Kristi Wallace is an observatory scientist focusing on volcanic ash characterization, eruption response, and interagency coordination.
Kristi Wallace is a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)/Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) specializing in volcanic ash research and eruption response. Kristi developed and is the head of the Alaska Tephra Laboratory and Data Center, an interdisciplinary center for studying volcanic ash in Alaska. Ashfall is a principal hazard from Alaska volcanoes; her work focuses on understanding the frequency, distribution, and character of ashfall in Alaska, specifically from Cook Inlet volcanoes because of their risk to major population centers in Alaska. Kristi also plays a significant science and outreach role during eruption responses, documenting ashfall events, working with agency partners and the community, and communicating hazards to partners and the public. In recent years, Kristi has focused on fostering interagency collaborations to help better inform the public about hazards associated with volcanic ash. She is a founder and US leader of the international IAVCEI Volcanic Ashfall Impacts Working Group focused on ashfall hazard mitigation and a leader in the international tephra-community working group focused on establishing best practice guidelines for tephra studies from collection through analysis to improve data sharing and collaboration among tephra scientists. Kristi has worked with the USGS in Alaska since 1997.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 27
2018 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, considerable and minor volcanic unrest, and seismic events at 15 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2018. The most notable volcanic activity came from Mount Cleveland, which had continuing intermittent dome growth and ash eruptions, and Mount Veniaminof, Great Sitkin Volcano, and Semisopochnoi Island, the three of which had minor eruptions. Thi
Authors
Cheryl E. Cameron, Tim R. Orr, James P. Dixon, Hannah R. Dietterich, Christopher F. Waythomas, Alexandra M. Iezzi, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Ronni Grapenthin, Gabrielle Tepp, Kristi L. Wallace, Taryn M. Lopez, Kimberly Degrandpre, John M. Perreault
Guidelines for volcano-observatory operations during crises: Recommendations from the 2019 Volcano Observatory Best Practices meeting
In November 2019, the fourth meeting on Volcano Observatory Best Practices workshop was held in Mexico City as a series of talks, discussions, and panels. Volcanologists from around the world offered suggestions for ways to optimize volcano-observatory crisis operations. By crisis, we mean unrest that may or may not lead to eruption, the eruption itself, or its aftermath, all of which require anal
Authors
Jacob B. Lowenstern, Kristi L. Wallace, Sara Barsotti, Laura Sandri, Wendy K. Stovall, Benjamin Bernard, Eugenio Privitera, Jean-Christophe Komorowski, Nico Fournier, Charles Baligizi, Esline Gareabiti
From anecdotes to quantification: advances in characterizing volcanic eruption impacts on the built environment
Over the past 20 years, our understanding of volcanic eruption impacts on the built environment has transformed from being primarily observational with small datasets to one grounded in field investigations, laboratory experiments, and quantitative modeling, with an emphasis on stakeholder collaboration and co-creation. Here, we summarize key advances and knowledge gaps of impacts across volcanic
Authors
Natalia Irma Deligne, Susanna F. Jenkins, Elinor S. Meredith, George T. Williams, Graham S. Leonard, Carol Stewart, Thomas M. Wilson, Sébastien Biass, Daniel M. Blake, Russell Blong, Costanza Bonadonna, R. Calderon Barraza, Josh L. Hayes, D.M. Johnston, Ben M. Kennedy, Christina Magill, Robin Spence, Kristi L. Wallace, John Wardman, Alanna M. Weir, Grant Wilson, Giulio Zuccaro
The Independent Volcanic Eruption Source Parameter Archive (IVESPA, version 1.0): A new observational database to support explosive eruptive column model validation and development
Eruptive column models are powerful tools for investigating the transport of volcanic gas and ash, reconstructing past explosive eruptions, and simulating future hazards. However, the evaluation of these models is challenging as it requires independent estimates of the main model inputs (e.g. mass eruption rate) and outputs (e.g. column height). There exists no database of independently estimated
Authors
