Matthew Loewen
I work as a geologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory with a background in igneous petrology. I specialize in in-situ geochemistry and tephra textural studies, which I use to understand volcanic eruption style, eruption history, and the origin and evolution of magmas.
Professional Experience
Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey—Alaska Volcano Observatory, 2017–present
Instructor, Oregon State University, January 2017–March 2017
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oregon, March 2014–June 2016
Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, Oregon State University, 2008–2013
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Geology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, March 2014
M.S. in Geology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, September 2011
B.S. in Geology, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, May 2008
Science and Products
Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF data collected during the 2020-2023 Halema‘uma‘u eruptions of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
A limited suite of samples for the 2020–2023 Kīlauea eruptions within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) field teams from within a publicly closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in cooperation with the National Park Service. This data release presents sample metadata, whole rock ED-XRF, whole rock WD-XRF, whole
Digital elevation models and orthoimagery from the 2018 eruption of Veniaminof, Alaska
Aerial photography surveys during and after the 2018 eruption of Veniaminof Volcano, Alaska were conducted to track the evolution of the lava flow field, active volcanic vent, and glacial ice loss from the eruption. Imagery from two surveys was processed with structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetric methods to derive the digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthophotos in this data release. The
Filter Total Items: 17
From field station to forecast: Managing data at the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) uses multidisciplinary data to monitor and study dozens of active and potentially active volcanoes. Here, we provide an overview of internally and externally generated data types, tools and resources used in their management, and challenges faced. Data sources include the following: (1) a multiparameter (seismic, infrasound, GNSS, web cameras) ground-based moni
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, Cheryl Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, Eleanor Boyce, Aaron Wech, Ronni Grapenthin, Kristi L. Wallace, Thomas Parker, Taryn Lopez, Scott Crass, David Fee, Matthew M. Haney, Dane M. Ketner, Matthew W. Loewen, John J. Lyons, Jenny Sha Nakai, John Power, Steven M Botnick, Israel Brewster, Max L. Enders, Dain Harmon, Peter J. Kelly, Michael J. Randall
2020 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at nine volcanic centers in Alaska in 2020. The most notable volcanic activity in 2020 was an eruption of Shishaldin Volcano, which produced lava flows, lahars, and ash. Mount Cleveland had one small ash-producing eruption in June but was quiet thereafter
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Cheryl Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew W. Loewen, Taryn Lopez, John J. Lyons, Jenny Nakai, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Gabrielle Tepp, Christopher F. Waythomas
2021 Volcanic activity in Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
In 2021, the Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at 15 volcanic centers in Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Eruptive activity in Alaska consisted of repeated small, ash-producing, phreatomagmatic explosions from Mount Young on Semisopochnoi Island; an explosion at Gr
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Hannah R. Dietterich, David Fee, Társilo Girona, Ronni Grapenthin, Matthew M. Haney, Matthew W. Loewen, John J. Lyons, John A. Power, Hans F. Schwaiger, David J. Schneider, Darren Tan, Liam Toney, Valerie K. Wasser, Christopher F. Waythomas
Probabilistic source classification of large tephra producing eruptions using supervised machine learning: An example from the Alaska-Aleutian arc
Alaska contains over 130 volcanoes and volcanic fields that have been active within the last 2 million years. Of these, roughly 90 have erupted during the Holocene, with many characterized by at least one large explosive eruption. These large tephra-producing eruptions (LTPEs) generate orders of magnitude more erupted material than a “typical” arc explosive eruption and distribute ash thousands of
Authors
Jordan Edward Lubbers, Matthew W. Loewen, Kristi L. Wallace, Michelle L. Coombs, Jason A. Addison
Glass electron microprobe analyses methods, precision and accuracy for tephra studies in Alaska
No abstract available.
Authors
Matthew W. Loewen, Kristi L. Wallace, Jordan Edward Lubbers, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Pavel Izbekov, Jessica Larsen, Nathan Graham
Historically active volcanoes of Alaska reference deck
No abstract available.
