R. Lopaka Lee
Lopaka is a scientist-engineer working in the fields of computer science, geology, geophysics, and geochemistry. He works for the Advanced Research Computing team of the USGS Science Analytics and Synthesis program.
Professional Experience
USGS Advanced Research Computing (2021-present)
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (2007-2021)
USGS Mineral Resources Program (1996-2007)
Education and Certifications
Colorado School of Mines, M.S. Geological Engineering (2000)
Northern Arizona University, B.S. Geology (1996)
Honors and Awards
Department of Interior's Superior Service Award (2016): For the Modernization of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's Instrumentation Network and Data-Processing Systems.
Science and Products
Timelapse camera and webcam images of the fissure 8 lava flow during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, was one of the most destructive effusive eruptions worldwide in the past century, destroying over 700 structures (Neal and others, 2019; Meredith and others, 2022). Between May and September 2018, a total of 24 fissures opened, producing a lava flow field with an area of 36 km2. By the end of May, the eruption had foc
Description, dates, and locations of lava samples collected during the Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (1983–2018) and summit lava lake (2008–2018) eruptions of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i
This data release contains information about the lava samples that were collected during two volcanic eruptions of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i. The first eruption occurred from 1983 to 2018 at Pu‘u‘ō‘ō and the second occurred contemporaneously from 2008 to 2018 at the summit lava lake. The data release provides a comprehensive list of lava samples that are currently stored in the physical s
Whole-rock and glass chemistry of lava samples collected during the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea
This data release contains selected results of whole-rock and glass analyses of lava samples collected during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea's lower East Rift Zone (LERZ). Included are sampling-site information, eruptive vent/fissure, and sampling descriptions. During the 2018 LERZ eruption, the chemical analysis of lava samples was performed within hours of collection using an energy-dispersive X-r
Trace elements in olivine fingerprint the source of 2018 magmas and shed light on explosive-effusive eruption cycles at Kīlauea Volcano
Understanding magma genesis and the evolution of intensive parameters (temperature, pressure, composition, degree of melting) in the mantle source of highly active volcanic systems is crucial for interpreting magma supply changes over time and recognizing cyclic behavior to anticipate future volcanic behavior. Major and trace elements in olivine are commonly used to study variations in mantle lith
Authors
Adrien Mourey, Thomas Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Allan Lerner, Sarah Lambart, Fidel Costa, Jeffrey Oalmann, R. Lopaka Lee, Cheryl Gansecki
Explosive activity on Kilauea’s Lower East Rift Zone fueled by a volatile-rich, dacitic melt
Magmas with matrix glass compositions ranging from basalt to dacite erupted from a series of 24 fissures in the first two weeks of the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea Volcano. Eruption styles ranged from low spattering and fountaining to strombolian activity. Major element trajectories in matrix glasses and melt inclusions hosted by olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase are consis
Authors
Penny E. Wieser, Marie Edmonds, Cheryl Gansecki, John Maclennan, Frances E. Jenner, Barbara Kunz, Paula Antoshechkina, Frank A. Trusdell, R. Lopaka Lee
The petrologic and degassing behavior of sulfur and other magmatic volatiles from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi: Melt concentrations, magma storage depths, and magma recycling
Kīlauea Volcano’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption produced exceptionally high lava effusion rates and record-setting SO2 emissions. The eruption involved a diverse range of magmas, including primitive basalts sourced from Kīlauea’s summit reservoirs. We analyzed LERZ matrix glasses, melt inclusions, and host minerals to identify melt volatile contents and magma storage depths. The LERZ g
Authors
Allan Lerner, Paul J. Wallace, Thomas Shea, Adrien Mourey, Peter J. Kelly, Patricia Nadeau, Tamar Elias, Christoph Kern, Laura E. Clor, Cheryl Gansecki, R. Lopaka Lee, Lowell Moore, Cynthia A. Werner
Groundwater dynamics at Kīlauea Volcano and vicinity, Hawaiʻi
Kīlauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiʻi, is surrounded and permeated by active groundwater systems that interact dynamically with the volcanic system. A generalized conceptual model of Hawaiian hydrogeology includes high-level dike-impounded groundwater, very permeable perched and basal aquifers, and a transition (mixing) zone between freshwater and saltwater. Most high-level groundwater is asso
Authors
Shaul Hurwitz, Sara E. Peek, Martha A. Scholl, Deborah Bergfeld, William C. Evans, James P. Kauahikaua, Stephen B. Gingerich, Paul A. Hsieh, R. Lopaka Lee, Edward F. Younger, Steven E. Ingebritsen
Monitoring network changes during the 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption
In the summer of 2018, Kīlauea Volcano underwent one of its most significant eruptions in the past few hundred years. The volcano’s summit and East Rift Zone magma system partially drained, resulting in a series of occasionally explosive partial caldera collapses, and widespread lava flows in the lower East Rift Zone. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) operates a robust permanent monitoring ne
Authors
Brian Shiro, Michael H. Zoeller, Kevan Kamibayashi, Ingrid Johanson, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, Patricia Nadeau, R. Lopaka Lee, Asta Miklius
Direct measurements of copper speciation in basaltic glasses: Understanding the relative roles of sulfur and oxygen in copper complexation in melts
Micro-analytical determination of copper (Cu) speciation in natural magmatic glasses, equilibrated below the nickel – nickel oxide (NNO) buffer, reveals that two copper species are commonly stabilized in such basaltic melts. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopic analysis of basaltic matrix glasses and melt inclusions (MI) from samples of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), and from Nyamu
Authors
Antonio Lanzirotti, R. Lopaka Lee, Elisabet Head, Stephen R Sutton, Matthew Newville, Molly McCanta, Allan Lerner, Paul J. Wallace
The tangled tale of Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption as told by geochemical monitoring
Changes in magma chemistry that affect eruptive behavior occur during many volcanic
eruptions, but typical analytical techniques are too slow to contribute to hazard monitoring. We
used rapid energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis to measure diagnostic elements in lava
samples within a few hours of collection during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. The geochemical
data provided important info
Authors
Cheryl Gansecki, R. Lopaka Lee, Tom Shea, Steven P. Lundblad, Ken Hon, Carolyn E. Parcheta
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, eventually coveri
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 Johanson, Kevan Kamibayashi, James P. Kauahikaua, R. Lopaka Lee, S. Pekalib, Asta Miklius, Brian Shiro, Don Swanson, Patricia Nadeau, Michael H. Zoeller, P. Okubo, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, William Tollett, Frank A. Trusdell, Edward F. Younger, Emily 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
Accurate predictions of microscale oxygen barometry in basaltic glasses using V K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy: A multivariate approach
Because magmatic oxygen fugacity (fO2) exerts a primary control on the discrete vanadium (V) valence states that will exist in quenched melts, V valence proxies for fO2, measured using X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES), can provide highly sensitive measurements of the redox conditions in basaltic melts. However, published calibrations for basaltic glasses primarily relate measured in
Authors
Antonio Lanzirotti, M. Darby Dyar, Steve Sutton, Matthew Newville, Elisabet Head, CJ Carey, Molly McCanta, R. Lopaka Lee, Penelope L. King, John Jones
Science and Products
- Data
Timelapse camera and webcam images of the fissure 8 lava flow during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi, was one of the most destructive effusive eruptions worldwide in the past century, destroying over 700 structures (Neal and others, 2019; Meredith and others, 2022). Between May and September 2018, a total of 24 fissures opened, producing a lava flow field with an area of 36 km2. By the end of May, the eruption had focDescription, dates, and locations of lava samples collected during the Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (1983–2018) and summit lava lake (2008–2018) eruptions of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i
This data release contains information about the lava samples that were collected during two volcanic eruptions of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i. The first eruption occurred from 1983 to 2018 at Pu‘u‘ō‘ō and the second occurred contemporaneously from 2008 to 2018 at the summit lava lake. The data release provides a comprehensive list of lava samples that are currently stored in the physical sWhole-rock and glass chemistry of lava samples collected during the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea
This data release contains selected results of whole-rock and glass analyses of lava samples collected during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea's lower East Rift Zone (LERZ). Included are sampling-site information, eruptive vent/fissure, and sampling descriptions. During the 2018 LERZ eruption, the chemical analysis of lava samples was performed within hours of collection using an energy-dispersive X-r - Publications
Trace elements in olivine fingerprint the source of 2018 magmas and shed light on explosive-effusive eruption cycles at Kīlauea Volcano
Understanding magma genesis and the evolution of intensive parameters (temperature, pressure, composition, degree of melting) in the mantle source of highly active volcanic systems is crucial for interpreting magma supply changes over time and recognizing cyclic behavior to anticipate future volcanic behavior. Major and trace elements in olivine are commonly used to study variations in mantle lithAuthorsAdrien Mourey, Thomas Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Allan Lerner, Sarah Lambart, Fidel Costa, Jeffrey Oalmann, R. Lopaka Lee, Cheryl GanseckiExplosive activity on Kilauea’s Lower East Rift Zone fueled by a volatile-rich, dacitic melt