Thomas J Aubry, Samantha Engwell, Costanza Bonadonna, Guillaume Carazzo, Simona Scollo, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Isabelle A Taylor, David Jessop, Julia Eychenne, Mathieu Gouhier, Larry G. Mastin, Kristi L. Wallace, Sébastien Biass, Marcus Bursik, Roy G Grainger, Mark Jellinek, Anja Schmidt
U–Pb zircon eruption age of the Old Crow tephra and review of extant age constraints
Eruption of the Old Crow tephra deposited ~200 km3 of volcanic ash throughout Alaska and the northwestern Yukon (eastern Beringia), providing an isochronous marker across the region on a scale unique in the Pleistocene. The Old Crow tephra represents a critical temporal piercing point used extensively to link geographically disparate stratigraphic sections and the paleo-environmental records they
Authors
Seth D. Burgess, Jorge A. Vazquez, Christopher F. Waythomas, Kristi L. Wallace
2017 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, significant and minor volcanic unrest, and seismic events at 16 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2017. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of a major eruption at Bogoslof Island, continuing intermittent dome growth and ash eruptions from Mount Cleveland, the end of the Pavlof Volcano eruption, volcanic unrest at Shishaldin Volcano, a
Authors
James P. Dixon, Cheryl E. Cameron, Alexandra M. Iezzi, John A. Power, Kristi L. Wallace, Christopher F. Waythomas
2016 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, and seismic events at 15 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2016. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of eruptions at Pavlof and Bogoslof volcanoes. Both eruptions produced significant ash clouds that affected regional air travel. Mount Cleveland continued a pattern of dome growth followed by explos
Authors
Cheryl E. Cameron, James P. Dixon, Christopher F. Waythomas, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Kristi L. Wallace, Robert G. McGimsey, Katharine F. Bull
Constraints on eruption processes and event masses for the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, through evaluation of IASI satellite SO2 masses and complementary datasets
Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, experienced at least 70 explosive eruptions between 12 December 2016 and 31 August 2017. Due to its remote location and limited local monitoring network, this eruption was monitored and characterized primarily using remote geophysical and satellite techniques. SO2 emissions from Bogoslof were persistently detected by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)
Authors
Taryn Lopez, Lieven Clarisse, Hans Schwaiger, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Matthew W. Loewen, David Fee, John J. Lyons, Kristi L. Wallace, Cheryl Searcy, Aaron Wech, Matthew M. Haney, David Schneider, Nathan Graham
Petrology of the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof Island
The 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof primarily produced crystal-rich amphibole basalts. The dominant juvenile tephra were highly microlitic with diktytaxitic vesicles, and amphiboles had large reaction rims. Both observations support a magma history of slow ascent and/or shallow stalling prior to eruption. Plagioclase-amphibole-clinopyroxene mineralogy are also suggestive of shallow magma crystalliz
Authors
Matthew W. Loewen, Pavel Izbekof, Justin Moshrefzadeh, Michelle L. Coombs, Jessica Larsen, Nathan Graham, Michelle Harbin, Christopher F. Waythomas, Kristi L. Wallace
Overview, chronology, and impacts of the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska
The 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, a back-arc shallow submarine volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian arc, began in December 2016 and included 70 explosive events and at least two episodes of subaerial dome building. Because the volcano had no local monitoring stations during the eruption, a combination of distant seismic stations, regional infrasound sensors, lightning detection, a variety of sat
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, Kristi L. Wallace, Cheryl Cameron, John J. Lyons, Aaron Wech, Kim M. Angeli, Peter Cervelli
Evidence for frequent, large tsunamis spanning locked and creeping parts of the Aleutian megathrust
At the eastern end of the 1957 Andreanof Islands magnitude-8.6 earthquake rupture, Driftwood Bay (Umnak Island) and Stardust Bay (Sedanka Island) lie along presently locked and creeping parts of the Aleutian megathrust, respectively, based on satellite geodesy onshore. Both bays, located 200-km apart, face the Aleutian trench and harbor coastal evidence for tsunami inundation in 1957. Here we desc