Authors
Cheryl E. Cameron, Kristen A. H. Janssen, Tim R. Orr, Matthew W. Loewen
Petrology and geochronology of Cretaceous–Eocene plutonic rocks in northeastern Washington, USA: Crustal thickening, slab rollback, and origin of the Challis episode
Cretaceous through Eocene plutonic rocks in northeastern Washington, USA, document a 60 m.y. history of crustal thickening and subsequent collapse and extension in response to two terrane-accretion events. Rocks emplaced 113–53 Ma have increasing La/Yb ratios reflecting orogenic plateau development after arrival of the Insular terrane by 100 Ma. Plutons emplaced 52–45 Ma (the Challis episode) docu
Authors
Jeffery H. Tepper, Matthew W. Loewen, Liam M. Caulfield, Peter C. Davidson, Kaitlin L. Ruthenberg, Samuel WF Blakely, Duncan FJF Knudsen, Devin Black, Bruce K Nelson, Yemane Asmerom
2019 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at 17 volcanic centers in Alaska in 2019. The most notable volcanic activity was an eruption of Shishaldin Volcano, featuring eruptive activity that produced lava flows, lahars, and ash. Weak explosive activity also took place at Great Sitkin Volcano and
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Cheryl E. Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, James P. Dixon, Max L. Enders, Ronni Grapenthin, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Matthew W. Loewen, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Gabrielle Tepp, Liam Toney, Christopher F. Waythomas, Aaron G. Wech
Dating individual zones in phenocrysts from the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano provides constraints on timescales of magmatic processes
We investigate the rates of magmatic processes using clinopyroxene diffusion chronometry on volcanic products erupted in August 2017 at the end of the 9-month eruption of Bogoslof volcano. The eruptive products contain plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and amphibole, all of which exhibit sharp chemical boundaries and are occasionally observed in multi-phase crystal clots with shared zoning boundaries ac
Authors
Jamshid Moshrefzadeh, Pavel Izbekof, Matthew W. Loewen, Jessica Larsen, Sean P. Regan
The 2018 eruption of Mount Veniaminof, Alaska
The 2018 eruption of Mount Veniaminof occurred from September 3–4 to December 27, lasting about 114 days. This report summarizes the types of volcanic unrest that accompanied the eruption and provides a chronology of events and observations. Information about the 2018 eruption was derived from geophysical instrumentation on or near the volcano that included an eight-station seismic network and reg
Authors
Christopher F. Waythomas, Hannah R. Dietterich, Gabrielle Tepp, Taryn M. Lopez, Matthew W. Loewen
Syn-eruptive hydration of volcanic ash records pyroclast-water interaction in explosive eruptions
Magma-water interaction can dramatically influence the explosivity of volcanic eruptions. However, syn- and post-eruptive diffusion of external (non-magmatic) water into volcanic glass remains poorly constrained and may bias interpretation of water in juvenile products. Hydrogen isotopes in ash from the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, record syn-eruptive hydration by vaporized glacial me
Authors
Michael R. Hudak, Ilya N. Bindeman, Matthew W. Loewen, Thomas Giachetti
Evolution in eruptive style of the 2018 eruption of Veniaminof volcano, Alaska, reflected in groundmass textures and remote sensing
Variable eruptive style and explosivity is common in basaltic to basaltic andesite volcanoes but can have uncertain origins. Veniaminof volcano in the Alaska-Aleutian arc is a frequently active open-vent center, regularly producing Strombolian eruptions and small lava flows from an intracaldera cone within an intracaldera ice cap. The September–December 2018 eruption of Veniaminof evolved in explo
Authors
Matthew W. Loewen, Hannah R. Dietterich, Nathan Graham, Pavel Izbekof
Non-USGS Publications**
Loewen, M. W., Bindeman, I. N., & Melnik, O. E. (2017). Eruption mechanisms and short duration of large rhyolitic lava flows of Yellowstone. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 458, 80–91. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.10.034
Ustunisik, G., Loewen, M. W., Nielsen, R. L., & Tepley, F. J., III. (2016). Interpretation of the provenance of small-scale heterogeneity as documented in a single eruptive unit from Mt. Jefferson, Central Oregon Cascades. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 17, 1–19. http://doi.org/10.1002/2016GC006297
Tuohy, R. M., Wallace, P. J., Loewen, M. W., Swanson, D. A., & Kent, A. J. (2016). Magma transport and olivine crystallization depths in Kīlauea's east rift zone inferred from experimentally rehomogenized melt inclusions. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 185(C), 232–250. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.04.020
Loewen, M. W., & Bindeman, I. N. (2016). Oxygen isotope thermometry reveals high magmatic temperatures and short residence times in Yellowstone and other hot-dry rhyolites compared to cold-wet systems. American Mineralogist, 101, 1222–1227. http://doi.org/10.2138/am-2016-5591
Drew, D. L., Bindeman, I. N., Loewen, M. W., & Wallace, P. J. (2016). Initiation of large‐volume silicic centers in the Yellowstone hotspot track: insights from H2O- and F-rich quartz-hosted rhyolitic melt inclusions in the Arbon Valley Tuff of the Snake River Plain. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 171, 10. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-015-1210-z
