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.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 58
Long-lived partial melt beneath Cascade volcanoes Long-lived partial melt beneath Cascade volcanoes
Quantitative estimates of magma storage are fundamental to evaluating volcanic dynamics and hazards. Yet our understanding of subvolcanic magmatic plumbing systems and their variability remains limited. There is ongoing debate regarding the ephemerality of shallow magma storage and its volume relative to eruptive output, and so whether an upper-crustal magma body could be a sign of...
Authors
Guanning Pang, Geoffrey A. Abers, Seth C. Moran, Weston Thelen
Seismic techniques and suggested instrumentation to monitor volcanoes Seismic techniques and suggested instrumentation to monitor volcanoes
Introduction Changes 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 Monitoring lahars
Introduction Lahars, 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...
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 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 K. Obryk
The U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center’s response plan for significant volcanic events 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
Recent expansion of the Cascades Volcano Observatory geophysical network at Mount Rainier for improved volcano and lahar monitoring Recent expansion of the Cascades Volcano Observatory geophysical network at Mount Rainier for improved volcano and lahar monitoring
The U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) recently expanded its continuous geophysical monitoring at Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano in Washington state. CVO monitors volcanoes in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho to characterize volcanic systems and detect unrest. Mount Rainier has a history of large lahar occurrences in the Holocene, including at least one that...
Authors
Rebecca Kramer, Weston Thelen, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Seth C. Moran, Benjamin Pauk
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 58
Long-lived partial melt beneath Cascade volcanoes Long-lived partial melt beneath Cascade volcanoes
Quantitative estimates of magma storage are fundamental to evaluating volcanic dynamics and hazards. Yet our understanding of subvolcanic magmatic plumbing systems and their variability remains limited. There is ongoing debate regarding the ephemerality of shallow magma storage and its volume relative to eruptive output, and so whether an upper-crustal magma body could be a sign of...
Authors
Guanning Pang, Geoffrey A. Abers, Seth C. Moran, Weston Thelen
Seismic techniques and suggested instrumentation to monitor volcanoes Seismic techniques and suggested instrumentation to monitor volcanoes
Introduction Changes 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 Monitoring lahars
Introduction Lahars, 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...
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 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 K. Obryk
The U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center’s response plan for significant volcanic events 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
Recent expansion of the Cascades Volcano Observatory geophysical network at Mount Rainier for improved volcano and lahar monitoring Recent expansion of the Cascades Volcano Observatory geophysical network at Mount Rainier for improved volcano and lahar monitoring
The U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) recently expanded its continuous geophysical monitoring at Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano in Washington state. CVO monitors volcanoes in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho to characterize volcanic systems and detect unrest. Mount Rainier has a history of large lahar occurrences in the Holocene, including at least one that...
Authors
Rebecca Kramer, Weston Thelen, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Seth C. Moran, Benjamin Pauk