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
Filter Total Items: 46
Infrasound from giant bubbles during explosive submarine eruptions
Shallow submarine volcanoes pose unique scientific and monitoring challenges. The interaction between water and magma can create violent explosions just below the surface, but the inaccessibility of submerged volcanoes means they are typically not instrumented. This both increases the risk to marine and aviation traffic and leaves the underlying eruption physics poorly understood. Here...
Authors
John J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney, David Fee, Aaron Wech, Christopher F. Waythomas
Catalog of earthquake parameters and description of seismograph and infrasound stations at Alaskan volcanoes—January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2017
Between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) located a total of 28,172 earthquakes at volcanoes in Alaska. The annual totals are 3,840, 5,819, 5,297, 6,151, and 7,065 earthquakes for the years 2013 through 2017, respectively. This represents an average of 5,634 earthquakes per year, which is comparable to the yearly number of earthquakes AVO...
Authors
James P. Dixon, Scott D. Stihler, Matthew M. Haney, John J. Lyons, Dane M. Ketner, Katherine M. Mulliken, Thomas Parker, John Power
Hydroacoustic, seismic, and bathymetric observations of the 2014 submarine eruption at Ahyi Seamount, Mariana Arc
Ahyi seamount, a shallow submarine volcano in the Northern Mariana Islands, began erupting on April 23, 2014. Hydroacoustic eruption signals were observed on the regional Mariana seismic network and on distant hydrophones, and NOAA scuba divers working in the area soon after the eruption began heard and felt underwater explosion sounds. The NOAA crew observed yellow orange bubble mats...
Authors
Gabrielle Tepp, William W. Chadwick, Matthew M. Haney, John J. Lyons, Robert Dziak, Susan Merle, Dave Butterfield, Charles W. Young
A unified catalog of earthquake hypocenters and magnitudes at volcanoes in Alaska—1989 to 2018
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has maintained an earthquake catalog since 1989 that now contains over 120,000 hypocenters and magnitudes that occurred near Alaskan volcanoes. Since 1989 the seismic instrumentation and data acquisition and processing techniques have undergone numerous changes as computer systems and seismic processing software have advanced and evolved. In this...
Authors
John Power, Paul A. Friberg, Matthew M. Haney, Thomas Parker, Scott D. Stihler, James P. Dixon
Seismic and acoustic signatures of surficial mass movements at volcanoes
Surficial mass movements, such as debris avalanches, rock falls, lahars, pyroclastic flows, and outburst floods, are a dominant hazard at many volcanoes worldwide. Understanding these processes, cataloging their spatio-temporal occurrence, and detecting, tracking, and characterizing these events would advance the science of volcano monitoring and help mitigate hazards. Seismic and...
Authors
Kate E. Allstadt, Robin S Matoza, Andrew Lockhart, Seth C. Moran, Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach, Matthew M. Haney, Weston Thelen, Stephen D. Malone
Short-term forecasting and detection of explosions during the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska
We describe a multidisciplinary approach to forecast, rapidly detect, and characterize explosive events during the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, a back-arc shallow submarine volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian arc. The eruptive sequence began in December 2016 and included about 70 discrete explosive events. Because the volcano has no local monitoring stations, we used distant stations...
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, Aaron Wech, Matthew M. Haney, John J. Lyons, David J. Schneider, Hans Schwaiger, Kristi L. Wallace, David Fee, Jeffrey T. Freymueller, Janet Schaefer, Gabrielle Tepp
Using earthquakes, T waves, and infrasound to investigate the eruption of Bogoslof Volcano, Alaska
The 2016‐2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, a submarine stratovolcano in the Bering Sea, produced 70 discrete explosive eruptions over 8 months. With no local monitoring data, activity was seismically recorded on nearby islands 50‐100 km away, limiting the detection and resolution of seismic observations. We construct a matched filter catalog of 3199 events from 49 earthquake families...
Authors
Aaron Wech, Gabrielle Tepp, John J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney
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...
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Hans Schwaiger, David Fee, Matthew M. Haney
Reducing 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...
Authors
Joan 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. Wein
Perturbational 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...
Authors
Matthew M. Haney, Victor C. Tsai
Seismic 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...
Authors
David Fee, Matthew M. Haney, Robin S. Matoza, Curt A.L. Szuberla, John J. Lyons, Christopher F. Waythomas
Volcano 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...
