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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: 131

A decade of geodetic change at Kīlauea’s summit—Observations, interpretations, and unanswered questions from studies of the 2008–2018 Halemaʻumaʻu eruption

On March 19, 2008, a small explosion heralded the onset of an extraordinary eruption at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The following 10 years provided unprecedented access to an actively circulating lava lake located within a region monitored by numerous geodetic tools, including Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), tilt, and gravity. These d
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

The cascading origin of the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and implications for future forecasting

The 2018 summit and flank eruption of Kīlauea Volcano was one of the largest volcanic events in Hawaiʻi in 200 years. Data suggest that a backup in the magma plumbing system at the long-lived Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption site caused widespread pressurization in the volcano, driving magma into the lower flank. The eruption evolved, and its impact expanded, as a sequence of cascading events, allowing relative
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Forecasting, detecting, and tracking volcanic eruptions from space

Satellite monitoring of volcanic activity typically includes four primary observations: (1) deformation and surface change, (2) gas emissions, (3) thermal anomalies, and (4) ash plumes. These phenomena are imaged by remote sensing data that span the electromagnetic spectrum, from microwave to ultraviolet energy and including visible and infrared wavelengths. The primary uses of satellite data in v
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Using conceptual models to relate multiparameter satellite data to subsurface volcanic processes in Latin America

Satellite data have been extensively used to identify volcanic behavior. However, the physical subsurface processes causing any individual manifestation of activity can be ambiguous. We propose a classification scheme for the cause of unrest that simultaneously considers three multiparameter satellite observations. The scheme is based on characteristics of the volcanic system (open, closed, and er
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Post-collapse gravity increase at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi

We conducted gravity surveys of the summit area of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, in November 2018 and March 2019, with the goal of determining whether there was any mass change at depth following the volcano's May–August 2018 caldera collapse. Surface deformation between the two surveys was minimal, but we measured a gravity increase (maximum 44 μGal) centered on the caldera that can be modeled as mas
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Magma reservoir failure and the onset of caldera collapse at Kīlauea volcano in 2018

Caldera-forming eruptions are among Earths most hazardous natural phenomena, yet the architecture of subcaldera magma reservoirs and the conditions that trigger collapse are poorly understood. Observations from the formation of a 0.8cubic kilometer basaltic caldera at Klauea Volcano in 2018 included the draining of an active lava lake, which provided a window into pressure decrease in the reservo
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Partly cloudy with a chance of lava flows: Forecasting volcanic eruptions in the 21st century

A primary goal of volcanology is forecasting hazardous eruptive activity. Despite much progress over the last century, however, volcanoes still erupt with no detected precursors, lives and livelihoods are lost to eruptive activity, and forecasting the onsets of eruptions remains fraught with uncertainty. Long‐term forecasts are generally derived from the geological and historical records, from whi
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Interseismic quiescence and triggered slip of active normal faults of Kīlauea Volcano’s south flank during 2001-2018

The mobile south flank of Kīlauea Volcano hosts two normal fault systems, the Koa'e fault system (KFS) and the Hilina fault system (HFS). In historical time, at least three M>6.5 earthquakes have occurred on the basal detachment of the Kīlauea Volcano's south flank, with the most recent being the 4 May 2018 M6.9 earthquake. Here we analyze kinematic Global Positioning System data collected from 20
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Don Swanson: A field volcanology career worth celebrating

Don Swanson has profoundly influenced generations of volcanologists and has made major contributions to our understanding of both silicic and basaltic volcanic systems. He provides an exceptional example of how a gifted scientist can develop entirely new paradigms related to large-scale problems on the basis of decades of study, as exemplified by his work on the emplacement of flood basalts, monit
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

The 2017-19 activity at Mount Agung in Bali (Indonesia): Intense unrest, monitoring, crisis response, evacuation, and eruption

After 53 years of quiescence, Mount Agung awoke in August 2017, with intense seismicity, measurable ground deformation, and thermal anomalies in the summit crater. Although the seismic unrest peaked in late September and early October, the volcano did not start erupting until 21 November. The most intense explosive eruptions with accompanying rapid lava effusion occurred between 25 and 29 November
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Modulation of seismic activity in Kīlauea’s Upper East Rift Zone by summit pressurization

Kīlauea Volcano is underlain by a complex, laterally-extensive magmatic plumbing system. Although in recent decades it has mainly erupted through vents along the middle East Rift Zone and summit caldera, eruptions can occur anywhere along its two laterally extensive rift zones, as demonstrated by the dramatic eruptive activity of 2018. Forecasting eruptive activity requires an understanding of whe
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Assessing seasonal changes in microgravity at Yellowstone caldera

