Peter W Lipman, PhD
Pete Lipman's work has involved applying, cooperatively with others, techniques of petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, oceanography, and geophysics to problems that have been well constrained by detailed field studies.
Lipman obtained a bachelor degree in geology from Yale University in 1958, followed by a M.S. in 1960 and Ph.D. in 1962 from Stanford University. Although his graduate dissertation involved study of the ultramafic, granitic, and metamorphic rocks of the Trinity Alps in northern California, he has worked largely on problems of volcanic geology since joining the U.S. Geological Survey in 1962. From 1962-1990, Lipman resided mainly in Golden, Colorado, with his wife Beverly and two sons born in 1966 and 1968. Major interludes have included an NSF postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Tokyo in 1964-65 to study active silicic volcanism in Japan and a two-year stint at the Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at Kilauea Volcano in 1975-1977. In 1991, Lipman moved his office to Menlo Park, California, and he and Bev now live on the edge of the American plate, surrounded by poison oak, in Portola Valley.
Lipman has worked on volcanic rocks and problems in seven western states, as well as in Hawaii, Japan, China, and the USSR. His work has involved applying, cooperatively with others, techniques of petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, oceanography, and geophysics to problems that have been well constrained by detailed field studies. Special topics of interest have included: volcanism as a record of igneous processes within the earth, volcanism as evidence of plate-tectonic interactions, comparisons between processes of active volcanism and the internal structures of eroded ancient volcanoes, relations between volcanism and ore deposits, monitoring of active volcanoes by geodetic measurements of ground deformation, volcanic hazards and scientific responsibilities. Lipman is author of more than 270 scientific reports, excluding abstracts. He coedited the Geological Survey's 900 p. book on the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens Volcano published in 1982, the Geological Society of America's DNAG volume on The Cordilleran Orogen: Conterminous U.S., and also two special issues of the Journal of Geophysical Research (1985 Calderas and Associated Rocks, 1991 Middle Tertiary Cordilleran Magmatism). From 1991 to 1994, he was a science manager for the USGS, serving as Chief of the Branch of Volcanic and Geothermal Processes (135 employees), and coordinator for a $20 M Congressional line-item program focused on volcanic hazards and geothermal resources. Since 1995, he has been chief scientist for the USGS project "Eruptive hazards at large volcanoes," focused on ignimbrite calderas of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, and Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii" (as Emeritus Scientist since 2003).
Professional Experience
Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey, 2003-Present
Research geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, 1962-2003
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey, 1975-1977
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Tokyo, 1964-1965
Coeditor of the Bulletin of Volcanology
Associate editor of the Geological Society of America Bulletin and Geology
Outside member of 12 graduate student dissertation committees at 7 universities
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Geology, Stanford University - 1962
M.S. in Geology, Stanford University - 1960
Bachelor's in Geology, Yale University - 1958
Affiliations and Memberships*
Elected Councilor of the Geological Society and member of its Executive Committee
Past President and member of the executive committee of IAVCEI (Internat. Assoc. Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior)
Past Secretary and Program Chairman of the Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology section of the American Geophysical Union
Honors and Awards
Florence Bascom Geologic Mapping Award, Geological Society of America - 2021
First recipient of the MGPV Section Lifetime Achievement Award, Geological Society of America - 2010
Distinguished Service Award, Department of the Interior - 1999
Meritorious Service Award, Department of Interior - 1985
USGS Mendenhall Lecturer - 1984
Burwell Award of the Geological Society of America - 1983
Science and Products
Incremental assembly and prolonged consolidation of Cordilleran magma chambers--Evidence from the Southern Rocky Mountain volcanic field
Growth history of Kilauea inferred from volatile concentrations in submarine-collected basalts
Isotope geochemistry of early Kilauea magmas from the submarine Hilina bench: The nature of the Hilina mantle component
Piggyback tectonics: Long-term growth of Kilauea on the south flank of Mauna Loa
Physical and chemical properties of submarine basaltic rocks from the submarine flanks of the Hawaiian Islands
Major-element, sulfur, and chlorine compositions of glasses from the submarine flank of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, Collected During 1998-2002 Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) Cruises
Chemical analyses of tertiary volcanic rocks, central San Juan caldera complex, southwestern Colorado
Ups and downs on spreading flanks of ocean-island volcanoes: evidence from Mauna Loa and Kīlauea
Ancestral submarine growth of Kïlauea Volcano and instability of its south flank
Deep-sea volcaniclastic sedimentation around the southern flank of Hawaii
Emplacement and inflation structures of submarine and subaerial pahoehoe lavas from Hawaii
Submarine landslides and volcanic features on Kohala and Mauna Kea volcanoes and the Hana Ridge, Hawaii
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 73
Incremental assembly and prolonged consolidation of Cordilleran magma chambers--Evidence from the Southern Rocky Mountain volcanic field
Recent inference that Mesozoic Cordilleran plutons grew incrementally during >106 yr intervals, without the presence of voluminous eruptible magma at any stage, minimizes close associations with large ignimbrite calderas. Alternatively, Tertiary ignimbrites in the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere, with volumes of 1–5 × 103 km3, record multistage histories of magma accumulation, fractionation, and soAuthorsPeter W. LipmanGrowth history of Kilauea inferred from volatile concentrations in submarine-collected basalts
