Matthew Patrick, Ph.D.
I am a geologist with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, conducting research and monitoring of active eruptions.
Professional Experience
US Geological Survey - Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Research Geologist, 2007-present
Michigan Tech University: Postdoctoral Researcher, 2006-2007
University of Hawaii Manoa: Postdoctoral Researcher, 2005-2006
Education and Certifications
University of Hawai‘i Mānoa Geology 8/02 – 8/05 Ph.D. 2005
University of Alaska Fairbanks Geology 8/99 – 5/02 M.S. 2002
Cornell University Geology 8/95 – 5/99 B.S. 1999
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Elevation of the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, from 2009 to 2018 Elevation of the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, from 2009 to 2018
This data release includes measurements of the surface elevation of the lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, during the 2008-2018 summit eruption (Patrick and others, 2021). The data were measured by several instruments (laser rangefinder, webcams, lidar) and are compiled here to provide the most complete dataset yet available on the elevation of...
Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020 Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020
In 2018, a large effusive eruption on the lower flank of Kīlauea Volcano was associated with collapse and subsidence of the summit caldera floor (Neal and others, 2019). The bottom of Halemaʻumaʻu, a crater nested within the summit caldera, subsided by more than 500 m. In July 2019, water was observed ponding on the deepest part of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor and the water rose and...
Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
At 11:21 p.m. (Hawaii Standard Time [HST]) on November 27, 2022, Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi started erupting from fissures at its summit caldera, Mokuʻāweoweo. This was followed shortly afterwards by the opening of a segment of fissures in the direction of the Southwest Rift Zone. These were mostly within the structural boundary of the caldera, so their location is...
Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2025-05-02) Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2025-05-02)
We depict changing eruptive features within the summit caldera of Kilauea volcano, Island of Hawai'i with rapid-response digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired since a series of caldera-filling effusive eruptions began on December 20, 2020. These eruptions follow the caldera collapse of 2018, with new lava progressively filling the approximately 1-cubic-kilometer pit that formed...
Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020 Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020
During 2018, Kilauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiii, had a large effusive eruption (~1 cubic kilometer of lava) on the lower East Rift Zone that caused widespread destruction (Neal and others, 2019; Dietterich and others, 2021). This lower flank eruption was accompanied by one of the largest collapses of the summit caldera in two hundred years, with portions of the caldera floor...
Crater geometry data for Puʻuʻōʻō, on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, in May 2018 Crater geometry data for Puʻuʻōʻō, on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, in May 2018
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption and accompanying summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, comprised one of the most impactful events on the volcano in the past 200 years, with hundreds of homes destroyed and major changes in the topography of the summit caldera. The opening stages of this eruptive sequence started on 30 April, when a magmatic dike began moving east from...
Filter Total Items: 76
Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi
Cataloguing damage and its correlation with hazard intensity is one of the key components needed to robustly assess future risk and plan for mitigation as it provides important empirical data. Damage assessments following volcanic eruptions have been conducted for buildings and other structures following hazards such as tephra fall, pyroclastic density currents, and lahars. However...
Authors
Elinor S. Meredith, Susanna F. Jenkins, Josh L. Hayes, Natalia I. Deligne, David Lallemant, Matthew R. Patrick, Christina A. Neal
Rainfall an unlikely trigger of Kilauea’s 2018 rift eruption Rainfall an unlikely trigger of Kilauea’s 2018 rift eruption
If volcanic eruptions could be forecast from the occurrence of some external process, it might be possible to better mitigate risk and protect lives and livelihoods. Farquharson and Amelung1 suggested that the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (ERZ) eruption of Kīlauea Volcano—the most destructive eruption in Hawai‘i in at least 200 years2—was triggered by extreme precipitation, which caused...
Authors
Michael Poland, Shaul Hurwitz, James P. Kauahikaua, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Ingrid A. Johanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Christina A. Neal
Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
Lava lake surfaces display the tops of active magma columns and respond to eruption variables such as magmatic pressure, convection, degassing, and cooling, as well as interactions with the craters that contain them. However, they are challenging to study owing to the numerous hazards that accompany these eruptions, and they are typically difficult to observe because the emitted gas...
Authors
Adam L. LeWinter, Steve W. Anderson, David C. Finnegan, Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr
Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea, Hawai’i, provides an excellent natural laboratory with which to test models of lava flow propagation. During early stages of eruption crises, the most useful lava flow propagation equations utilize readily determined parameters and require fewer a priori assumptions about future behavior of the flow. Here, we leverage the numerous
Authors
Rebecca deGraffenried, Julia E. Hammer, Hannah R. Dietterich, Ryan L. Perroy, Matthew R. Patrick, Thomas Shea
High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano produced large and destructive lava flows from the fissure 8 (Ahu ‘aila ‘au) vent with flow velocities up to 17 m s−1, highly variable effusion rates over both short (minutes) and long (hours) time scales, and a proximal channel or spillway that displayed flow features similar to open channel flow in river systems. Monitoring such dynamic vent and...
Authors
John J. Lyons, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick, David Fee
Onset and evolution of Kilauea’s 2018 flank eruption and summit collapse from continuous gravity Onset and evolution of Kilauea’s 2018 flank eruption and summit collapse from continuous gravity
Prior to the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (ERZ) eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, continuous gravimeters operated on the vent rims of ongoing eruptions at both the summit and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. These instruments captured the onset of the 2018 lower ERZ eruption and the effects of lava withdrawal from both locales, providing constraints on the timing and style of activity and...