Microgravity time series at active volcanoes can provide an indication of mass change related to subsurface magmatic processes, but uncertainty is often introduced by hydrologic variations and other noise sources that cannot easily be isolated. We empirically assessed seasonality and noise by conducting four surveys over the course of May-October 2017 at Yellowstone caldera, Wyoming. Yellowstone
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

Optimizing satellite resources for the global assessment and mitigation of volcanic hazards

A vast number of the world’s volcanoes are unmonitored by ground-based sensors, yet constitute an important hazard to nearby residents and infrastructure, as well as air travel and the global economy. Satellite data provide a cost-effective means of tracking activity at such volcanoes. Unfortunately, satellite acquisitions are not optimized for application to volcano hazards, in part because cle
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
link

Optimizing satellite resources for the global assessment and mitigation of volcanic hazards

A vast number of the world’s volcanoes are unmonitored by ground-based sensors, yet constitute an important hazard to nearby residents and infrastructure, as well as air travel and the global economy. Satellite data provide a cost-effective means of tracking activity at such volcanoes. Unfortunately, satellite acquisitions are not optimized for application to volcano hazards, in part because cle
Learn More

Continuous gravity data from K?lauea Volcano, Hawai?i

This Data Release contains continuous gravity records from two instruments on Kilauea Volcano, Hawaiʻ'i the HOVL gravimeter, located on the east rim of Halema'uma'u Crater directly above the 2008-2018 summit eruptive vent, and the PUOC gravimeter, located on northern rim of Puu Oo crater on Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. Both instruments were collocated with GNSS stations. The HOVL gr
By
Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Repeat microgravity data from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

These data are microgravity measurements collected in Yellowstone National Park. Data are collected suing multiple instruments, which each data file representing measurements from a specific instrument during a specific time period. The data dictionary explains the file format and contents, and the dataset will be updated as new data are collected.
By
Volcano Hazards
Filter Total Items: 37
link

Silver Gate—the Mammoth Terraces of yesteryear!

Just south of Mammoth Hot Springs, near the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park, lies a jumble of white/gray rock known as the Hoodoos or...

Read Article
link

Yellowstone’s sibling in the southern hemisphere: Taupō, New Zealand

Yellowstone is not the only large caldera system in the world.  Indeed, caldera systems can be found all over the planet!  In New Zealand, the Taupō...

Read Article
link

The day that Porkchop Geyser exploded

Small hydrothermal explosions—steam blasts—are common at Yellowstone, occurring every year or two.  Most happen in the backcountry and are not...

Read Article
link

Yellowstone’s unconformity—over 60 million years of missing geologic history!

Visitors to Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park might have noticed an odd geological feature near the top of Mount Everts—an unconformity...

Read Article
link

YVO’s 2021 field season is underway!

For half the year, Yellowstone is largely inaccessible to geologists, buried under snow and ice and subject to fierce storms.  By May, however...

Read Article
link

The 2020 Yellowstone Volcano Observatory annual report is now available!

Interested in knowing more about Yellowstone geyser, seismic and deformation activity in 2020?  And the results of research conducted by the...

Read Article
link

Just how long has the Yellowstone Hotspot been around?

The Yellowstone hotspot—the source of heat that powers Yellowstone’s vast volcanic system—has long been thought to have initiated about 17 million...

Read Article
link

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory year in review—what happened in 2020?

Although 2020 may not have been a great year for many of us, it was a pretty interesting year in Yellowstone.  With this first Yellowstone Caldera...

Read Article
link

Thousands of years of caldera inflation and deflation recorded in the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake

Thanks to technology like GPS (Global Positioning System), scientists know that the ground at Yellowstone moves up and down at a rate of a few...

Read Article
link

The story of a Yellowstone icon: Old Faithful Geyser

Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in the world, but who named the iconic feature?  And how does the current frequency of its eruptions compare to...

Read Article
link

The geology of a Yellowstone jewel: Hayden Valley

Hayden Valley is a gorgeous expanse of grassland and meadows located right in the center of Yellowstone National Park.  It is a haven for wildlife and...

Read Article
link

Yellowstone Monthly Update - June 2020

Yellowstone Volcano remains at GREEN/NORMAL. Yellowstone National Park is open and seasonal field work began last month. The University of Utah...