Magmas with matrix glass compositions ranging from basalt to dacite erupted from a series of 24 fissures in the first two weeks of the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea Volcano. Eruption styles ranged from low spattering and fountaining to strombolian activity. Major element trajectories in matrix glasses and melt inclusions hosted by olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase are consisAuthorsPenny E. Wieser, Marie Edmonds, Cheryl Gansecki, John Maclennan, Frances E. Jenner, Barbara Kunz, Paula Antoshechkina, Frank A. Trusdell, R. Lopaka LeeThe petrologic and degassing behavior of sulfur and other magmatic volatiles from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi: Melt concentrations, magma storage depths, and magma recycling
Kīlauea Volcano’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption produced exceptionally high lava effusion rates and record-setting SO2 emissions. The eruption involved a diverse range of magmas, including primitive basalts sourced from Kīlauea’s summit reservoirs. We analyzed LERZ matrix glasses, melt inclusions, and host minerals to identify melt volatile contents and magma storage depths. The LERZ gAuthorsAllan Lerner, Paul J. Wallace, Thomas Shea, Adrien Mourey, Peter J. Kelly, Patricia Nadeau, Tamar Elias, Christoph Kern, Laura E. Clor, Cheryl Gansecki, R. Lopaka Lee, Lowell Moore, Cynthia A. WernerGroundwater dynamics at Kīlauea Volcano and vicinity, Hawaiʻi
Kīlauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiʻi, is surrounded and permeated by active groundwater systems that interact dynamically with the volcanic system. A generalized conceptual model of Hawaiian hydrogeology includes high-level dike-impounded groundwater, very permeable perched and basal aquifers, and a transition (mixing) zone between freshwater and saltwater. Most high-level groundwater is assoAuthorsShaul Hurwitz, Sara E. Peek, Martha A. Scholl, Deborah Bergfeld, William C. Evans, James P. Kauahikaua, Stephen B. Gingerich, Paul A. Hsieh, R. Lopaka Lee, Edward F. Younger, Steven E. IngebritsenMonitoring network changes during the 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption
In the summer of 2018, Kīlauea Volcano underwent one of its most significant eruptions in the past few hundred years. The volcano’s summit and East Rift Zone magma system partially drained, resulting in a series of occasionally explosive partial caldera collapses, and widespread lava flows in the lower East Rift Zone. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) operates a robust permanent monitoring neAuthorsBrian Shiro, Michael H. Zoeller, Kevan Kamibayashi, Ingrid Johanson, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, Patricia Nadeau, R. Lopaka Lee, Asta MikliusDirect measurements of copper speciation in basaltic glasses: Understanding the relative roles of sulfur and oxygen in copper complexation in melts
Micro-analytical determination of copper (Cu) speciation in natural magmatic glasses, equilibrated below the nickel – nickel oxide (NNO) buffer, reveals that two copper species are commonly stabilized in such basaltic melts. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopic analysis of basaltic matrix glasses and melt inclusions (MI) from samples of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), and from NyamuAuthorsAntonio Lanzirotti, R. Lopaka Lee, Elisabet Head, Stephen R Sutton, Matthew Newville, Molly McCanta, Allan Lerner, Paul J. WallaceThe tangled tale of Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption as told by geochemical monitoring
Changes in magma chemistry that affect eruptive behavior occur during many volcanic eruptions, but typical analytical techniques are too slow to contribute to hazard monitoring. We used rapid energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis to measure diagnostic elements in lava samples within a few hours of collection during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. The geochemical data provided important infoAuthorsCheryl Gansecki, R. Lopaka Lee, Tom Shea, Steven P. Lundblad, Ken Hon, Carolyn E. ParchetaThe 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, eventually coveriAuthorsChristina 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 Johanson, Kevan Kamibayashi, James P. Kauahikaua, R. Lopaka Lee, S. Pekalib, Asta Miklius, Brian Shiro, Don Swanson, Patricia Nadeau, Michael H. Zoeller, P. Okubo, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, William Tollett, Frank A. Trusdell, Edward F. Younger, Emily 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 DambyAccurate predictions of microscale oxygen barometry in basaltic glasses using V K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy: A multivariate approach
Because magmatic oxygen fugacity (fO2) exerts a primary control on the discrete vanadium (V) valence states that will exist in quenched melts, V valence proxies for fO2, measured using X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES), can provide highly sensitive measurements of the redox conditions in basaltic melts. However, published calibrations for basaltic glasses primarily relate measured inAuthorsAntonio Lanzirotti, M. Darby Dyar, Steve Sutton, Matthew Newville, Elisabet Head, CJ Carey, Molly McCanta, R. Lopaka Lee, Penelope L. King, John Jones