Authors
Robert C. Witter, Richard W. Briggs, Simon E. Engelhart, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Richard D Koehler, Alan R. Nelson, Seanpaul La Selle, Reide Corbett, Kristi L. Wallace
On the eruption age and provenance of the Old Crow tephra
Tephrochronology is used to correlate and reconstruct geographically disparate sedimentary records of changing environment, climate, and landscape throughout geologic time. Single tephra layers represent isochronous markers across broad regions, thus accurate and precise radiometric constraints on the timing of eruption are critical to their utility. The Old Crow tephra is found throughout eastern
Authors
Seth D. Burgess, Matthew Coble, Jorge A. Vazquez, Michelle L. Coombs, Kristi L. Wallace
Science and Products
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 27
2018 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, considerable and minor volcanic unrest, and seismic events at 15 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2018. The most notable volcanic activity came from Mount Cleveland, which had continuing intermittent dome growth and ash eruptions, and Mount Veniaminof, Great Sitkin Volcano, and Semisopochnoi Island, the three of which had minor eruptions. ThiAuthorsCheryl E. Cameron, Tim R. Orr, James P. Dixon, Hannah R. Dietterich, Christopher F. Waythomas, Alexandra M. Iezzi, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Ronni Grapenthin, Gabrielle Tepp, Kristi L. Wallace, Taryn M. Lopez, Kimberly Degrandpre, John M. PerreaultGuidelines for volcano-observatory operations during crises: Recommendations from the 2019 Volcano Observatory Best Practices meeting
In November 2019, the fourth meeting on Volcano Observatory Best Practices workshop was held in Mexico City as a series of talks, discussions, and panels. Volcanologists from around the world offered suggestions for ways to optimize volcano-observatory crisis operations. By crisis, we mean unrest that may or may not lead to eruption, the eruption itself, or its aftermath, all of which require analAuthorsJacob B. Lowenstern, Kristi L. Wallace, Sara Barsotti, Laura Sandri, Wendy K. Stovall, Benjamin Bernard, Eugenio Privitera, Jean-Christophe Komorowski, Nico Fournier, Charles Baligizi, Esline GareabitiFrom anecdotes to quantification: advances in characterizing volcanic eruption impacts on the built environment
Over the past 20 years, our understanding of volcanic eruption impacts on the built environment has transformed from being primarily observational with small datasets to one grounded in field investigations, laboratory experiments, and quantitative modeling, with an emphasis on stakeholder collaboration and co-creation. Here, we summarize key advances and knowledge gaps of impacts across volcanicAuthorsNatalia Irma Deligne, Susanna F. Jenkins, Elinor S. Meredith, George T. Williams, Graham S. Leonard, Carol Stewart, Thomas M. Wilson, Sébastien Biass, Daniel M. Blake, Russell Blong, Costanza Bonadonna, R. Calderon Barraza, Josh L. Hayes, D.M. Johnston, Ben M. Kennedy, Christina Magill, Robin Spence, Kristi L. Wallace, John Wardman, Alanna M. Weir, Grant Wilson, Giulio ZuccaroThe Independent Volcanic Eruption Source Parameter Archive (IVESPA, version 1.0): A new observational database to support explosive eruptive column model validation and development
Eruptive column models are powerful tools for investigating the transport of volcanic gas and ash, reconstructing past explosive eruptions, and simulating future hazards. However, the evaluation of these models is challenging as it requires independent estimates of the main model inputs (e.g. mass eruption rate) and outputs (e.g. column height). There exists no database of independently estimatedAuthorsThomas J Aubry, Samantha Engwell, Costanza Bonadonna, Guillaume Carazzo, Simona Scollo, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Isabelle A Taylor, David Jessop, Julia Eychenne, Mathieu Gouhier, Larry G. Mastin, Kristi L. Wallace, Sébastien Biass, Marcus Bursik, Roy G Grainger, Mark Jellinek, Anja SchmidtU–Pb zircon eruption age of the Old Crow tephra and review of extant age constraints
