Laura Clor
My research focuses on understanding degassing in active volcanic systems, specifically using gases to monitor for signs of unrest at active U.S. volcanoes. I build, deploy, and maintain field instrumentation that measures both the amount of gas emitted from volcanoes, and also the composition of those gases – these two components together inform us about possible changes in volcanic activity.
Professional Experience
2016-present: Gas Geochemist, Cascades Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, WA
2014-2016: Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
2011-2014: Research Scientist / Lab Manager, University of New Mexico, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Albuquerque, NM
2005-2011: Physical Science Technician, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Cascades Volcano Observatory, and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, USGS
2004-2009: Physical Science Technician (seasonal), National Park Service, Yosemite National Park, CA
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2012–present
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI), 2017-present
Commission on the Chemistry of Volcanic Gases (CCVG), 2017-present
Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG), 2013-present
Science and Products
Database for the Geologic Map of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Database for the Geologic Map of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
This data release contains digital GIS files digitized from 'Geologic map of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming' by L.J.P. Muffler, D.E. White, A.H. Truesdell, and R.O. Fournier, Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-1373.
Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy data acquired during the 2018 rift eruption of Kilauea Volcano Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy data acquired during the 2018 rift eruption of Kilauea Volcano
A fissure eruption occurred in K?lauea Volcano?s Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) from April to September 2018. During this event, volcanic gases were emitted from three active areas on the volcano. The most intense degassing occurred at the active fissures in the LERZ, thus causing parts of Hawai?i Island?s Puna district to be exposed to life-threatening sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations...
Gas and heat emission measurements at Solfatara Plateau Thermal Area, Yellowstone National Park (May-September 2017) Gas and heat emission measurements at Solfatara Plateau Thermal Area, Yellowstone National Park (May-September 2017)
From May to September 2017 measurements of gas and heat emissions were made at Solfatara Plateau Thermal Area, an acid-sulfate, vapor-dominated area in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. An eddy covariance system measured half-hourly CO2, H2O and sensible and latent heat fluxes, air temperature and pressure, wind speed and direction and soil moisture. A Multi-GAS instrument measured (0...
Groundwater levels and temperatures in well CH-10b near Hot Creek, Long Valley Caldera, eastern California (ver. 3.0, March 2025) Groundwater levels and temperatures in well CH-10b near Hot Creek, Long Valley Caldera, eastern California (ver. 3.0, March 2025)
Hot Creek Gorge contains the most obvious surface expression of the hydrothermal system in Long Valley Caldera, California, discharging 200-300 L/s of thermal water according to USGS measurements made since 1988. Formerly, Hot Creek was a popular public swimming area, but it was closed in 2006 due to unpredictable temperature fluctuations and sporadic geysering of thermal water within...
Filter Total Items: 17
Quantifying gas emissions associated with the 2018 rift eruption of Kīlauea Volcano using ground-based DOAS measurements Quantifying gas emissions associated with the 2018 rift eruption of Kīlauea Volcano using ground-based DOAS measurements
Starting on 3 May 2018, a series of eruptive fissures opened in Kīlauea Volcano’s lower East Rift Zone (LERZ). Over the course of the next 3 months, intense degassing accompanied lava effusion from these fissures. Here, we report on ground-based observations of the gas emissions associated with Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption. Visual observations combined with radiative transfer modeling show...
Authors
Christoph Kern, Allan Lerner, Tamar Elias, Patricia A. Nadeau, Lacey Holland, Peter J. Kelly, Cynthia Werner, Laura E. Clor, Michael Cappos
The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano
In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 km. A 4 May earthquake (M6.9) produced ~5 m of fault slip. Lava erupted at rates exceeding 100 m3/s...
Authors
Christina A. Neal, Steven Brantley, Loren Antolik, Janet Babb, Matthew K. Burgess, Michael Cappos, Jefferson Chang, Sarah Conway, Liliana G. Desmither, Peter Dotray, Tamar Elias, Pauline Fukunaga, Steven Fuke, Ingrid A. Johanson, Kevan Kamibayashi, James P. Kauahikaua, R. Lopaka Lee, S. Pekalib, Asta Miklius, Brian Shiro, Don Swanson, Patricia A. Nadeau, Michael H. Zoeller, P. Okubo, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, William Tollett, Frank A. Trusdell, Edward F. Younger, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Michael P. Poland, Jessica L. Ball, Joseph A. Bard, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Christoph Kern, Weston Thelen, Peter Cervelli, Tim R. Orr, Bruce F. Houghton, Cheryl Gansecki, Richard Hazlett, Paul Lundgren, Angela K. Diefenbach, Allan Lerner, Greg Waite, Peter J. Kelly, Laura E. Clor, Cynthia Werner, Katherine Mulliken, Gary B. Fisher, David Damby
Multi-year high-frequency hydrothermal monitoring of selected high-threat Cascade Range volcanoes Multi-year high-frequency hydrothermal monitoring of selected high-threat Cascade Range volcanoes
From 2009 to 2015 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) systematically monitored hydrothermal behavior at selected Cascade Range volcanoes in order to define baseline hydrothermal and geochemical conditions. Gas and water data were collected regularly at 25 sites on 10 of the highest-risk volcanoes in the Cascade Range. These sites include near-summit fumarole groups and springs/streams that...
