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
Onset of rejuvenated-stage volcanism and the formation of Līhu‘e Basin: Kaua‘i events that occurred 3-4 million years ago
Evidence for large compositional ranges in coeval melts erupted from Kīlauea's summit reservoir
Are Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion) and Kīlauea (Hawai‘i) really “Analog Volcanoes”?
Crustal stress and structure at Kīlauea Volcano inferred from seismic anisotropy
“Points requiring elucidation” about Hawaiian volcanism
Petrologic testament to changes in shallow magma storage and transport during 30+ years of recharge and eruption at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i
Kilauea's 5-9 March 2011 Kamoamoa fissure eruption and its relation to 30+ years of activity from Pu'u 'Ō'ō
Reticulite‐producing fountains from ring fractures in Kīlauea Caldera ca. 1500 CE
Onset of a basaltic explosive eruption from Kīlauea’s summit in 2008
Episodic deflation-inflation events at Kīlauea Volcano and implications for the shallow magma system
Characteristics of Hawaiian volcanoes
Gravity changes and deformation at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, associated with summit eruptive activity, 2009-2012
Science and Products
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Onset of rejuvenated-stage volcanism and the formation of Līhu‘e Basin: Kaua‘i events that occurred 3-4 million years ago
For ocean-island volcanoes, an understanding of rejuvenated-stage volcanism requires knowing the age of onset, duration of the volcanic episode, and length of quiescence that preceded the rejuvenated pulse. On the Island of Kaua‘i, cuttings from two lava flows intercepted in the Hanamā‘ulu well (Līhu‘e basin) and assigned to the Kōloa Volcanics on basis of major-element, trace-element, and isotopeAuthorsDavid R. Sherrod, Scot K. Izuka, Brian L. CousensEvidence for large compositional ranges in coeval melts erupted from Kīlauea's summit reservoir
Petrologic observations on Kīlauea's lavas include abundant microprobe analyses of glasses, which show the range of melts available in Kīlauea's summit reservoir over time. During the past two centuries, compositions of melts erupted within the caldera have been limited to MgO = 6.3–7.5 wt%. Extracaldera lavas of the 1959, 1971, and 1974 eruptions contain melts with up to 10.2, 8.9, and 9.2 wt% MgAuthorsRosalind T. Helz, David A. Clague, Larry G. Mastin, Timothy R. RoseAre Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion) and Kīlauea (Hawai‘i) really “Analog Volcanoes”?
The basaltic ocean island volcanoes of Kīlauea (Island of Hawai‘i) and Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion Island) are remarkable natural laboratories for volcanology. Both are near the active ends of long hotspot chains and host frequent eruptive activity (both effusive and explosive). Investigations of the geophysical, geochemical, and geologic manifestations of volcanism at the two locales providAuthorsMichael P. Poland, Aline Peltier, Thomas StaudacherCrustal stress and structure at Kīlauea Volcano inferred from seismic anisotropy
Seismic anisotropy, measured through shear wave splitting (SWS) analysis, can be indicative of the state of stress in Earth's crust. Changes in SWS at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, associated with the onset of summit eruptive activity in 2008 hint at the potential of the technique for tracking volcanic activity. To use SWS observations as a monitoring tool, however, it is important to understand the cAuthorsJessica H. Johnson, Donald Swanson, Diana C. Roman, Michael P. Poland, Weston A. Thelen“Points requiring elucidation” about Hawaiian volcanism
Hawaiian volcanoes, which are easily accessed and observed at close range, are among the most studied on the planet and have spurred great advances in the geosciences, from understanding deep Earth processes to forecasting volcanic eruptions. More than a century of continuous observation and study of Hawai‘i's volcanoes has also sharpened focus on those questions that remain unanswered. Although tAuthorsMichael P. PolandPetrologic testament to changes in shallow magma storage and transport during 30+ years of recharge and eruption at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i
Petrologic monitoring of Kīlauea Volcano from January 1983 to October 2013 has yielded an extensive record of glass, phenocryst, melt inclusion, and bulk-lava chemistry from well-quenched lava. When correlated with 30+ years of geophysical and geologic monitoring, petrologic details testify to physical maturation of summit-to-rift magma plumbing associated with sporadic intrusion and prolonged magAuthorsCarl R. Thornber, Tim R. Orr, Christina Heliker, Richard P. HoblittKilauea's 5-9 March 2011 Kamoamoa fissure eruption and its relation to 30+ years of activity from Pu'u 'Ō'ō
Lava output from Kīlauea's long-lived East Rift Zone eruption, ongoing since 1983, began waning in 2010 and was coupled with uplift, increased seismicity, and rising lava levels at the volcano's summit and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent. These changes culminated in the four-day-long Kamoamoa fissure eruption on the East Rift Zone starting on 5 March 2011. About 2.7 × 106 m3 of lava erupted, accompanied by ˜15 cmAuthorsTim R. Orr, Michael P. Poland, Matthew R. Patrick, Weston A. Thelen, A.J. Sutton, Tamar Elias, Carl R. Thornber, Carolyn Parcheta, Kelly M. WootenReticulite‐producing fountains from ring fractures in Kīlauea Caldera ca. 1500 CE
A widely dispersed reticulite bed occurs close to the base of the Keanakākoʻi Tephra at Kīlauea Volcano. It can be divided into six subunits in the northern sector of the volcano; the reticulite also occurs in the southern sector, but outcrops are sparse owing to penecontemporaneous erosion and burial. Multilobate isopachs for each subunit and the total deposit suggest that multiple fountaining veAuthorsMichael May, Rebecca J. Carey, Don Swanson, Bruce F. HoughtonOnset of a basaltic explosive eruption from Kīlauea’s summit in 2008
The onset of a basaltic eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano in 2008 is recorded in the products generated during the first three weeks of the eruption and suggests an evolution of both the physical properties of the magma and also lava lake levels and vent wall stability. Ash componentry and the microtextures of the early erupted lapilli products reveal that the magma was largely outgassed,AuthorsRebecca J. Carey, Lauren Swavely, Don Swanson, Bruce F. Houghton, Tim R. Orr, Tamar Elias, Andrew SuttonEpisodic deflation-inflation events at Kīlauea Volcano and implications for the shallow magma system
Episodic variations in magma pressures and flow rates at Kīlauea Volcano, defined by a characteristic temporal evolution and termed deflation-inflation (DI) events, have been observed since at least the 1990s. DI events consist of transient, days-long deflations and subsequent reinflations of the summit region, accompanied since 2008 by fluctuations in the surface height of Kīlauea's summit lava lAuthorsKyle R. Anderson, Michael P. Poland, Jessica H. Johnson, Asta MikliusCharacteristics of Hawaiian volcanoes
Founded in 1912 at the edge of the caldera of Kīlauea Volcano, HVO was the vision of Thomas A. Jaggar, Jr., a geologist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whose studies of natural disasters around the world had convinced him that systematic, continuous observations of seismic and volcanic activity were needed to better understand—and potentially predict—earthquakes and volcanic eruptiGravity changes and deformation at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, associated with summit eruptive activity, 2009-2012
Analysis of microgravity and surface displacement data collected at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii (USA), between December 2009 and November 2012 suggests a net mass accumulation at ~1.5 km depth beneath the northeast margin of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, within Kīlauea Caldera. Although residual gravity increases and decreases are accompanied by periods of uplift and subsidence of the surface, reAuthorsMarco Bagnardi, Michael P. Poland, Daniele Carbone, Scott Baker, Maurizio Battaglia, Falk Amelung - News
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*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