Seth Moran, Ph.D.
My professional career has largely been devoted to the study of active volcanoes and volcano seismology, with a hiatus in 2015-2020 to serve as the Scientist-in-Charge of the Cascades Volcano Observatory. I am interested in all things volcanoes and seismology, as well as hazards in general. I'm also interested in science communication and in seeking ways to build more inclusive workplace environments.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 56
Seismic techniques and suggested instrumentation to monitor volcanoes
IntroductionChanges in the pressure or location of magma can stress or break surrounding rocks and trigger flow of nearby waters and gases, causing seismic signals, such as discrete earthquakes and tremor. These phenomena are types of seismic unrest that commonly precede eruption and can be used to forecast volcanic activity. Mass movements at the surface, including avalanches, debris...
Authors
Weston A. Thelen, John J. Lyons, Aaron G. Wech, Seth C. Moran, Matthew M. Haney, Ashton F. Flinders
Monitoring lahars
IntroductionLahars, or debris flows that originate from a volcano (Pierson and Scott, 1985; Pierson, 1995), are among the most destructive, far-reaching, and persistent hazards on stratovolcanoes. Lahars may be triggered by syneruptive rapid melting of snow and ice, lake breakouts, or heavy rains in conjunction with large eruptive columns. Alternatively, lahars can follow eruptions, when...
Authors
Weston A. Thelen, John J. Lyons, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Seth C. Moran
Debris-flow monitoring on volcanoes via a novel usage of a laser rangefinder
Mount Rainier has had at least 11 large lahars over the last 6,000 years, including one occurring without evidence of eruptive activity. This prompted the creation of a lahar detection system that uses a combination of seismic, infrasound, and tripwires. We test a laser rangefinder placed on a river channel bank for detecting and confirming mass movements flowing past a station as an...
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Emily H Bryant, Weston Thelen, Craig Gabrielson, Seth C. Moran, Matthew R. Patrick, Edward F. Younger, Maciej Obryk
The U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center’s response plan for significant volcanic events
This publication describes the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center (VSC) Response Plan for Significant Volcanic Events (hereinafter referred to as “the plan”) that has been developed for U.S volcano observatories over the past several years in consultation with the lead scientist, or Scientist-in-Charge (SIC), of each of the five U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) volcano...
Authors
Seth C. Moran, Christina A. Neal, Thomas L. Murray
Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE): Summary of U.S. Geological Survey URGE pod deliverables
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is in a unique position to be a leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the Earth sciences. As one of the largest geoscience employers, the USGS wields significant community influence and has a responsibility to adopt and implement robust, unbiased policies so that the science it is charged to deliver is better connected to the...
Authors
Matthew C. Morriss, Eleanour Snow, Jennifer L. Miselis, William F. Waite, Katherine R. Barnhart, Andria P. Ellis, Liv M. Herdman, Seth C. Moran, Annie L. Putman, Nadine G. Reitman, Wendy K. Stovall, Meagan J. Eagle, Stephen C. Phillips
Revisiting the depth distribution of seismicity before and after the 2004–2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens
Hypocenter estimation at active volcanoes improves our understanding of their magmatic systems and indicates changing conditions at depth for continuously monitored volcanoes. The most active volcano in the Cascades Range, Mount St. Helens, has a multi-decadal earthquake catalog and it shows an apparent change in the depth distribution of seismicity before and after the 2004–2008 dome...
Authors
Han Zhang, Margaret Glasgow, Brandon Schmandt, Weston Thelen, Seth C. Moran, Amanda Thomas
Making the most of volcanic eruption responses
No abstract available.
Authors
Tobias P. Fischer, Seth C. Moran, Kari M Cooper, Diana C. Roman, Peter C LaFemina
Ten ways Mount St. Helens changed our world—The enduring legacy of the 1980 eruption
Mount St. Helens was once enjoyed for its serene beauty and was considered one of America’s most majestic volcanoes because of its perfect cone shape, similar to Japan’s beloved Mount Fuji. Nearby residents assumed that the mountain was solid and enduring. That perception changed during the early spring of 1980. Then, on May 18, 1980, following 2 months of earthquakes and small...
