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Jonathan Glen

Jonathan is a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey working with the Geology, Minerals, Energy and Geophysics Science Center in Menlo Park, California. His recent research has mostly focused on applying potential-field, and rock- and paleo-magnetic methods to geologic and tectonic problems in the western U.S.

Jonathan's work involves studies in potential field geophysics and paleomagnetism applies to:

  • · Geothermal resources
  • · Basin and Range tectonics, volcanism, and metallogeny 
  • · Cascade Range and back-arc tectonics and metallogeny
  • · Alaska tectonics and metallogeny
  • · Paleomagnetic field behavior: magnetic polarity reversals, secular variation, excursions, paleointensity
  • · Magneostratigraphy and calibration of the magnetic polarity time scale 
  • · Hotspots and flood volcanism
  • · Mass Extinctions
  • · Electromagnetic monitoring of earthquakes
  • · Geophysical applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
     

PRESENT POSITIONS

  • Research Geophysicist; Geophysics Unit of Menlo Park (GUMP); Geology, Minerals, Energy and Geophysics Science Center (GMEG)
  • Chief, Geothermal Resource Investigations Project 

Professional Experience

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Berkeley Geochronology Center

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Earth and Planetary Sciences, U.C. Santa Cruz

  • Visiting Lecturer, Earth and Planetary Sciences, U.C. Santa Cruz

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. (Geophysics) University of California, Santa Cruz, 1994

  • B.A. (Geophysics) University of California, Berkeley, 1986 

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Consulting Professor: Geophysics Department, Stanford University

  • Research Associate, Geological Sciences Department, Central Washington University

  • Associate Researcher, Berkeley Geochronology Center

  • Associate Researcher, Earth and Planetary Sciences, U.C. Santa Cruz, California

Science and Products

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Geothermal Graphic:Map showing lithospheric plates and some active volcanoes with photo of California geysers.

Geothermal

Mission: to characterize and assess geothermal energy resources in the United States and to work with the Department of Energy and other partners to advance the technologies applied to discover, characterize, and utilize those resources.
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
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Geothermal

Mission: to characterize and assess geothermal energy resources in the United States and to work with the Department of Energy and other partners to advance the technologies applied to discover, characterize, and utilize those resources.
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Old Perpetual Geyser

Hydrogeologic and Geothermal Conditions of the Northwest Volcanic Aquifers

Although sparsely populated, this area in southeastern Oregon, northeastern California, northwestern Nevada, and southeastern Idaho has high geothermal heat flow that may be used to generate large amounts of electricity.
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Energy and Minerals, Water Resources, Oregon Water Science Center
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Hydrogeologic and Geothermal Conditions of the Northwest Volcanic Aquifers

Although sparsely populated, this area in southeastern Oregon, northeastern California, northwestern Nevada, and southeastern Idaho has high geothermal heat flow that may be used to generate large amounts of electricity.
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Geophysical characterization of geothermal resources on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in northeast Oregon

During the summers of 2017 and 2020, our team collected gravity, ground magnetic (ATV and hiked traverses), paleomagnetic and rock property (density and susceptibility) data on the Umatilla Indian Reservation (UIR) in northeast Oregon to aid in characterizing subsurface stratigraphy using 2D and 3D modeling methods. This data was integrated with conductance surfaces from a 3D magnetotelluic model
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

USGS Contributions to the Nevada Geothermal Machine Learning Project (DE-FOA-0001956): Geophysics Data

This package contains gravity and magnetics data and products generated for the Nevada Machine Learning (NVML) project (DE-FOA-0001956). Data products contained in this release consist of grids and vector data. Grids include: primary anomaly maps (isostatic and PSG), match-filtered maps, horizontal gradient (HG) maps, confidence maps, and maps showing density of specific key structural features. T
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

USGS Contributions to the Nevada Geothermal Machine Learning Project (DE-FOA-0001956): Geophysics, Heat Flow, Slip and Dilation Tendency

