Michael Poland
Mike Poland is a research geophysicist with the Cascades Volcano Observatory and the current Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
Mike's area of specialization is volcano geodesy, which emphasizes the surface deformation and gravity fields associated with volcanic activity. This work involves the use of space-based technologies, like Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), as well as ground-based techniques, like microgravity surveys. Mike has taken part in studies on a variety of volcanic systems in the United States, including Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest, Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes in Hawaii, and the Yellowstone caldera. His recent work has focused on using gravity change over time to understand the character of the fluids that drive volcanic unrest, and also on the potential of satellite data to improve forecasts of future changes in volcanic activity.
Professional Experience
U.S. Geological Survey - Yellowstone Volcano Observatory: Scientist-in-Charge (2017 - present)
U.S. Geological Survey – Cascades Volcano Observatory: Research Geophysicist (2015 - present)
U.S. Geological Survey – Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Research Geophysicist (2005 - 2015)
U.S. Geological Survey – Cascades Volcano Observatory: Research Geophysicist (2002 - 2005)
Department of Geology, Clark College (Vancouver, Washington): Instructor (2004)
Arizona State University, Department of Geological Sciences: Graduate Teaching/Research Assoc. (1997 - 2001)
Education and Certifications
Arizona State University: Ph.D. (2001), Geological Sciences
University of California, Davis: B.S. (1997), Geology
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Geological Society of America (GSA)
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
Honors and Awards
Fellow, Geological Society of America, 2021
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 159
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Filter Total Items: 160
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
Thermal, deformation, and degassing remote sensing time-series (A.D. 2000-2017) at the 47 most active volcanoes in Latin America: Implications for volcanic systems Thermal, deformation, and degassing remote sensing time-series (A.D. 2000-2017) at the 47 most active volcanoes in Latin America: Implications for volcanic systems
Volcanoes are hazardous to local and global populations, but only a fraction are continuously monitored by ground-based sensors. For example, in Latin America, more than 60% of Holocene volcanoes are unmonitored, meaning long-term multi-parameter datasets of volcanic activity are rare and sparse. We use satellite observations of degassing, thermal anomalies, and surface deformation...
Authors
Kevin Reath, Matthew Pritchard, Michael P. Poland, F. Delgado, S. Carn, D. Coppola, B. J. Andrews, S.K. Ebmeier, M. Elise Rumpf, S. Henderson, S. Baker, P. Lundgren, R. Erik Wright, J. Biggs, T. Lopez, C. Wauthier, S. Moruzzi, A. Alcott, Rick Wessels, Julia P. Griswold, Sarah E. Ogburn, S. C. Loughlin, F. Meyer, R. Greg Vaughan, M. Bagnardi
Magma supply to Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, from inception to now: Historical perspective, current state of knowledge, and future challenges Magma supply to Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, from inception to now: Historical perspective, current state of knowledge, and future challenges
Meticulous field observations are a common underpinning of two landmark studies conducted by Don Swanson dealing with the rate at which magma is supplied to Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. The first combined effusion rate and ground deformation observations to show that the supply rate to Kīlauea was constant at ~0.11 km3/yr during three sustained eruptions from 1952 to 1971, a quiescent...
Authors
Daniel Dzurisin, Michael P. Poland
Towards coordinated regional multi-satellite InSAR volcano observations: Results from the Latin America pilot project Towards coordinated regional multi-satellite InSAR volcano observations: Results from the Latin America pilot project
Within Latin America, about 319 volcanoes have been active in the Holocene, but 202 of these volcanoes have no seismic, deformation or gas monitoring. Following the 2012 Santorini Report on satellite Earth Observation and Geohazards, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) developed a 4-year pilot project (2013-2017) to demonstrate how satellite observations can be used to...
Authors
Matthew Pritchard, Juliet Biggs, Christelle Wauthier, Eugenio Sansosti, David W. D. Arnold, Francisco Delgado, Susanna Ebmeier, Scott Henderson, Kristen Stephens, C. Cooper, Kendall Wnuk, Falk Amelung, Victor Rivera Aguilar, Patricia Mothes, Orlando Macedo, Luis E. Lara, Michael P. Poland, Simona Zoffoli
A retrospective look at the February 1993 east rift zone intrusion at Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii A retrospective look at the February 1993 east rift zone intrusion at Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii
The February 1993 dike intrusion in the East Rift Zone (ERZ) of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i, was recognized from tilt and seismic data, but ground-based geodetic data were too sparse to constrain the characteristics of the intrusion. Analysis of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) JERS-1 satellite reveals a maximum of ~30 cm of...