Loewen, M. W., & Bindeman, I. N. (2015). Oxygen isotope and trace element evidence for three‐stage petrogenesis of the youngest episode (260–79 ka) of Yellowstone rhyolitic volcanism. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 170(4), 1–39. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-015-1189-5
Burns, D. H., de Silva, S. L., Tepley, F. J., III, Schmitt, A. K., & Loewen, M. W. (2015). Recording the transition from flare-up to steady-state arc magmatism at the Purico–Chascon volcanic complex, northern Chile. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 422(C), 75–86. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.04.002
Loewen, M. W., Duncan, R. A., Kent, A. J., & Krawl, K. (2013). Prolonged plume volcanism in the Caribbean Large Igneous Province: New insights from Curaçao and Haiti. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 14(10), 4241–4259. http://doi.org/10.1002/ggge.20273
Loewen, M. W., & Kent, A. J. (2012). Sources of elemental fractionation and uncertainty during the analysis of semi-volatile metals in silicate glasses using LA-ICP-MS. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 27(9), 1502–1508. http://doi.org/10.1039/c2ja30075c
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Sample details and near-real-time ED-XRF data collected during the 2020-2023 Halema‘uma‘u eruptions of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi
A limited suite of samples for the 2020–2023 Kīlauea eruptions within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) field teams from within a publicly closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in cooperation with the National Park Service. This data release presents sample metadata, whole rock ED-XRF, whole rock WD-XRF, whole
Digital elevation models and orthoimagery from the 2018 eruption of Veniaminof, Alaska
Aerial photography surveys during and after the 2018 eruption of Veniaminof Volcano, Alaska were conducted to track the evolution of the lava flow field, active volcanic vent, and glacial ice loss from the eruption. Imagery from two surveys was processed with structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetric methods to derive the digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthophotos in this data release. The
Filter Total Items: 17
From field station to forecast: Managing data at the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) uses multidisciplinary data to monitor and study dozens of active and potentially active volcanoes. Here, we provide an overview of internally and externally generated data types, tools and resources used in their management, and challenges faced. Data sources include the following: (1) a multiparameter (seismic, infrasound, GNSS, web cameras) ground-based moni
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, Cheryl Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, Eleanor Boyce, Aaron Wech, Ronni Grapenthin, Kristi L. Wallace, Thomas Parker, Taryn Lopez, Scott Crass, David Fee, Matthew M. Haney, Dane M. Ketner, Matthew W. Loewen, John J. Lyons, Jenny Sha Nakai, John Power, Steven M Botnick, Israel Brewster, Max L. Enders, Dain Harmon, Peter J. Kelly, Michael J. Randall
2020 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at nine volcanic centers in Alaska in 2020. The most notable volcanic activity in 2020 was an eruption of Shishaldin Volcano, which produced lava flows, lahars, and ash. Mount Cleveland had one small ash-producing eruption in June but was quiet thereafter
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Cheryl Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew W. Loewen, Taryn Lopez, John J. Lyons, Jenny Nakai, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Gabrielle Tepp, Christopher F. Waythomas
2021 Volcanic activity in Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
In 2021, the Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at 15 volcanic centers in Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Eruptive activity in Alaska consisted of repeated small, ash-producing, phreatomagmatic explosions from Mount Young on Semisopochnoi Island; an explosion at Gr
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Hannah R. Dietterich, David Fee, Társilo Girona, Ronni Grapenthin, Matthew M. Haney, Matthew W. Loewen, John J. Lyons, John A. Power, Hans F. Schwaiger, David J. Schneider, Darren Tan, Liam Toney, Valerie K. Wasser, Christopher F. Waythomas
Probabilistic source classification of large tephra producing eruptions using supervised machine learning: An example from the Alaska-Aleutian arc
Alaska contains over 130 volcanoes and volcanic fields that have been active within the last 2 million years. Of these, roughly 90 have erupted during the Holocene, with many characterized by at least one large explosive eruption. These large tephra-producing eruptions (LTPEs) generate orders of magnitude more erupted material than a “typical” arc explosive eruption and distribute ash thousands of
Authors
Jordan Edward Lubbers, Matthew W. Loewen, Kristi L. Wallace, Michelle L. Coombs, Jason A. Addison
Glass electron microprobe analyses methods, precision and accuracy for tephra studies in Alaska
No abstract available.
