Matt M. Haney
I am a volcano seismologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) in Anchorage. My work involves research on the seismicity and structure of Alaskan volcanoes, volcano monitoring, infrasound, and the acquisition and processing of data from the AVO seismic network.
At AVO, I focus on the interpretation of seismicity at volcanoes with the goal of providing improved forecasts and assessments of volcano hazards to the public. Different aspects of my position touch on research, operations, and monitoring. A major part of my research includes the interpretation of seismic waves in the Earth and sound waves in the atmosphere for detecting volcanic unrest, imaging volcanic structure, and elucidating the dynamics of volcanic sources.
Professional Experience
2011 – present Research Geophysicist, Alaska Volcano Observatory
2009 – 2011 Assistant Professor, Boise State University, Dept. of Geosciences
2007 – 2009 USGS Mendenhall Postdoc, Alaska Volcano Observatory
2005 – 2007 Postdoctoral Appointee, Sandia National Laboratories
Education and Certifications
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO Geophysical Engineering B.Sc. 1999
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO Geophysics Ph.D. 2005
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Seismological Society of America (SSA)
Honors and Awards
J. Clarence Karcher Award (Society of Exploration Geophysicists) 2007
Science and Products
Application of an updated atmospheric model to explore volcano infrasound propagation and detection in Alaska
Reducing risk where tectonic plates collide—U.S. Geological Survey subduction zone science plan
Perturbational and nonperturbational inversion of Rayleigh-wave velocities
Seismic envelope-based detection and location of ground-coupled airwaves from volcanoes in Alaska
Volcano deformation source parameters estimated from InSAR: Sensitivities to uncertainties in seismic tomography
Long period seismicity and very long period infrasound driven by shallow magmatic degassing at Mount Pagan, Mariana Islands
Long period (LP) seismicity and very long period infrasound (iVLP) were recorded during continuous degassing from Mount Pagan, Mariana Islands, in July 2013 to January 2014. The frequency content of the LP and iVLP events and delay times between the two arrivals were remarkably stable and indicate nearly co-located sources. Using phase-weighted stacking over similar events to dampen noise, we find
Monitoring changes in seismic velocity related to an ongoing rapid inflation event at Okmok volcano, Alaska
Point spread functions for earthquake source imaging: An interpretation based on seismic interferometry
Non-perturbational surface-wave inversion: A Dix-type relation for surface waves
Surface‐wave Green’s tensors in the near field
Distinguishing high surf from volcanic long-period earthquakes
Tracking changes in volcanic systems with seismic Interferometry
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 39
Application of an updated atmospheric model to explore volcano infrasound propagation and detection in Alaska
Winds and temperature gradients greatly affect the long-range propagation of infrasound. The spatio-temporal variability of these parameters must therefore be accurately characterized to correctly interpret recorded infrasound at long distances, specifically to differentiate between source and propagation effects. Here we present the first results of an open source reanalysis model, termed AlaskaAuthorsAlexandra M. Iezzi, Hans Schwaiger, David Fee, Matthew M. HaneyReducing risk where tectonic plates collide—U.S. Geological Survey subduction zone science plan
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information and tools to build resilience in communities exposed to subduction zone earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Improving the application of USGS science to successfully reduce risk from these events relies on whole community efforts, with continuing partnerships among scientists andAuthorsJoan S. Gomberg, K. A. Ludwig, Barbara Bekins, Thomas M. Brocher, John Brock, Daniel S. Brothers, Jason D. Chaytor, Arthur Frankel, Eric L. Geist, Matthew M. Haney, Stephen H. Hickman, William S. Leith, Evelyn A. Roeloffs, William H. Schulz, Thomas W. Sisson, Kristi L. Wallace, Janet Watt, Anne M. WeinPerturbational and nonperturbational inversion of Rayleigh-wave velocities
The inversion of Rayleigh-wave dispersion curves is a classic geophysical inverse problem. We have developed a set of MATLAB codes that performs forward modeling and inversion of Rayleigh-wave phase or group velocity measurements. We describe two different methods of inversion: a perturbational method based on finite elements and a nonperturbational method based on the recently developed Dix-typeAuthorsMatthew M. Haney, Victor C. TsaiSeismic envelope-based detection and location of ground-coupled airwaves from volcanoes in Alaska