Authors
I.M. Crankshaw, Stacey A. Archfield, A. C. Newman, Deborah Bergfeld, Laura E. Clor, Peter J. Kelly, William C. Evans, Kurt R. Spicer, Steven E. Ingebritsen
Dissolved gases in hydrothermal (phreatic) and geyser eruptions at Yellowstone National Park, USA Dissolved gases in hydrothermal (phreatic) and geyser eruptions at Yellowstone National Park, USA
Multiphase and multicomponent fluid flow in the shallow continental crust plays a significant role in a variety of processes over a broad range of temperatures and pressures. The presence of dissolved gases in aqueous fluids reduces the liquid stability field toward lower temperatures and enhances the explosivity potential with respect to pure water. Therefore, in areas where magma is...
Authors
Shaul Hurwitz, Laura Clor, R. Blaine McCleskey, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Andrew G. Hunt, William C. Evans
The Lassen hydrothermal system The Lassen hydrothermal system
The active Lassen hydrothermal system includes a central vapor-dominated zone or zones beneath the Lassen highlands underlain by ~240 °C high-chloride waters that discharge at lower elevations. It is the best-exposed and largest hydrothermal system in the Cascade Range, discharging 41 ± 10 kg/s of steam (~115 MW) and 23 ± 2 kg/s of high-chloride waters (~27 MW). The Lassen system...
Authors
Steven E. Ingebritsen, Deborah Bergfeld, Laura Clor, William C. Evans
Hydrothermal response to a volcano-tectonic earthquake swarm, Lassen, California Hydrothermal response to a volcano-tectonic earthquake swarm, Lassen, California
The increasing capability of seismic, geodetic, and hydrothermal observation networks allows recognition of volcanic unrest that could previously have gone undetected, creating an imperative to diagnose and interpret unrest episodes. A November 2014 earthquake swarm near Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, which included the largest earthquake in the area in more than 60 years...
Authors
Steven E. Ingebritsen, David R. Shelly, Paul A. Hsieh, Laura Clor, P.H. Seward, William C. Evans
Non-USGS Publications**
Clor, L.E., Fischer, T.P., Hilton, D.R., Sharp, Z.D., and Hartono, U. (2005), Volatile and N isotope chemistry of the Molucca Sea collision zone: Tracing source components along the Sangihe Arc, Indonesia: Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 6, Q03J14, doi:10.1029/2004GC000825
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Database for the Geologic Map of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Database for the Geologic Map of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
This data release contains digital GIS files digitized from 'Geologic map of Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming' by L.J.P. Muffler, D.E. White, A.H. Truesdell, and R.O. Fournier, Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-1373.
Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy data acquired during the 2018 rift eruption of Kilauea Volcano Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy data acquired during the 2018 rift eruption of Kilauea Volcano
A fissure eruption occurred in K?lauea Volcano?s Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) from April to September 2018. During this event, volcanic gases were emitted from three active areas on the volcano. The most intense degassing occurred at the active fissures in the LERZ, thus causing parts of Hawai?i Island?s Puna district to be exposed to life-threatening sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations...
Gas and heat emission measurements at Solfatara Plateau Thermal Area, Yellowstone National Park (May-September 2017) Gas and heat emission measurements at Solfatara Plateau Thermal Area, Yellowstone National Park (May-September 2017)
From May to September 2017 measurements of gas and heat emissions were made at Solfatara Plateau Thermal Area, an acid-sulfate, vapor-dominated area in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. An eddy covariance system measured half-hourly CO2, H2O and sensible and latent heat fluxes, air temperature and pressure, wind speed and direction and soil moisture. A Multi-GAS instrument measured (0...
Groundwater levels and temperatures in well CH-10b near Hot Creek, Long Valley Caldera, eastern California (ver. 3.0, March 2025) Groundwater levels and temperatures in well CH-10b near Hot Creek, Long Valley Caldera, eastern California (ver. 3.0, March 2025)
Hot Creek Gorge contains the most obvious surface expression of the hydrothermal system in Long Valley Caldera, California, discharging 200-300 L/s of thermal water according to USGS measurements made since 1988. Formerly, Hot Creek was a popular public swimming area, but it was closed in 2006 due to unpredictable temperature fluctuations and sporadic geysering of thermal water within...