Read Article

Science and Products

  • Publications
    Filter Total Items: 131

    A decade of geodetic change at Kīlauea’s summit—Observations, interpretations, and unanswered questions from studies of the 2008–2018 Halemaʻumaʻu eruption

    On March 19, 2008, a small explosion heralded the onset of an extraordinary eruption at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The following 10 years provided unprecedented access to an actively circulating lava lake located within a region monitored by numerous geodetic tools, including Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), tilt, and gravity. These d
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    The cascading origin of the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and implications for future forecasting

    The 2018 summit and flank eruption of Kīlauea Volcano was one of the largest volcanic events in Hawaiʻi in 200 years. Data suggest that a backup in the magma plumbing system at the long-lived Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption site caused widespread pressurization in the volcano, driving magma into the lower flank. The eruption evolved, and its impact expanded, as a sequence of cascading events, allowing relative
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    Forecasting, detecting, and tracking volcanic eruptions from space

    Satellite monitoring of volcanic activity typically includes four primary observations: (1) deformation and surface change, (2) gas emissions, (3) thermal anomalies, and (4) ash plumes. These phenomena are imaged by remote sensing data that span the electromagnetic spectrum, from microwave to ultraviolet energy and including visible and infrared wavelengths. The primary uses of satellite data in v
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

    Using conceptual models to relate multiparameter satellite data to subsurface volcanic processes in Latin America

    Satellite data have been extensively used to identify volcanic behavior. However, the physical subsurface processes causing any individual manifestation of activity can be ambiguous. We propose a classification scheme for the cause of unrest that simultaneously considers three multiparameter satellite observations. The scheme is based on characteristics of the volcanic system (open, closed, and er
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

    Post-collapse gravity increase at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi

    We conducted gravity surveys of the summit area of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, in November 2018 and March 2019, with the goal of determining whether there was any mass change at depth following the volcano's May–August 2018 caldera collapse. Surface deformation between the two surveys was minimal, but we measured a gravity increase (maximum 44 μGal) centered on the caldera that can be modeled as mas
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    Magma reservoir failure and the onset of caldera collapse at Kīlauea volcano in 2018

    Caldera-forming eruptions are among Earths most hazardous natural phenomena, yet the architecture of subcaldera magma reservoirs and the conditions that trigger collapse are poorly understood. Observations from the formation of a 0.8cubic kilometer basaltic caldera at Klauea Volcano in 2018 included the draining of an active lava lake, which provided a window into pressure decrease in the reservo
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    Partly cloudy with a chance of lava flows: Forecasting volcanic eruptions in the 21st century

    A primary goal of volcanology is forecasting hazardous eruptive activity. Despite much progress over the last century, however, volcanoes still erupt with no detected precursors, lives and livelihoods are lost to eruptive activity, and forecasting the onsets of eruptions remains fraught with uncertainty. Long‐term forecasts are generally derived from the geological and historical records, from whi
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    Interseismic quiescence and triggered slip of active normal faults of Kīlauea Volcano’s south flank during 2001-2018

    The mobile south flank of Kīlauea Volcano hosts two normal fault systems, the Koa'e fault system (KFS) and the Hilina fault system (HFS). In historical time, at least three M>6.5 earthquakes have occurred on the basal detachment of the Kīlauea Volcano's south flank, with the most recent being the 4 May 2018 M6.9 earthquake. Here we analyze kinematic Global Positioning System data collected from 20
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    Don Swanson: A field volcanology career worth celebrating

    Don Swanson has profoundly influenced generations of volcanologists and has made major contributions to our understanding of both silicic and basaltic volcanic systems. He provides an exceptional example of how a gifted scientist can develop entirely new paradigms related to large-scale problems on the basis of decades of study, as exemplified by his work on the emplacement of flood basalts, monit
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    The 2017-19 activity at Mount Agung in Bali (Indonesia): Intense unrest, monitoring, crisis response, evacuation, and eruption

    After 53 years of quiescence, Mount Agung awoke in August 2017, with intense seismicity, measurable ground deformation, and thermal anomalies in the summit crater. Although the seismic unrest peaked in late September and early October, the volcano did not start erupting until 21 November. The most intense explosive eruptions with accompanying rapid lava effusion occurred between 25 and 29 November
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    Modulation of seismic activity in Kīlauea’s Upper East Rift Zone by summit pressurization

    Kīlauea Volcano is underlain by a complex, laterally-extensive magmatic plumbing system. Although in recent decades it has mainly erupted through vents along the middle East Rift Zone and summit caldera, eruptions can occur anywhere along its two laterally extensive rift zones, as demonstrated by the dramatic eruptive activity of 2018. Forecasting eruptive activity requires an understanding of whe
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    Assessing seasonal changes in microgravity at Yellowstone caldera

