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Kendra J. Lynn, Ph.D.

My research leverages petrology and geochemistry to investigate the timescales of geologic processes operating in Earth’s mantle and volcanic systems – from the generation of magma during melting to its eruption. Understanding the timing and duration of magma storage and transport is critical for constraining the dynamic evolution of our planet and volcanic eruption scenarios.

A bit more about me: I am a first-generation college student who grew up in a small farm town in rural Minnesota and I have always loved volcanoes. As an undergraduate student at Winona State University, I did two senior thesis projects: one on soil chemistry for an organic farm and the second on structural geology and metamorphic petrology of a shear zone in Maine.

Professional Experience

  • CONVERSE H-SAC (Community Network for Volcanic Eruption Response Hawai'i Scientific Advisory Committee, HVO Representative), Volcano Science Center Seminar Series Committee (HVO Representative)

  • Research Geologist, US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (2020-present) - Petrologic and geochemical studies of Hawaiian volcanoes

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Delaware (2017-2020) - Aqueous fluid-rock and silicate melt-rock interactions that re-equilibrate hydrogen in peridotite nominally anhydrous minerals; high temperature hydrothermal alteration in Gakkel Ridge abyssal peridotites

  • Research Associate, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (2017-2020) - Redox and source heterogeneity of the arctic Gakkel Ridge

  • Research Fellow, East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes, Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University (2015) - Investigating magma ascent rate and eruption style at Kīlauea Volcano using diffusion modeling of element zoning in olivine crystals

  • Research Assistant, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (2012-2017) - Compositional Zoning in Kīlauea Olivine: A geochemical tool for investigating magmatic processes at Hawaiian Volcanoes

Education and Certifications

  • University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Ph.D. (2017) - Geology and Geophysics

  • University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, M.S. en route (2015) - Geology and Geophysics

  • Winona State University, B.S. (2012) - Geology

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • American Geophysical Union

  • Geological Society of America

  • Mineralogical Society of America

  • Earth Science Women's Network

Honors and Awards

  • PI, Evaluating the causes of protracted explosive eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, National Science Foundation, EAR-1939964 ($255,595). Co-PI Jessica M. Warren

Abstracts and Presentations

  • Selected Conference Presentations

  • 2021 (Invited, Session Keynote) - Lynn, K.J. Big changes at Kilauea Volcano: The impact of 2018 summit collapse on magmatic processes recorded by the 2020 eruption. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Abstracts with Programs, 53(6), doi: 10.1130/abs/2021AM-366992.

  • 2020 (Invited, Early Career Innovative Session on Petrology and Volcanism) - Lynn, K.J., Swanson, D.A., Rose, T., Trusdell, F.A. Leveraging geochemistry and petrology to explore the origins of explosive vs. effusive eruptive periods at Kīlauea Volcano (HI). Abstract INV10d-0003, AGU Virtual Fall Meeting.

  • 2020 (Invited) - Lynn, K.J., Rose, T., Swanson, D.A. Olivine and glass chemistry record cycles of plumbing system evolution after summit collapse at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. Virtual Goldschmidt Conference. doi: 10.46427/gold2020.1670.

  • 2019 (Invited) - Lynn, K.J., Garcia, M.O., Shea, T. Phosphorus coupling obfuscates lithium geospeedometry in olivine. Abstract V43A-06, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Science and Products

Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020

In 2018, a large effusive eruption on the lower flank of Kīlauea Volcano was associated with collapse and subsidence of the summit caldera floor (Neal and others, 2019).  The bottom of Halemaʻumaʻu, a crater nested within the summit caldera, subsided by more than 500 m.  In July 2019, water was observed ponding on the deepest part of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor and the water rose and enlarged in
By
Volcano Science Center, Kīlauea

Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi

At 11:21 p.m. (Hawaii Standard Time [HST]) on November 27, 2022, Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi started erupting from fissures at its summit caldera, Mokuʻāweoweo. This was followed shortly afterwards by the opening of a segment of fissures in the direction of the Southwest Rift Zone. These were mostly within the structural boundary of the caldera, so their location is denoted as ‘Sout
By
Volcano Science Center, Mauna Loa

Olivine and glass analyses for select eruptions of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i

Olivine and glass major and minor element chemistry for select eruptions of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i as measured by electron microprobe, with secondary standard analyses.
By
Volcano Science Center, Kīlauea

Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020

During 2018, Kilauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiii, had a large effusive eruption (~1 cubic kilometer of lava) on the lower East Rift Zone that caused widespread destruction (Neal and others, 2019; Dietterich and others, 2021). This lower flank eruption was accompanied by one of the largest collapses of the summit caldera in two hundred years, with portions of the caldera floor subsiding more
By
Volcano Science Center, Kīlauea

Olivine diffusion constrains months-scale magma transport within Kīlauea volcano’s summit reservoir system prior to the 2020 eruption

The unprecedented 2018 summit collapse at Kīlauea and subsequent 2020–2021 eruption within the newly deepened Halema‘uma‘u Crater provide an unparalleled opportunity to understand how collapse events impact a volcano’s shallow reservoir system and magmatic processes. Glass and olivine from tephra ejected by lava fountains and several explosions on 20–21 December, within a few hours of the 2020 eru
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Patricia Nadeau, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Jefferson Chang, Peter Dotray, Ingrid Johanson
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Dynamics of magma mixing and magma mobilization beneath Mauna Loa – Insights from the 1950 AD Southwest Rift Zone eruption.

Eruptions from Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone (SWRZ) pose a significant threat to nearby communities due to high eruption rates and steep slopes resulting in little time for evacuation. Despite the large body of research done on Mauna Loa, knowledge of the timing and duration of magma residence and transfer through its internal plumbing system is still poorly constrained. This study presents a fi
Authors
Maren Kahl, Daniel J. Morgan, Carl Thornber, Richard Walshaw, Kendra J. Lynn, Frank A. Trusdell
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Cascades Volcano Observatory

Creating oriented and precisely sectioned mineral mounts for in situ chemical analyses—An example using olivine for diffusion chronometry studies

Diffusion chronometry is now a widely applied methodology for determining the rates and timescales of geologic processes from the chemical zoning observed in minerals. Despite the popularity of the method, several challenges still remain during its application, including: (1) the random sectioning of minerals either in thin sections or grain mounts in which both off-center and oblique sections con
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Liliana G. Desmither
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea: Insights, puzzles, and opportunities for volcano science

The science of volcanology advances disproportionately during exceptionally large or well-observed eruptions. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawai‘i) was its most impactful in centuries, involving an outpouring of more than one cubic kilometer of basalt, a magnitude 7 flank earthquake, and the volcano’s largest summit collapse since at least the nineteenth century. Eruptive activity was doc
Authors
Kyle R. Anderson, Tom Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Emily Montgomery-Brown, Donald A. Swanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Brian Shiro, Christina A. Neal
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Volcano Science Center

Coordinating science during an eruption: Lessons from the 2020–2021 Kīlauea volcanic eruption

Data collected during well-observed eruptions can lead to dramatic increases in our understanding of volcanic processes. However, the necessary prioritization of public safety and hazard mitigation during a crisis means that scientific opportunities may be sacrificed. Thus, maximizing the scientific gains from eruptions requires improved planning and coordinating science activities among governmen
Authors
Kari M. Cooper, Kyle R. Anderson, Kathy Cashman, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Tobias Fischer, Bruce F. Houghton, Ingrid Johanson, Kendra J. Lynn, Michael Manga, Christelle Wauthier
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Magma storage and transport timescales for the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption and implications for diffusion chronometry studies using time-series samples versus tephra deposits