This package contains USGS data contributions to the DOE-funded Nevada Geothermal Machine Learning Project (DE-FOA-0001956), with the objective of developing a machine learning approach to identifying new geothermal systems in the Great Basin. This package contains three major data products (geophysics, heat flow, and fault dilation and slip tendencies) that cover a large portion of northern Nevad
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

High Resolution Gravity and Ground Magnetic Surveys of southern Gabbs Valley, NV

From late 2017 to early 2018, our team collected gravity, ground magnetic (ATV and hiked traverses) and rock property (density and susceptibility) data in southern Gabbs Valley in west-central Nevada.
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Clayton Valley Geophysical Data Release

This data release contains data from various geophysical studies performed around the larger Clayton Valley, NV area. These include reprocessed existing gravity data compiled from multiple sources, as well as newly collected gravity and ground magnetic data, and bulk densities and magnetic susceptibilities from outcrop, hand samples, and drill cores.
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Aeromagnetic data and design files related to testing of new drone-based magnetometer configurations and magnetic compensation software; 2020 Santa Cruz, CA, and Surprise Valley, CA

This dataset contains magnetometry data and design files related to testing of new drone-based magnetometer configurations and magnetic compensation software. Data were collected in Santa Cruz (CA) in September 2020 to compare two magnetometer systems that are flown with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Each system was flown using different suspension designs. To compare the systems and to characte
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Snake River Plain Play Fairway Analysis Phase 2 Favorability Model (DE EE0006733)

This data release contains all digital geographic data used and produced by the Snake River Plain Play Fairway Analysis (DE EE0006733) for Phase 2 (ArcGIS shapefiles and raster files) as well as the model processing script, tables, and documentation used to generate data outputs. Phase 2 examines two subset areas of the Phase 1 study area, Mountain Home and Camas Prairie. Brief descriptions of dat
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Snake River Plain Play Fairway Analysis Phase 1 Favorability Model (DE EE0006733)

This data release contains all digital geographic data used and produced by the Snake River Plain Play Fairway Analysis (DE EE0006733) for Phase 1 (ArcGIS shapefiles and raster files) as well as the model processing script, tables, and documentation used to generate data outputs. Brief descriptions of data layers are in the metadata of GIS files, greater detail is available in the Larger Work, the
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Energy Resources Program

Three-dimensional geologic map of the southern Carson Sink, Nevada, including the Fallon FORGE area

The three-dimensional (3–D) geologic map characterizes the subsurface in the southern Carson Sink region. We created the 3–D map by integrating the results from seismic-reflection, potential-field-geophysical, and lithologic well-logging inves­tigations completed in and around the Fallon FORGE site as part of the U.S. Department of Energy Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FOR
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Image: Surprise Valley, California
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Image: Ground surveying in Surprise Valley, California
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Filter Total Items: 22

Geophysical characterization of the Northwest Geysers geothermal field, California

The Clear Lake Volcanic Field in northern California is the youngest and northern-most part of a long-lived volcanic system that has produced recent (~10 ka) eruptions. Adjacent to the Clear Lake Volcanic Field is the worlds largest energy producing geothermal field, The Geysers. The hottest part of The Geysers geothermal field is in the northwest where temperatures reach ~400 C at 3 km depth. L
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Preliminary report on applications of machine learning techniques to the Nevada geothermal play fairway analysis

We are applying machine learning (ML) techniques, including training set augmentation and artificial neural networks, to mitigate key challenges in the Nevada play fairway project. The study area includes ~85 active geothermal systems as potential training sites and >12 geologic, geophysical, and geochemical features. The main goal is to develop an algorithmic approach to identify new geothermal s
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Play fairway analysis in geothermal exploration: The Snake River plain volcanic province

The Snake River volcanic province (SRP) has long been considered a target for geothermal development. It overlies a thermal anomaly that extends deep into the mantle and represents one of the highest heat flow provinces in North America, but systematic exploration been hindered by lack of a conceptual model. Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) is a methodology adapted from the petroleum industry that inte
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Discovering blind geothermal systems in the Great Basin Region: An integrated geologic and geophysical approach for establishing geothermal play fairways: All phases