Authors
Michael Poland, Daniele Carbone, Matthew R. Patrick
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Elevation of the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, from 2009 to 2018 Elevation of the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, from 2009 to 2018
This data release includes measurements of the surface elevation of the lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, during the 2008-2018 summit eruption (Patrick and others, 2021). The data were measured by several instruments (laser rangefinder, webcams, lidar) and are compiled here to provide the most complete dataset yet available on the elevation of...
Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020 Colorimeter data for the summit water lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, 2020
In 2018, a large effusive eruption on the lower flank of Kīlauea Volcano was associated with collapse and subsidence of the summit caldera floor (Neal and others, 2019). The bottom of Halemaʻumaʻu, a crater nested within the summit caldera, subsided by more than 500 m. In July 2019, water was observed ponding on the deepest part of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor and the water rose and...
Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF, grain size, and grain shape data collected during the November – December 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
At 11:21 p.m. (Hawaii Standard Time [HST]) on November 27, 2022, Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi started erupting from fissures at its summit caldera, Mokuʻāweoweo. This was followed shortly afterwards by the opening of a segment of fissures in the direction of the Southwest Rift Zone. These were mostly within the structural boundary of the caldera, so their location is...
Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2025-05-02) Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2025-05-02)
We depict changing eruptive features within the summit caldera of Kilauea volcano, Island of Hawai'i with rapid-response digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired since a series of caldera-filling effusive eruptions began on December 20, 2020. These eruptions follow the caldera collapse of 2018, with new lava progressively filling the approximately 1-cubic-kilometer pit that formed...
Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020 Water-level data for the crater lake at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, Island of Hawai'i, 2019-2020
During 2018, Kilauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiii, had a large effusive eruption (~1 cubic kilometer of lava) on the lower East Rift Zone that caused widespread destruction (Neal and others, 2019; Dietterich and others, 2021). This lower flank eruption was accompanied by one of the largest collapses of the summit caldera in two hundred years, with portions of the caldera floor...
Crater geometry data for Puʻuʻōʻō, on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, in May 2018 Crater geometry data for Puʻuʻōʻō, on Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone, in May 2018
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption and accompanying summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, comprised one of the most impactful events on the volcano in the past 200 years, with hundreds of homes destroyed and major changes in the topography of the summit caldera. The opening stages of this eruptive sequence started on 30 April, when a magmatic dike began moving east from...
Filter Total Items: 76
Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi
Cataloguing damage and its correlation with hazard intensity is one of the key components needed to robustly assess future risk and plan for mitigation as it provides important empirical data. Damage assessments following volcanic eruptions have been conducted for buildings and other structures following hazards such as tephra fall, pyroclastic density currents, and lahars. However...
Authors
Elinor S. Meredith, Susanna F. Jenkins, Josh L. Hayes, Natalia I. Deligne, David Lallemant, Matthew R. Patrick, Christina A. Neal
Rainfall an unlikely trigger of Kilauea’s 2018 rift eruption Rainfall an unlikely trigger of Kilauea’s 2018 rift eruption
If volcanic eruptions could be forecast from the occurrence of some external process, it might be possible to better mitigate risk and protect lives and livelihoods. Farquharson and Amelung1 suggested that the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (ERZ) eruption of Kīlauea Volcano—the most destructive eruption in Hawai‘i in at least 200 years2—was triggered by extreme precipitation, which caused...
Authors
Michael Poland, Shaul Hurwitz, James P. Kauahikaua, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Ingrid A. Johanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Christina A. Neal
Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
Lava lake surfaces display the tops of active magma columns and respond to eruption variables such as magmatic pressure, convection, degassing, and cooling, as well as interactions with the craters that contain them. However, they are challenging to study owing to the numerous hazards that accompany these eruptions, and they are typically difficult to observe because the emitted gas...
Authors
Adam L. LeWinter, Steve W. Anderson, David C. Finnegan, Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr
Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea, Hawai’i, provides an excellent natural laboratory with which to test models of lava flow propagation. During early stages of eruption crises, the most useful lava flow propagation equations utilize readily determined parameters and require fewer a priori assumptions about future behavior of the flow. Here, we leverage the numerous
Authors
Rebecca deGraffenried, Julia E. Hammer, Hannah R. Dietterich, Ryan L. Perroy, Matthew R. Patrick, Thomas Shea
High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano produced large and destructive lava flows from the fissure 8 (Ahu ‘aila ‘au) vent with flow velocities up to 17 m s−1, highly variable effusion rates over both short (minutes) and long (hours) time scales, and a proximal channel or spillway that displayed flow features similar to open channel flow in river systems. Monitoring such dynamic vent and...
Authors
John J. Lyons, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick, David Fee
Onset and evolution of Kilauea’s 2018 flank eruption and summit collapse from continuous gravity Onset and evolution of Kilauea’s 2018 flank eruption and summit collapse from continuous gravity
Prior to the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (ERZ) eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, continuous gravimeters operated on the vent rims of ongoing eruptions at both the summit and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. These instruments captured the onset of the 2018 lower ERZ eruption and the effects of lava withdrawal from both locales, providing constraints on the timing and style of activity and...
Authors
Michael Poland, Daniele Carbone, Matthew R. Patrick