Complex crystal cargo in basaltic eruptions has the potential to yield diverse insights on pre- and syn-eruptive timescales of magma storage and transport. Research on eruption products from the 1959 eruption from Kīlauea Iki Crater at Kīlauea volcano (Hawai‘i) demonstrates that time-series samples collected during an eruption can yield a wealth of information not accessible by studying the fall d
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Rosalind L. Helz
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Trace elements in olivine fingerprint the source of 2018 magmas and shed light on explosive-effusive eruption cycles at Kīlauea Volcano

Understanding magma genesis and the evolution of intensive parameters (temperature, pressure, composition, degree of melting) in the mantle source of highly active volcanic systems is crucial for interpreting magma supply changes over time and recognizing cyclic behavior to anticipate future volcanic behavior. Major and trace elements in olivine are commonly used to study variations in mantle lith
Authors
Adrien Mourey, Thomas Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Allan Lerner, Sarah Lambart, Fidel Costa, Jeffrey Oalmann, R. Lopaka Lee, Cheryl Gansecki
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Olivine and glass chemistry record cycles of plumbing system recovery after summit collapse events at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

The eruptive activity of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawai‘i) in the past 2500 years has alternated between centuries-long periods dominated either by explosive or effusive eruptions. The onset of explosive periods appears to be marked by caldera collapse events at the volcano's summit accompanied by draining of Kīlauea's magmatic plumbing system. Here we leverage >1800 olivine forsterite (Fo) contents, >900
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Donald A. Swanson
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center
Volcano Watch — A closer look at Kīlauea’s newest lava

Volcano Watch — A closer look at Kīlauea’s newest lava

Every rock on Earth is made of up a unique combination of chemical elements, and lavas/tephra formed during Hawaiian eruptions are no exception. What...

Read Article

Science and Products

Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020

In 2018, a large effusive eruption on the lower flank of Kīlauea Volcano was associated with collapse and subsidence of the summit caldera floor (Neal and others, 2019).  The bottom of Halemaʻumaʻu, a crater nested within the summit caldera, subsided by more than 500 m.  In July 2019, water was observed ponding on the deepest part of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor and the water rose and enlarged in
By
Volcano Science Center, Kīlauea

Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi

At 11:21 p.m. (Hawaii Standard Time [HST]) on November 27, 2022, Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi started erupting from fissures at its summit caldera, Mokuʻāweoweo. This was followed shortly afterwards by the opening of a segment of fissures in the direction of the Southwest Rift Zone. These were mostly within the structural boundary of the caldera, so their location is denoted as ‘Sout
By
Volcano Science Center, Mauna Loa

Olivine and glass analyses for select eruptions of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i

Olivine and glass major and minor element chemistry for select eruptions of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i as measured by electron microprobe, with secondary standard analyses.
By
Volcano Science Center, Kīlauea

Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020

During 2018, Kilauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiii, had a large effusive eruption (~1 cubic kilometer of lava) on the lower East Rift Zone that caused widespread destruction (Neal and others, 2019; Dietterich and others, 2021). This lower flank eruption was accompanied by one of the largest collapses of the summit caldera in two hundred years, with portions of the caldera floor subsiding more
By
Volcano Science Center, Kīlauea

Olivine diffusion constrains months-scale magma transport within Kīlauea volcano’s summit reservoir system prior to the 2020 eruption

The unprecedented 2018 summit collapse at Kīlauea and subsequent 2020–2021 eruption within the newly deepened Halema‘uma‘u Crater provide an unparalleled opportunity to understand how collapse events impact a volcano’s shallow reservoir system and magmatic processes. Glass and olivine from tephra ejected by lava fountains and several explosions on 20–21 December, within a few hours of the 2020 eru
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Patricia Nadeau, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Jefferson Chang, Peter Dotray, Ingrid Johanson
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Dynamics of magma mixing and magma mobilization beneath Mauna Loa – Insights from the 1950 AD Southwest Rift Zone eruption.