    Microgravity time series at active volcanoes can provide an indication of mass change related to subsurface magmatic processes, but uncertainty is often introduced by hydrologic variations and other noise sources that cannot easily be isolated. We empirically assessed seasonality and noise by conducting four surveys over the course of May-October 2017 at Yellowstone caldera, Wyoming. Yellowstone
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center
  • Science
    link
    USGS science for a changing world logo

    Optimizing satellite resources for the global assessment and mitigation of volcanic hazards

    A vast number of the world’s volcanoes are unmonitored by ground-based sensors, yet constitute an important hazard to nearby residents and infrastructure, as well as air travel and the global economy. Satellite data provide a cost-effective means of tracking activity at such volcanoes. Unfortunately, satellite acquisitions are not optimized for application to volcano hazards, in part because cle
    By
    John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
    link

    Optimizing satellite resources for the global assessment and mitigation of volcanic hazards

    A vast number of the world’s volcanoes are unmonitored by ground-based sensors, yet constitute an important hazard to nearby residents and infrastructure, as well as air travel and the global economy. Satellite data provide a cost-effective means of tracking activity at such volcanoes. Unfortunately, satellite acquisitions are not optimized for application to volcano hazards, in part because cle
    Learn More
  • Data

    Continuous gravity data from K?lauea Volcano, Hawai?i

    This Data Release contains continuous gravity records from two instruments on Kilauea Volcano, Hawaiʻ'i the HOVL gravimeter, located on the east rim of Halema'uma'u Crater directly above the 2008-2018 summit eruptive vent, and the PUOC gravimeter, located on northern rim of Puu Oo crater on Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. Both instruments were collocated with GNSS stations. The HOVL gr
    By
    Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

    Repeat microgravity data from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

    These data are microgravity measurements collected in Yellowstone National Park. Data are collected suing multiple instruments, which each data file representing measurements from a specific instrument during a specific time period. The data dictionary explains the file format and contents, and the dataset will be updated as new data are collected.
    By
    Volcano Hazards
  • News
    Filter Total Items: 37
    link

    Silver Gate—the Mammoth Terraces of yesteryear!

    Just south of Mammoth Hot Springs, near the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park, lies a jumble of white/gray rock known as the Hoodoos or...

    Read Article
    link

    Yellowstone’s sibling in the southern hemisphere: Taupō, New Zealand

    Yellowstone is not the only large caldera system in the world.  Indeed, caldera systems can be found all over the planet!  In New Zealand, the Taupō...

    Read Article
    link

    The day that Porkchop Geyser exploded

    Small hydrothermal explosions—steam blasts—are common at Yellowstone, occurring every year or two.  Most happen in the backcountry and are not...

    Read Article
    link

    Yellowstone’s unconformity—over 60 million years of missing geologic history!

    Visitors to Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park might have noticed an odd geological feature near the top of Mount Everts—an unconformity...

    Read Article
    link

    YVO’s 2021 field season is underway!

    For half the year, Yellowstone is largely inaccessible to geologists, buried under snow and ice and subject to fierce storms.  By May, however...

    Read Article
    link

    The 2020 Yellowstone Volcano Observatory annual report is now available!

    Interested in knowing more about Yellowstone geyser, seismic and deformation activity in 2020?  And the results of research conducted by the...

    Read Article
    link

    Just how long has the Yellowstone Hotspot been around?

    The Yellowstone hotspot—the source of heat that powers Yellowstone’s vast volcanic system—has long been thought to have initiated about 17 million...

    Read Article
    link

    The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory year in review—what happened in 2020?

    Although 2020 may not have been a great year for many of us, it was a pretty interesting year in Yellowstone.  With this first Yellowstone Caldera...

    Read Article
    link

    Thousands of years of caldera inflation and deflation recorded in the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake

    Thanks to technology like GPS (Global Positioning System), scientists know that the ground at Yellowstone moves up and down at a rate of a few...

    Read Article
    link

    The story of a Yellowstone icon: Old Faithful Geyser

    Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in the world, but who named the iconic feature?  And how does the current frequency of its eruptions compare to...

    Read Article
    link

    The geology of a Yellowstone jewel: Hayden Valley

    Hayden Valley is a gorgeous expanse of grassland and meadows located right in the center of Yellowstone National Park.  It is a haven for wildlife and...

    Read Article
    link

    Yellowstone Monthly Update - June 2020

    Yellowstone Volcano remains at GREEN/NORMAL. Yellowstone National Park is open and seasonal field work began last month. The University of Utah...

    Read Article