Authors
Timothy Masterlark, Theodore Donovan, Kurt L. Feigl, Matthew M. Haney, Clifford H. Thurber, Sui Tung
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 46
Infrasound from giant bubbles during explosive submarine eruptions
Shallow submarine volcanoes pose unique scientific and monitoring challenges. The interaction between water and magma can create violent explosions just below the surface, but the inaccessibility of submerged volcanoes means they are typically not instrumented. This both increases the risk to marine and aviation traffic and leaves the underlying eruption physics poorly understood. Here...
Authors
John J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney, David Fee, Aaron Wech, Christopher F. Waythomas
Catalog of earthquake parameters and description of seismograph and infrasound stations at Alaskan volcanoes—January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2017
Between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) located a total of 28,172 earthquakes at volcanoes in Alaska. The annual totals are 3,840, 5,819, 5,297, 6,151, and 7,065 earthquakes for the years 2013 through 2017, respectively. This represents an average of 5,634 earthquakes per year, which is comparable to the yearly number of earthquakes AVO...
Authors
James P. Dixon, Scott D. Stihler, Matthew M. Haney, John J. Lyons, Dane M. Ketner, Katherine M. Mulliken, Thomas Parker, John Power
Hydroacoustic, seismic, and bathymetric observations of the 2014 submarine eruption at Ahyi Seamount, Mariana Arc
Ahyi seamount, a shallow submarine volcano in the Northern Mariana Islands, began erupting on April 23, 2014. Hydroacoustic eruption signals were observed on the regional Mariana seismic network and on distant hydrophones, and NOAA scuba divers working in the area soon after the eruption began heard and felt underwater explosion sounds. The NOAA crew observed yellow orange bubble mats...
Authors
Gabrielle Tepp, William W. Chadwick, Matthew M. Haney, John J. Lyons, Robert Dziak, Susan Merle, Dave Butterfield, Charles W. Young
A unified catalog of earthquake hypocenters and magnitudes at volcanoes in Alaska—1989 to 2018
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has maintained an earthquake catalog since 1989 that now contains over 120,000 hypocenters and magnitudes that occurred near Alaskan volcanoes. Since 1989 the seismic instrumentation and data acquisition and processing techniques have undergone numerous changes as computer systems and seismic processing software have advanced and evolved. In this...
Authors
John Power, Paul A. Friberg, Matthew M. Haney, Thomas Parker, Scott D. Stihler, James P. Dixon
Seismic and acoustic signatures of surficial mass movements at volcanoes
Surficial mass movements, such as debris avalanches, rock falls, lahars, pyroclastic flows, and outburst floods, are a dominant hazard at many volcanoes worldwide. Understanding these processes, cataloging their spatio-temporal occurrence, and detecting, tracking, and characterizing these events would advance the science of volcano monitoring and help mitigate hazards. Seismic and...
Authors
Kate E. Allstadt, Robin S Matoza, Andrew Lockhart, Seth C. Moran, Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach, Matthew M. Haney, Weston Thelen, Stephen D. Malone
Short-term forecasting and detection of explosions during the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska
We describe a multidisciplinary approach to forecast, rapidly detect, and characterize explosive events during the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, a back-arc shallow submarine volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian arc. The eruptive sequence began in December 2016 and included about 70 discrete explosive events. Because the volcano has no local monitoring stations, we used distant stations...
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, Aaron Wech, Matthew M. Haney, John J. Lyons, David J. Schneider, Hans Schwaiger, Kristi L. Wallace, David Fee, Jeffrey T. Freymueller, Janet Schaefer, Gabrielle Tepp
Using earthquakes, T waves, and infrasound to investigate the eruption of Bogoslof Volcano, Alaska
The 2016‐2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano, a submarine stratovolcano in the Bering Sea, produced 70 discrete explosive eruptions over 8 months. With no local monitoring data, activity was seismically recorded on nearby islands 50‐100 km away, limiting the detection and resolution of seismic observations. We construct a matched filter catalog of 3199 events from 49 earthquake families...
Authors
Aaron Wech, Gabrielle Tepp, John J. Lyons, Matthew M. Haney
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...
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Hans Schwaiger, David Fee, Matthew M. Haney
Reducing 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...
Authors
Joan 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. Wein
Perturbational 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...
Authors
Matthew M. Haney, Victor C. Tsai
Seismic 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...
Authors
David Fee, Matthew M. Haney, Robin S. Matoza, Curt A.L. Szuberla, John J. Lyons, Christopher F. Waythomas
Volcano 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...
Authors
Timothy Masterlark, Theodore Donovan, Kurt L. Feigl, Matthew M. Haney, Clifford H. Thurber, Sui Tung
*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