Filter Total Items: 17
Quantifying gas emissions associated with the 2018 rift eruption of Kīlauea Volcano using ground-based DOAS measurements Quantifying gas emissions associated with the 2018 rift eruption of Kīlauea Volcano using ground-based DOAS measurements
Starting on 3 May 2018, a series of eruptive fissures opened in Kīlauea Volcano’s lower East Rift Zone (LERZ). Over the course of the next 3 months, intense degassing accompanied lava effusion from these fissures. Here, we report on ground-based observations of the gas emissions associated with Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption. Visual observations combined with radiative transfer modeling show...
Authors
Christoph Kern, Allan Lerner, Tamar Elias, Patricia A. Nadeau, Lacey Holland, Peter J. Kelly, Cynthia Werner, Laura E. Clor, Michael Cappos
The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano
In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 km. A 4 May earthquake (M6.9) produced ~5 m of fault slip. Lava erupted at rates exceeding 100 m3/s...
Authors
Christina A. Neal, Steven Brantley, Loren Antolik, Janet Babb, Matthew K. Burgess, Michael Cappos, Jefferson Chang, Sarah Conway, Liliana G. Desmither, Peter Dotray, Tamar Elias, Pauline Fukunaga, Steven Fuke, Ingrid A. Johanson, Kevan Kamibayashi, James P. Kauahikaua, R. Lopaka Lee, S. Pekalib, Asta Miklius, Brian Shiro, Don Swanson, Patricia A. Nadeau, Michael H. Zoeller, P. Okubo, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, William Tollett, Frank A. Trusdell, Edward F. Younger, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Michael P. Poland, Jessica L. Ball, Joseph A. Bard, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Christoph Kern, Weston Thelen, Peter Cervelli, Tim R. Orr, Bruce F. Houghton, Cheryl Gansecki, Richard Hazlett, Paul Lundgren, Angela K. Diefenbach, Allan Lerner, Greg Waite, Peter J. Kelly, Laura E. Clor, Cynthia Werner, Katherine Mulliken, Gary B. Fisher, David Damby
Multi-year high-frequency hydrothermal monitoring of selected high-threat Cascade Range volcanoes Multi-year high-frequency hydrothermal monitoring of selected high-threat Cascade Range volcanoes
From 2009 to 2015 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) systematically monitored hydrothermal behavior at selected Cascade Range volcanoes in order to define baseline hydrothermal and geochemical conditions. Gas and water data were collected regularly at 25 sites on 10 of the highest-risk volcanoes in the Cascade Range. These sites include near-summit fumarole groups and springs/streams that...
Authors
I.M. Crankshaw, Stacey A. Archfield, A. C. Newman, Deborah Bergfeld, Laura E. Clor, Peter J. Kelly, William C. Evans, Kurt R. Spicer, Steven E. Ingebritsen
Dissolved gases in hydrothermal (phreatic) and geyser eruptions at Yellowstone National Park, USA Dissolved gases in hydrothermal (phreatic) and geyser eruptions at Yellowstone National Park, USA
Multiphase and multicomponent fluid flow in the shallow continental crust plays a significant role in a variety of processes over a broad range of temperatures and pressures. The presence of dissolved gases in aqueous fluids reduces the liquid stability field toward lower temperatures and enhances the explosivity potential with respect to pure water. Therefore, in areas where magma is...
Authors
Shaul Hurwitz, Laura Clor, R. Blaine McCleskey, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Andrew G. Hunt, William C. Evans
The Lassen hydrothermal system The Lassen hydrothermal system
The active Lassen hydrothermal system includes a central vapor-dominated zone or zones beneath the Lassen highlands underlain by ~240 °C high-chloride waters that discharge at lower elevations. It is the best-exposed and largest hydrothermal system in the Cascade Range, discharging 41 ± 10 kg/s of steam (~115 MW) and 23 ± 2 kg/s of high-chloride waters (~27 MW). The Lassen system...
Authors
Steven E. Ingebritsen, Deborah Bergfeld, Laura Clor, William C. Evans
Hydrothermal response to a volcano-tectonic earthquake swarm, Lassen, California Hydrothermal response to a volcano-tectonic earthquake swarm, Lassen, California
The increasing capability of seismic, geodetic, and hydrothermal observation networks allows recognition of volcanic unrest that could previously have gone undetected, creating an imperative to diagnose and interpret unrest episodes. A November 2014 earthquake swarm near Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, which included the largest earthquake in the area in more than 60 years...
Authors
Steven E. Ingebritsen, David R. Shelly, Paul A. Hsieh, Laura Clor, P.H. Seward, William C. Evans
Non-USGS Publications**
Clor, L.E., Fischer, T.P., Hilton, D.R., Sharp, Z.D., and Hartono, U. (2005), Volatile and N isotope chemistry of the Molucca Sea collision zone: Tracing source components along the Sangihe Arc, Indonesia: Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 6, Q03J14, doi:10.1029/2004GC000825
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*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