Eruptions from Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone (SWRZ) pose a significant threat to nearby communities due to high eruption rates and steep slopes resulting in little time for evacuation. Despite the large body of research done on Mauna Loa, knowledge of the timing and duration of magma residence and transfer through its internal plumbing system is still poorly constrained. This study presents a fi
Authors
Maren Kahl, Daniel J. Morgan, Carl Thornber, Richard Walshaw, Kendra J. Lynn, Frank A. Trusdell
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Cascades Volcano Observatory

Creating oriented and precisely sectioned mineral mounts for in situ chemical analyses—An example using olivine for diffusion chronometry studies

Diffusion chronometry is now a widely applied methodology for determining the rates and timescales of geologic processes from the chemical zoning observed in minerals. Despite the popularity of the method, several challenges still remain during its application, including: (1) the random sectioning of minerals either in thin sections or grain mounts in which both off-center and oblique sections con
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Liliana G. Desmither
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea: Insights, puzzles, and opportunities for volcano science

The science of volcanology advances disproportionately during exceptionally large or well-observed eruptions. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawai‘i) was its most impactful in centuries, involving an outpouring of more than one cubic kilometer of basalt, a magnitude 7 flank earthquake, and the volcano’s largest summit collapse since at least the nineteenth century. Eruptive activity was doc
Authors
Kyle R. Anderson, Tom Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Emily Montgomery-Brown, Donald A. Swanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Brian Shiro, Christina A. Neal
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Volcano Science Center

Coordinating science during an eruption: Lessons from the 2020–2021 Kīlauea volcanic eruption

Data collected during well-observed eruptions can lead to dramatic increases in our understanding of volcanic processes. However, the necessary prioritization of public safety and hazard mitigation during a crisis means that scientific opportunities may be sacrificed. Thus, maximizing the scientific gains from eruptions requires improved planning and coordinating science activities among governmen
Authors
Kari M. Cooper, Kyle R. Anderson, Kathy Cashman, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Tobias Fischer, Bruce F. Houghton, Ingrid Johanson, Kendra J. Lynn, Michael Manga, Christelle Wauthier
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Magma storage and transport timescales for the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption and implications for diffusion chronometry studies using time-series samples versus tephra deposits

Complex crystal cargo in basaltic eruptions has the potential to yield diverse insights on pre- and syn-eruptive timescales of magma storage and transport. Research on eruption products from the 1959 eruption from Kīlauea Iki Crater at Kīlauea volcano (Hawai‘i) demonstrates that time-series samples collected during an eruption can yield a wealth of information not accessible by studying the fall d
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Rosalind L. Helz
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Trace elements in olivine fingerprint the source of 2018 magmas and shed light on explosive-effusive eruption cycles at Kīlauea Volcano

Understanding magma genesis and the evolution of intensive parameters (temperature, pressure, composition, degree of melting) in the mantle source of highly active volcanic systems is crucial for interpreting magma supply changes over time and recognizing cyclic behavior to anticipate future volcanic behavior. Major and trace elements in olivine are commonly used to study variations in mantle lith
Authors
Adrien Mourey, Thomas Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Allan Lerner, Sarah Lambart, Fidel Costa, Jeffrey Oalmann, R. Lopaka Lee, Cheryl Gansecki
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Olivine and glass chemistry record cycles of plumbing system recovery after summit collapse events at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

The eruptive activity of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawai‘i) in the past 2500 years has alternated between centuries-long periods dominated either by explosive or effusive eruptions. The onset of explosive periods appears to be marked by caldera collapse events at the volcano's summit accompanied by draining of Kīlauea's magmatic plumbing system. Here we leverage >1800 olivine forsterite (Fo) contents, >900
Authors
Kendra J. Lynn, Donald A. Swanson
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center
Volcano Watch — A closer look at Kīlauea’s newest lava

Volcano Watch — A closer look at Kīlauea’s newest lava

Every rock on Earth is made of up a unique combination of chemical elements, and lavas/tephra formed during Hawaiian eruptions are no exception. What...

Read Article

*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