Volcanic explosions and other infrasonic sources frequently produce acoustic waves that are recorded by seismometers. Here we explore multiple techniques to detect, locate, and characterize ground‐coupled airwaves (GCA) on volcano seismic networks in Alaska. GCA waveforms are typically incoherent between stations, thus we use envelope‐based techniques in our analyses. For distant sources and planaAuthorsDavid Fee, Matthew M. Haney, Robin S. Matoza, Curt A.L. Szuberla, John J. Lyons, Christopher F. WaythomasVolcano deformation source parameters estimated from InSAR: Sensitivities to uncertainties in seismic tomography
The eruption cycle of a volcano is controlled in part by the upward migration of magma. The characteristics of the magma flux produce a deformation signature at the Earth's surface. Inverse analyses use geodetic data to estimate strategic controlling parameters that describe the position and pressurization of a magma chamber at depth. The specific distribution of material properties controls how oAuthorsTimothy Masterlark, Theodore Donovan, Kurt L. Feigl, Matthew M. Haney, Clifford H. Thurber, Sui TungLong period seismicity and very long period infrasound driven by shallow magmatic degassing at Mount Pagan, Mariana Islands
Long period (LP) seismicity and very long period infrasound (iVLP) were recorded during continuous degassing from Mount Pagan, Mariana Islands, in July 2013 to January 2014. The frequency content of the LP and iVLP events and delay times between the two arrivals were remarkably stable and indicate nearly co-located sources. Using phase-weighted stacking over similar events to dampen noise, we find
AuthorsJohn J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney, Cynthia A. Werner, Peter J. Kelly, Matthew R. Patrick, Christoph Kern, Frank A. TrusdellMonitoring changes in seismic velocity related to an ongoing rapid inflation event at Okmok volcano, Alaska
Okmok is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian Arc. In an effort to improve our ability to detect precursory activity leading to eruption at Okmok, we monitor a recent, and possibly ongoing, GPS-inferred rapid inflation event at the volcano using ambient noise interferometry (ANI). Applying this method, we identify changes in seismic velocity outside of Okmok’s caldera, which are relateAuthorsNinfa Bennington, Matthew M. Haney, Silvio De Angelis, Clifford Thurber, Jeff FreymuellerPoint spread functions for earthquake source imaging: An interpretation based on seismic interferometry
Recently, various methods have been proposed and applied for earthquake source imaging, and theoretical relationships among the methods have been studied. In this study, we make a follow-up theoretical study to better understand the meanings of earthquake source imaging. For imaging problems, the point spread function (PSF) is used to describe the degree of blurring and degradation in an obtainedAuthorsHisashi Nakahara, Matthew M. HaneyNon-perturbational surface-wave inversion: A Dix-type relation for surface waves
We extend the approach underlying the well-known Dix equation in reflection seismology to surface waves. Within the context of surface wave inversion, the Dix-type relation we derive for surface waves allows accurate depth profiles of shear-wave velocity to be constructed directly from phase velocity data, in contrast to perturbational methods. The depth profiles can subsequently be used as an iniAuthorsMatthew M. Haney, Victor C. TsaiSurface‐wave Green’s tensors in the near field
We demonstrate the connection between theoretical expressions for the correlation of ambient noise Rayleigh and Love waves and the exact surface‐wave Green’s tensors for a point force. The surface‐wave Green’s tensors are well known in the far‐field limit. On the other hand, the imaginary part of the exact Green’s tensors, including near‐field effects, arises in correlation techniques such as theAuthorsMatthew M. Haney, Hisashi NakaharaDistinguishing high surf from volcanic long-period earthquakes
Repeating long-period (LP) earthquakes are observed at active volcanoes worldwide and are typically attributed to unsteady pressure fluctuations associated with fluid migration through the volcanic plumbing system. Nonvolcanic sources of LP signals include ice movement and glacial outburst floods, and the waveform characteristics and frequency content of these events often make them difficult to dAuthorsJohn J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney, David Fee, John F. PaskievitchTracking changes in volcanic systems with seismic Interferometry
The detection and evaluation of time-dependent changes at volcanoes form the foundation upon which successful volcano monitoring is built. Temporal changes at volcanoes occur over all time scales and may be obvious (e.g., earthquake swarms) or subtle (e.g., a slow, steady increase in the level of tremor). Some of the most challenging types of time-dependent change to detect are subtle variations iAuthorsMatthew M. Haney, Alicia J. Hotovec-Ellis, Ninfa L. Bennington, Silvio De Angelis, Clifford Thurber
*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