Authors
Carolyn L. Driedger, Jon J. Major, John S. Pallister, Michael A. Clynne, Seth C. Moran, Elizabeth G. Westby, John W. Ewert
U.S. Geological Survey 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption response in Hawai'i—After-action review
The 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption lasted 107 days, and now ranks as the most destructive event at Kilauea since 1790, and as one of the most costly volcanic disasters in U.S. history. Multiple simultaneous hazard events unfolded, including sustained seismic activity leading to collapse at the summit of Halema'uma'u crater and severe damage to the HVO facility, with additional eruption of...
Authors
Dee M. Williams, Vic F. Avery, Michelle L. Coombs, Dale A. Cox, Lief R. Horwitz, Sara K. McBride, Ryan J. McClymont, Seth C. Moran
Local earthquake Vp and Vs tomography in the Mount St. Helens region with the iMUSH broadband array
We present new 3-D P wave and S wave velocity models of the upper 20 km of the Mount St. Helens (MSH) region. These were obtained using local-source arrival time tomography from earthquakes and explosions recorded at 70 broadband stations deployed as part of the imaging Magma Under St. Helens (iMUSH) project and augmented by several data sets. Principal features of our models include (1)...
Authors
Carl W Ulberg, Kenneth C Creager, Seth C. Moran, Geoffrey A Abers, Weston Thelen, Alan Levander, Eric Kiser, Brandon Schmandt, Steven M. Hansen, Robert S. Crosson
Shear velocity structure from ambient noise and teleseismic surface wave tomography in the Cascades around Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens (MSH) lies in the forearc of the Cascades where conditions should be too cold for volcanism. To better understand thermal conditions and magma pathways beneath MSH, data from a dense broadband array are used to produce high‐resolution tomographic images of the crust and upper mantle. Rayleigh‐wave phase‐velocity maps and three‐dimensional images of shear velocity (Vs)...
Authors
Kayla Crosbie, Geoff A. Abers, Michael Everett Mann, Helen A. Janiszewski, Kenneth C Creager, Carl W Ulberg, Seth C. Moran
Seismic and acoustic signatures of surficial mass movements at volcanoes
Surficial mass movements, such as debris avalanches, rock falls, lahars, pyroclastic flows, and outburst floods, are a dominant hazard at many volcanoes worldwide. Understanding these processes, cataloging their spatio-temporal occurrence, and detecting, tracking, and characterizing these events would advance the science of volcano monitoring and help mitigate hazards. Seismic and...
Authors
Kate E. Allstadt, Robin S Matoza, Andrew Lockhart, Seth C. Moran, Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach, Matthew M. Haney, Weston Thelen, Stephen D. Malone
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 56
Seismic techniques and suggested instrumentation to monitor volcanoes
IntroductionChanges in the pressure or location of magma can stress or break surrounding rocks and trigger flow of nearby waters and gases, causing seismic signals, such as discrete earthquakes and tremor. These phenomena are types of seismic unrest that commonly precede eruption and can be used to forecast volcanic activity. Mass movements at the surface, including avalanches, debris...
Authors
Weston A. Thelen, John J. Lyons, Aaron G. Wech, Seth C. Moran, Matthew M. Haney, Ashton F. Flinders
Monitoring lahars
IntroductionLahars, or debris flows that originate from a volcano (Pierson and Scott, 1985; Pierson, 1995), are among the most destructive, far-reaching, and persistent hazards on stratovolcanoes. Lahars may be triggered by syneruptive rapid melting of snow and ice, lake breakouts, or heavy rains in conjunction with large eruptive columns. Alternatively, lahars can follow eruptions, when...
Authors
Weston A. Thelen, John J. Lyons, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Seth C. Moran
Debris-flow monitoring on volcanoes via a novel usage of a laser rangefinder
Mount Rainier has had at least 11 large lahars over the last 6,000 years, including one occurring without evidence of eruptive activity. This prompted the creation of a lahar detection system that uses a combination of seismic, infrasound, and tripwires. We test a laser rangefinder placed on a river channel bank for detecting and confirming mass movements flowing past a station as an...
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Emily H Bryant, Weston Thelen, Craig Gabrielson, Seth C. Moran, Matthew R. Patrick, Edward F. Younger, Maciej Obryk
The U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center’s response plan for significant volcanic events
This publication describes the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center (VSC) Response Plan for Significant Volcanic Events (hereinafter referred to as “the plan”) that has been developed for U.S volcano observatories over the past several years in consultation with the lead scientist, or Scientist-in-Charge (SIC), of each of the five U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) volcano...
