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Liam Toney

Liam Toney is a Research Geologist in the Landslide Hazards Program. He uses seismoacoustics — the combined study of vibrations in the Earth and sound waves in the atmosphere — to characterize non-earthquake geohazards, such as avalanches, landslides, and volcanic eruptions.

Liam is primarily involved with the USGS Landslide Assessments, Situational Awareness, and Event Response Research (LASER) project. Within LASER, he works with the instrumentation and remote observations subteams. 

Professional Experience

  • Research Geologist — USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden, CO (2025–present)

  • Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow — USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden, CO (2023–2025)

  • Graduate Research Assistant — University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, Fairbanks, AK (2018–2023)

  • Student Trainee (Physical Science) — USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden, CO (2020–2022)

  • Ashfall Geovisualization Developer — GNS Science, New Zealand (April–May 2018)

  • Geophysics R&D Intern — Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (summer 2017)

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. Geophysics — University of Alaska Fairbanks (2023)
    Dissertation: Characterization of geohazards via seismic and acoustic waves

  • B.A. Physics; minor Geology — Pomona College (2017)

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • American Geophysical Union

  • European Geosciences Union

  • Seismological Society of America

  • International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior

Honors and Awards

  • Special Thanks for Achieving Results (STAR) award — USGS (2024, 2025)

  • Outstanding Student Presentation Award — AGU (2023)

  • Outstanding Student Performance Award — University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute (2021)

  • Brian R. Zelenka Memorial Scholarship — University of Alaska Fairbanks (2021)

  • Secretary of Energy Achievement Award — U.S. Department of Energy (2021)

  • Distinction in the Senior Exercise — Pomona College (2017)

  • Tileston Physics Prize — Pomona College (2015)

Science and Products

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Filter Total Items: 13

Local explosion detection and infrasound localization by reverse time migration using 3-D finite-difference wave propagation Local explosion detection and infrasound localization by reverse time migration using 3-D finite-difference wave propagation

Infrasound data are routinely used to detect and locate volcanic and other explosions, using both arrays and single sensor networks. However, at local distances (
Authors
David Fee, Liam Toney, Keehoon Kim, Richard Sanderson, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Robin S Matoza, Silvio DeAngelis, Art Jolly, John J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Toney, L., Fee, D., Schmandt, B., & Bishop, J. W. (2023). Examining infrasound propagation at high spatial resolution using a nodal seismic array. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 128, e2023JB027314. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JB027314
Toney, L., Fee, D., Witsil, A., & Matoza, R. S. (2022). Waveform features strongly control subcrater classification performance for a large, labeled volcano infrasound dataset. The Seismic Record, 2(3), 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1785/0320220019
Watson, L. M., Iezzi, A. M., Toney, L., Maher, S. P., Fee, D., McKee, K., Ortiz, H. D., Matoza, R. S., Gestrich, J. E., Bishop, J. W., Witsil, A., Anderson, J. F., & Johnson, J. B. (2022). Volcano infrasound: Progress and future directions. Bulletin of Volcanology, 84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-022-01544-w
Dannemann Dugick, F., van der Lee, S., Prieto, G. A., Dybing, S. N., Toney, L., & Cole, H. (2021). ROSES: Remote Online Sessions for Emerging Seismologists. Seismological Research Letters, 92(4), 2657–2667. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220200421
Toney, L., Abbott, R. E., Preston, L. A., Tang, D. G., Finlay, T., & Phillips-Alonge, K. (2019). Joint body- and surface-wave tomography of Yucca Flat, Nevada using a novel seismic source. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 109(5), 1922–1934. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120180322

**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

No Result Found
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 13

Local explosion detection and infrasound localization by reverse time migration using 3-D finite-difference wave propagation Local explosion detection and infrasound localization by reverse time migration using 3-D finite-difference wave propagation

Infrasound data are routinely used to detect and locate volcanic and other explosions, using both arrays and single sensor networks. However, at local distances (
Authors
David Fee, Liam Toney, Keehoon Kim, Richard Sanderson, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Robin S Matoza, Silvio DeAngelis, Art Jolly, John J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Toney, L., Fee, D., Schmandt, B., & Bishop, J. W. (2023). Examining infrasound propagation at high spatial resolution using a nodal seismic array. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 128, e2023JB027314. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JB027314
Toney, L., Fee, D., Witsil, A., & Matoza, R. S. (2022). Waveform features strongly control subcrater classification performance for a large, labeled volcano infrasound dataset. The Seismic Record, 2(3), 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1785/0320220019
Watson, L. M., Iezzi, A. M., Toney, L., Maher, S. P., Fee, D., McKee, K., Ortiz, H. D., Matoza, R. S., Gestrich, J. E., Bishop, J. W., Witsil, A., Anderson, J. F., & Johnson, J. B. (2022). Volcano infrasound: Progress and future directions. Bulletin of Volcanology, 84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-022-01544-w
Dannemann Dugick, F., van der Lee, S., Prieto, G. A., Dybing, S. N., Toney, L., & Cole, H. (2021). ROSES: Remote Online Sessions for Emerging Seismologists. Seismological Research Letters, 92(4), 2657–2667. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220200421
Toney, L., Abbott, R. E., Preston, L. A., Tang, D. G., Finlay, T., & Phillips-Alonge, K. (2019). Joint body- and surface-wave tomography of Yucca Flat, Nevada using a novel seismic source. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 109(5), 1922–1934. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120180322

**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

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