Major-element and volatile (H2O, CO2, S) compositions of glasses from the submarine flanks of Kilauea Volcano record its growth from pre-shield into tholeiite shield-stage. Pillow lavas of mildly alkalic basalt at 2600–1900 mbsl on the upper slope of the south flank are an intermediate link between deeper alkalic volcaniclastics and the modern tholeiite shield. Lava clast glasses from the west flaAuthorsMichelle L. Coombs, Thomas W. Sisson, Peter W. LipmanIsotope geochemistry of early Kilauea magmas from the submarine Hilina bench: The nature of the Hilina mantle component
Submarine lavas recovered from the Hilina bench region, offshore Kilauea, Hawaii Island provide information on ancient Kilauea volcano and the geochemical components of the Hawaiian hotspot. Alkalic lavas, including nephelinite, basanite, hawaiite, and alkali basalt, dominate the earliest stage of Kilauea magmatism. Transitional basalt pillow lavas are an intermediate phase, preceding developmentAuthorsJun-Ichi Kimura, Thomas W. Sisson, Natsuko Nakano, Michelle L. Coombs, Peter W. LipmanPiggyback tectonics: Long-term growth of Kilauea on the south flank of Mauna Loa
Compositional and age data from offshore pillow lavas and volcaniclastic sediments, along with on-land geologic, seismic, and deformation data, provide broad perspectives on the early growth of Kilauea Volcano and the long-term geometric evolution of its rift zones. Sulfur-rich glass rinds on pillow lavas and volcaniclastic sediments derived from them document early underwater growth of a large coAuthorsPeter W. Lipman, Thomas W. Sisson, Michelle L. Coombs, Andrew T. Calvert, Jun-Ichi KimuraPhysical and chemical properties of submarine basaltic rocks from the submarine flanks of the Hawaiian Islands
To evaluate physical and chemical diversity in submarine basaltic rocks, approximately 280 deep submarine samples recovered by submersibles from the underwater flanks of the Hawaiian Islands were analyzed and compared. Based on observations from the submersibles and hand specimens, these samples were classified into three main occurrence types (lavas, coarse-grained volcaniclastic rocks, and fine-AuthorsHisayoshi Yokose, Peter W. Lipman, Toshiya KanamatsuMajor-element, sulfur, and chlorine compositions of glasses from the submarine flank of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, Collected During 1998-2002 Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) Cruises
No abstract available.AuthorsMichelle L. Coombs, Thomas W. Sisson, Peter W. LipmanChemical analyses of tertiary volcanic rocks, central San Juan caldera complex, southwestern Colorado
In conjunction with integrated mapping of the Oligocene central San Juan caldera cluster, southwestern Colorado (USGS I-Map 2799, in press), all modern chemical analyses of volcanic rocks for this area determined in laboratories of the U.S. Geological Survey have been re-evaluated in terms of the stratigraphic sequence as presently understood. These include approximately 700 unpublished analyses mAuthorsPeter W. LipmanUps and downs on spreading flanks of ocean-island volcanoes: evidence from Mauna Loa and Kīlauea
Submarine-flank deposits of Hawaiian volcanoes are widely recognized to have formed largely by gravitationally driven volcano spreading and associated landsliding. Observations from submersibles show that prominent benches at middepths on flanks of Mauna Loa and Kilauea consist of volcaniclastic debris derived by landsliding from nearby shallow submarine and subaerial flanks of the same edifice. MAuthorsPeter W. Lipman, Barry W. Eakins, Hisayoshi YokoseAncestral submarine growth of Kïlauea Volcano and instability of its south flank
Joint Japan-USA cruises in 1998-99 explored and sampled the previously unstudied deep offshore region south of Kilauea. Bathymetric features, dive observations, and recovered samples indicate that the 3-km-deep mid-slope bench, bounded seaward by a 2-km-high lower scarp, is underlain by massive turbidite sandstone and interbedded debris-flow breccia. Debris-flow clasts are submarineerupted (high-SAuthorsPeter W. Lipman, Thomas W. Sisson, Tadahide Ui, Jiro Naka, John R. SmithDeep-sea volcaniclastic sedimentation around the southern flank of Hawaii
Most slopes of the Hilina slump are steep, but local small benches, mantled by volcaniclastic sand and fine sediments, were sampled in 1998-1999 with ROV KAIKO and DSRV SHINKAI 6500. Most surficial glass sands on the Hilina slump have compositions of subaerially erupted Kilauea lava, which fragmented and quenched as they entered the sea. Samples from the base of the Puna Ridge contain both subaeriAuthorsJiro Naka, Toshiya Kanamatsu, Peter W. Lipman, Thomas W. Sisson, Nohiro Tsuboyama, Julia K. Morgan, John R. Smith, Tadahide UiEmplacement and inflation structures of submarine and subaerial pahoehoe lavas from Hawaii
Features of subaerial pahoehoe tumuli from Kilauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes in Hawaii and subaqueous flow lobes from Loihi Seamount off Hawaii and north of Oahu Island document the controlling factors of flow-lobe formation. Studied subaerial flow-lobe tumuli consist of uplifted pahoehoe crust, formed from coalesced flow lobes. The south rift zone of Loihi has abundant conical lava mounds and terraAuthorsSusumu Umino, Sumie Obata, Peter W. Lipman, John R. Smith, Tsugio Shibata, Jiro Naka, Frank A. TrusdellSubmarine landslides and volcanic features on Kohala and Mauna Kea volcanoes and the Hana Ridge, Hawaii
The deep submarine eastern flanks of Mauna Kea, Kohala, and Haleakala volcanoes were mapped for the first time with a multibeam bathymetric and sidescan sonar system during joint Japan-US cruises aboard the JAMSTEC vessel R/V Yokosuka in 1999. The Pololu slump off northeast Kohala is overlain by a carbonate platform in the shallow region and the deeper areas are incised by downslope oriented channAuthorsJ.R. Smith, Satake Kenji, J.K. Morgan, Peter W. Lipman
*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