Eruption of the Old Crow tephra deposited ~200 km3 of volcanic ash throughout Alaska and the northwestern Yukon (eastern Beringia), providing an isochronous marker across the region on a scale unique in the Pleistocene. The Old Crow tephra represents a critical temporal piercing point used extensively to link geographically disparate stratigraphic sections and the paleo-environmental records theyAuthorsSeth D. Burgess, Jorge A. Vazquez, Christopher F. Waythomas, Kristi L. Wallace2017 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, significant and minor volcanic unrest, and seismic events at 16 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2017. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of a major eruption at Bogoslof Island, continuing intermittent dome growth and ash eruptions from Mount Cleveland, the end of the Pavlof Volcano eruption, volcanic unrest at Shishaldin Volcano, aAuthorsJames P. Dixon, Cheryl E. Cameron, Alexandra M. Iezzi, John A. Power, Kristi L. Wallace, Christopher F. Waythomas2016 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, and seismic events at 15 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2016. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of eruptions at Pavlof and Bogoslof volcanoes. Both eruptions produced significant ash clouds that affected regional air travel. Mount Cleveland continued a pattern of dome growth followed by explosAuthorsCheryl E. Cameron, James P. Dixon, Christopher F. Waythomas, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Kristi L. Wallace, Robert G. McGimsey, Katharine F. BullConstraints on eruption processes and event masses for the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, through evaluation of IASI satellite SO2 masses and complementary datasets
Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, experienced at least 70 explosive eruptions between 12 December 2016 and 31 August 2017. Due to its remote location and limited local monitoring network, this eruption was monitored and characterized primarily using remote geophysical and satellite techniques. SO2 emissions from Bogoslof were persistently detected by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)AuthorsTaryn Lopez, Lieven Clarisse, Hans Schwaiger, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Matthew W. Loewen, David Fee, John J. Lyons, Kristi L. Wallace, Cheryl Searcy, Aaron Wech, Matthew M. Haney, David Schneider, Nathan GrahamPetrology of the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof Island
The 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof primarily produced crystal-rich amphibole basalts. The dominant juvenile tephra were highly microlitic with diktytaxitic vesicles, and amphiboles had large reaction rims. Both observations support a magma history of slow ascent and/or shallow stalling prior to eruption. Plagioclase-amphibole-clinopyroxene mineralogy are also suggestive of shallow magma crystallizAuthorsMatthew W. Loewen, Pavel Izbekof, Justin Moshrefzadeh, Michelle L. Coombs, Jessica Larsen, Nathan Graham, Michelle Harbin, Christopher F. Waythomas, Kristi L. WallaceOverview, chronology, and impacts of the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska
The 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, a back-arc shallow submarine volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian arc, began in December 2016 and included 70 explosive events and at least two episodes of subaerial dome building. Because the volcano had no local monitoring stations during the eruption, a combination of distant seismic stations, regional infrasound sensors, lightning detection, a variety of satAuthorsMichelle L. Coombs, Kristi L. Wallace, Cheryl Cameron, John J. Lyons, Aaron Wech, Kim M. Angeli, Peter CervelliEvidence for frequent, large tsunamis spanning locked and creeping parts of the Aleutian megathrust
At the eastern end of the 1957 Andreanof Islands magnitude-8.6 earthquake rupture, Driftwood Bay (Umnak Island) and Stardust Bay (Sedanka Island) lie along presently locked and creeping parts of the Aleutian megathrust, respectively, based on satellite geodesy onshore. Both bays, located 200-km apart, face the Aleutian trench and harbor coastal evidence for tsunami inundation in 1957. Here we descAuthorsRobert C. Witter, Richard W. Briggs, Simon E. Engelhart, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Richard D Koehler, Alan R. Nelson, Seanpaul La Selle, Reide Corbett, Kristi L. WallaceOn the eruption age and provenance of the Old Crow tephra
Tephrochronology is used to correlate and reconstruct geographically disparate sedimentary records of changing environment, climate, and landscape throughout geologic time. Single tephra layers represent isochronous markers across broad regions, thus accurate and precise radiometric constraints on the timing of eruption are critical to their utility. The Old Crow tephra is found throughout easternAuthorsSeth D. Burgess, Matthew Coble, Jorge A. Vazquez, Michelle L. Coombs, Kristi L. Wallace - News