Most geothermal resources in the Great Basin region of the western USA are blind, and thus the discovery of new commercial-grade systems requires synthesis of favorable characteristics for geothermal activity. The geothermal play fairway concept involves integration of multiple parameters indicative of geothermal activity to identify promising areas for new development. This project integrated mul
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Geophysical Characterization of the heat source in the Northwest Geysers, California

The Geysers, in northern California, is the largest energy producing geothermal field in the world. Looking to expand capacity, the operator Calpine Corporation developed an anomalously hot (~400 °C at 2.5 km depth) part of the field in the northwest Geysers, including testing of an enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). Though the area is anomalously hot, geophysical methods have failed to adequately
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Geologic setting of the proposed West Flank Forge Site, California: Suitability for EGS research and development

The proposed West Flank FORGE site is within the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS), China Lake, CA. The West Flank is west of the Coso geothermal field, an area of China Lake NAWS dominated by the Quaternary Coso volcanic field largely comprised of rhyolite domes and their volcaniclastic and epiclastic horizons. The largest dome flow complex, Sugarloaf Mountain, marks the northwestern ma
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Earthquake Science Center

Geologic setting of the proposed Fallon FORGE Site, Nevada: Suitability for EGS research and development

The proposed Fallon FORGE site lies within and adjacent to the Naval Air Station Fallon (NASF) directly southeast of the town of Fallon, Nevada, within the large basin of the Carson Sink in west-central Nevada. The site is located on two parcels that include land owned by the NASF and leased and owned by Ormat Nevada, Inc. The Carson Sink in the vicinity of the Fallon site is covered by Quaternary
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Earthquake Science Center

Structural controls on geothermal circulation in Surprise Valley, California: A re-evaluation of the Lake City fault zone

Faults and fractures play an important role in the circulation of geothermal fluids in the crust, and the nature of that role varies according to structural setting and state of stress. As a result, detailed geologic and geophysical mapping that relates thermal springs to known structural features is essential to modeling geothermal systems. Published maps of Surprise Valley in northeastern Califo
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Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Geophysical investigations of the geologic and hydrothermal framework of the Pilgrim Springs Geothermal Area, Alaska

Pilgrim Hot Springs, located on the Seward Peninsula in west-central Alaska, is characterized by hot springs, surrounding thawed regions, and elevated lake temperatures. The area is of interest because of its potential for providing renewable energy for Nome and nearby rural communities. We performed ground and airborne geophysical investigations of the Pilgrim Springs geothermal area to identify
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Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Correlation of geothermal springs with sub-surface fault terminations revealed by high-resolution, UAV-acquired magnetic data

There is widespread agreement that geothermal springs in extensional geothermal systems are concentrated at fault tips and in fault interaction zones where porosity and permeability are dynamically maintained (Curewitz and Karson, 1997; Faulds et al., 2010). Making these spatial correlations typically involves geological and geophysical studies in order to map structures and their relationship to
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Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Three-dimensional model of an ultramafic feeder system to the Nikolai Greenstone mafic large igneous province, central Alaska Range

The Amphitheater Mountains and southern central Alaska Range expose a thick sequence of Triassic Nikolai basalts that is underlain by several mafic‐ultramafic complexes, the largest and best exposed being the Fish Lake and Tangle (FL‐T) mafic‐ultramafic sills that flank the Amphitheater Mountains synform. Three‐dimensional (3‐D) modeling of gravity and magnetic data reveals details of the structur
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Very rapid geomagnetic field change recorded by the partial remagnetization of a lava flow

A new paleomagnetic result from a lava flow with a distinctive, two-part remanence reinforces the controversial hypothesis that geomagnetic change during a polarity reversal can be much faster than normal. The 3.9-m-thick lava (“Flow 20”) is exposed in the Sheep Creek Range (north central Nevada) and was erupted during a reverse-to-normal (R-N) geomagnetic polarity switch at 15.6 Ma. Flow 20 began

Science and Products

*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