Authors
Sarah Conway, Christelle Wauthier, Yo Fukushima, Michael P. Poland
Continuous gravity and tilt reveal anomalous pressure and density changes associated with gas pistoning within the summit lava lake of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi Continuous gravity and tilt reveal anomalous pressure and density changes associated with gas pistoning within the summit lava lake of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
Gas piston events within the summit eruptive vent of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, are characterized by increases in lava level and by decreases in seismic energy release, spattering, and degassing. During 2010–2011, gas piston events were especially well manifested, with lava level rises of tens of meters over the course of several hours, followed by a sudden drop to preevent levels. The...
Authors
Michael P. Poland, Daniele Carbone
Filter Total Items: 92
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 159
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 160
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
Thermal, deformation, and degassing remote sensing time-series (A.D. 2000-2017) at the 47 most active volcanoes in Latin America: Implications for volcanic systems Thermal, deformation, and degassing remote sensing time-series (A.D. 2000-2017) at the 47 most active volcanoes in Latin America: Implications for volcanic systems
Volcanoes are hazardous to local and global populations, but only a fraction are continuously monitored by ground-based sensors. For example, in Latin America, more than 60% of Holocene volcanoes are unmonitored, meaning long-term multi-parameter datasets of volcanic activity are rare and sparse. We use satellite observations of degassing, thermal anomalies, and surface deformation...
Authors
Kevin Reath, Matthew Pritchard, Michael P. Poland, F. Delgado, S. Carn, D. Coppola, B. J. Andrews, S.K. Ebmeier, M. Elise Rumpf, S. Henderson, S. Baker, P. Lundgren, R. Erik Wright, J. Biggs, T. Lopez, C. Wauthier, S. Moruzzi, A. Alcott, Rick Wessels, Julia P. Griswold, Sarah E. Ogburn, S. C. Loughlin, F. Meyer, R. Greg Vaughan, M. Bagnardi
Magma supply to Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, from inception to now: Historical perspective, current state of knowledge, and future challenges Magma supply to Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, from inception to now: Historical perspective, current state of knowledge, and future challenges
Meticulous field observations are a common underpinning of two landmark studies conducted by Don Swanson dealing with the rate at which magma is supplied to Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. The first combined effusion rate and ground deformation observations to show that the supply rate to Kīlauea was constant at ~0.11 km3/yr during three sustained eruptions from 1952 to 1971, a quiescent...
Authors
Daniel Dzurisin, Michael P. Poland
Towards coordinated regional multi-satellite InSAR volcano observations: Results from the Latin America pilot project Towards coordinated regional multi-satellite InSAR volcano observations: Results from the Latin America pilot project
Within Latin America, about 319 volcanoes have been active in the Holocene, but 202 of these volcanoes have no seismic, deformation or gas monitoring. Following the 2012 Santorini Report on satellite Earth Observation and Geohazards, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) developed a 4-year pilot project (2013-2017) to demonstrate how satellite observations can be used to...
Authors
Matthew Pritchard, Juliet Biggs, Christelle Wauthier, Eugenio Sansosti, David W. D. Arnold, Francisco Delgado, Susanna Ebmeier, Scott Henderson, Kristen Stephens, C. Cooper, Kendall Wnuk, Falk Amelung, Victor Rivera Aguilar, Patricia Mothes, Orlando Macedo, Luis E. Lara, Michael P. Poland, Simona Zoffoli
A retrospective look at the February 1993 east rift zone intrusion at Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii A retrospective look at the February 1993 east rift zone intrusion at Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii
The February 1993 dike intrusion in the East Rift Zone (ERZ) of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i, was recognized from tilt and seismic data, but ground-based geodetic data were too sparse to constrain the characteristics of the intrusion. Analysis of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) JERS-1 satellite reveals a maximum of ~30 cm of...
Authors
Sarah Conway, Christelle Wauthier, Yo Fukushima, Michael P. Poland
Continuous gravity and tilt reveal anomalous pressure and density changes associated with gas pistoning within the summit lava lake of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi Continuous gravity and tilt reveal anomalous pressure and density changes associated with gas pistoning within the summit lava lake of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
Gas piston events within the summit eruptive vent of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, are characterized by increases in lava level and by decreases in seismic energy release, spattering, and degassing. During 2010–2011, gas piston events were especially well manifested, with lava level rises of tens of meters over the course of several hours, followed by a sudden drop to preevent levels. The...
Authors
Michael P. Poland, Daniele Carbone
Filter Total Items: 92
*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