velocities there isAuthorsJ. J. Major, S. P. Schilling, C.R. PullingerAssessment of landslide hazards resulting from the February 13, 2001, El Salvador earthquake; a report to the government of El Salvador and the U. S. Agency for International Development
On February 13, 2001, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred about 40 km eastsoutheast of the capital city of San Salvador in central El Salvador and triggered thousands of landslides in the area east of Lago de Ilopango. The landslides are concentrated in a 2,500-km2 area and are particularly abundant in areas underlain by thick deposits of poorly consolidated, late Pleistocene and HoloceAuthorsRex L. Baum, Anthony J. Crone, Demetreo Escobar, Edwin L. Harp, Jon J. Major, Mauricio Martinez, Carlos Pullinger, Mark E. SmithVolcano-hazard zonation for San Vicente volcano, El Salvador
San Vicente volcano, also known as Chichontepec, is one of many volcanoes along the volcanic arc in El Salvador. This composite volcano, located about 50 kilometers east of the capital city San Salvador, has a volume of about 130 cubic kilometers, rises to an altitude of about 2180 meters, and towers above major communities such as San Vicente, Tepetitan, Guadalupe, Zacatecoluca, and Tecoluca. InAuthorsJ. J. Major, S. P. Schilling, C.R. Pullinger, C.D. Escobar, M.M. HowellEvolution and timing of suspended-sediment transport following the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption
No abstract available.AuthorsJon J. MajorVolcano hazards in the San Salvador region, El Salvador
San Salvador volcano is one of many volcanoes along the volcanic arc in El Salvador (figure 1). This volcano, having a volume of about 110 cubic kilometers, towers above San Salvador, the country’s capital and largest city. The city has a population of approximately 2 million, and a population density of about 2100 people per square kilometer. The city of San Salvador and other communitiesAuthorsJ. J. Major, S. P. Schilling, D.J. Sofield, C.D. Escobar, C.R. PullingerLahar-hazard zonation for San Miguel volcano, El Salvador
San Miguel volcano, also known as Chaparrastique, is one of many volcanoes along the volcanic arc in El Salvador. The volcano, located in the eastern part of the country, rises to an altitude of about 2130 meters and towers above the communities of San Miguel, El Transito, San Rafael Oriente, and San Jorge. In addition to the larger communities that surround the volcano, several smaller communitieAuthorsJ. J. Major, S. P. Schilling, C.R. Pullinger, C.D. Escobar, C.A. Chesner, M.M. HowellGravity-driven consolidation of granular slurries: Implications for debris-flow deposition and deposit characteristics
No abstract available.AuthorsJon J. MajorMount Hood - history and hazards of Oregon's most recently active volcano
No abstract available.
AuthorsCynthia A. Gardner, William E. Scott, Jon J. Major, Thomas C. PiersonBySediment yield following severe volcanic disturbance - A two-decade perspective from Mount St. Helens
Explosive volcanic eruptions perturb water and sediment fluxes in watersheds; consequently, posteruption sediment yields can exceed pre-eruption yields by several orders of magnitude. Annual suspended-sediment yields following the catastrophic 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption were as much as 500 times greater than typical background level, and they generally declined nonlinearly for more than a decaAuthorsJ. J. Major, T. C. Pierson, R.L. Dinehart, J. E. Costa - News
*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