Authors
Seth C. Moran, Christina A. Neal, Thomas L. Murray
Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE): Summary of U.S. Geological Survey URGE pod deliverables
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is in a unique position to be a leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the Earth sciences. As one of the largest geoscience employers, the USGS wields significant community influence and has a responsibility to adopt and implement robust, unbiased policies so that the science it is charged to deliver is better connected to the...
Authors
Matthew C. Morriss, Eleanour Snow, Jennifer L. Miselis, William F. Waite, Katherine R. Barnhart, Andria P. Ellis, Liv M. Herdman, Seth C. Moran, Annie L. Putman, Nadine G. Reitman, Wendy K. Stovall, Meagan J. Eagle, Stephen C. Phillips
Revisiting the depth distribution of seismicity before and after the 2004–2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens
Hypocenter estimation at active volcanoes improves our understanding of their magmatic systems and indicates changing conditions at depth for continuously monitored volcanoes. The most active volcano in the Cascades Range, Mount St. Helens, has a multi-decadal earthquake catalog and it shows an apparent change in the depth distribution of seismicity before and after the 2004–2008 dome...
Authors
Han Zhang, Margaret Glasgow, Brandon Schmandt, Weston Thelen, Seth C. Moran, Amanda Thomas
Making the most of volcanic eruption responses
No abstract available.
Authors
Tobias P. Fischer, Seth C. Moran, Kari M Cooper, Diana C. Roman, Peter C LaFemina
Ten ways Mount St. Helens changed our world—The enduring legacy of the 1980 eruption
Mount St. Helens was once enjoyed for its serene beauty and was considered one of America’s most majestic volcanoes because of its perfect cone shape, similar to Japan’s beloved Mount Fuji. Nearby residents assumed that the mountain was solid and enduring. That perception changed during the early spring of 1980. Then, on May 18, 1980, following 2 months of earthquakes and small...
Authors
Carolyn L. Driedger, Jon J. Major, John S. Pallister, Michael A. Clynne, Seth C. Moran, Elizabeth G. Westby, John W. Ewert
U.S. Geological Survey 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption response in Hawai'i—After-action review
The 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption lasted 107 days, and now ranks as the most destructive event at Kilauea since 1790, and as one of the most costly volcanic disasters in U.S. history. Multiple simultaneous hazard events unfolded, including sustained seismic activity leading to collapse at the summit of Halema'uma'u crater and severe damage to the HVO facility, with additional eruption of...
Authors
Dee M. Williams, Vic F. Avery, Michelle L. Coombs, Dale A. Cox, Lief R. Horwitz, Sara K. McBride, Ryan J. McClymont, Seth C. Moran
Local earthquake Vp and Vs tomography in the Mount St. Helens region with the iMUSH broadband array
We present new 3-D P wave and S wave velocity models of the upper 20 km of the Mount St. Helens (MSH) region. These were obtained using local-source arrival time tomography from earthquakes and explosions recorded at 70 broadband stations deployed as part of the imaging Magma Under St. Helens (iMUSH) project and augmented by several data sets. Principal features of our models include (1)...
Authors
Carl W Ulberg, Kenneth C Creager, Seth C. Moran, Geoffrey A Abers, Weston Thelen, Alan Levander, Eric Kiser, Brandon Schmandt, Steven M. Hansen, Robert S. Crosson
Shear velocity structure from ambient noise and teleseismic surface wave tomography in the Cascades around Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens (MSH) lies in the forearc of the Cascades where conditions should be too cold for volcanism. To better understand thermal conditions and magma pathways beneath MSH, data from a dense broadband array are used to produce high‐resolution tomographic images of the crust and upper mantle. Rayleigh‐wave phase‐velocity maps and three‐dimensional images of shear velocity (Vs)...
Authors
Kayla Crosbie, Geoff A. Abers, Michael Everett Mann, Helen A. Janiszewski, Kenneth C Creager, Carl W Ulberg, Seth C. Moran
Seismic and acoustic signatures of surficial mass movements at volcanoes
Surficial mass movements, such as debris avalanches, rock falls, lahars, pyroclastic flows, and outburst floods, are a dominant hazard at many volcanoes worldwide. Understanding these processes, cataloging their spatio-temporal occurrence, and detecting, tracking, and characterizing these events would advance the science of volcano monitoring and help mitigate hazards. Seismic and...
Authors
Kate E. Allstadt, Robin S Matoza, Andrew Lockhart, Seth C. Moran, Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach, Matthew M. Haney, Weston Thelen, Stephen D. Malone