Authors
Matthew W. Loewen, Kristi L. Wallace, Jordan Edward Lubbers, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Pavel Izbekov, Jessica Larsen, Nathan Graham
Historically active volcanoes of Alaska reference deck
No abstract available.
Authors
Cheryl E. Cameron, Kristen A. H. Janssen, Tim R. Orr, Matthew W. Loewen
Petrology and geochronology of Cretaceous–Eocene plutonic rocks in northeastern Washington, USA: Crustal thickening, slab rollback, and origin of the Challis episode
Cretaceous through Eocene plutonic rocks in northeastern Washington, USA, document a 60 m.y. history of crustal thickening and subsequent collapse and extension in response to two terrane-accretion events. Rocks emplaced 113–53 Ma have increasing La/Yb ratios reflecting orogenic plateau development after arrival of the Insular terrane by 100 Ma. Plutons emplaced 52–45 Ma (the Challis episode) docu
Authors
Jeffery H. Tepper, Matthew W. Loewen, Liam M. Caulfield, Peter C. Davidson, Kaitlin L. Ruthenberg, Samuel WF Blakely, Duncan FJF Knudsen, Devin Black, Bruce K Nelson, Yemane Asmerom
2019 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at 17 volcanic centers in Alaska in 2019. The most notable volcanic activity was an eruption of Shishaldin Volcano, featuring eruptive activity that produced lava flows, lahars, and ash. Weak explosive activity also took place at Great Sitkin Volcano and
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Cheryl E. Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, James P. Dixon, Max L. Enders, Ronni Grapenthin, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Matthew W. Loewen, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Gabrielle Tepp, Liam Toney, Christopher F. Waythomas, Aaron G. Wech
Dating individual zones in phenocrysts from the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano provides constraints on timescales of magmatic processes
We investigate the rates of magmatic processes using clinopyroxene diffusion chronometry on volcanic products erupted in August 2017 at the end of the 9-month eruption of Bogoslof volcano. The eruptive products contain plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and amphibole, all of which exhibit sharp chemical boundaries and are occasionally observed in multi-phase crystal clots with shared zoning boundaries ac
Authors
Jamshid Moshrefzadeh, Pavel Izbekof, Matthew W. Loewen, Jessica Larsen, Sean P. Regan
The 2018 eruption of Mount Veniaminof, Alaska
The 2018 eruption of Mount Veniaminof occurred from September 3–4 to December 27, lasting about 114 days. This report summarizes the types of volcanic unrest that accompanied the eruption and provides a chronology of events and observations. Information about the 2018 eruption was derived from geophysical instrumentation on or near the volcano that included an eight-station seismic network and reg
Authors
Christopher F. Waythomas, Hannah R. Dietterich, Gabrielle Tepp, Taryn M. Lopez, Matthew W. Loewen
Syn-eruptive hydration of volcanic ash records pyroclast-water interaction in explosive eruptions
Magma-water interaction can dramatically influence the explosivity of volcanic eruptions. However, syn- and post-eruptive diffusion of external (non-magmatic) water into volcanic glass remains poorly constrained and may bias interpretation of water in juvenile products. Hydrogen isotopes in ash from the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, record syn-eruptive hydration by vaporized glacial me
Authors
Michael R. Hudak, Ilya N. Bindeman, Matthew W. Loewen, Thomas Giachetti
Evolution in eruptive style of the 2018 eruption of Veniaminof volcano, Alaska, reflected in groundmass textures and remote sensing
Variable eruptive style and explosivity is common in basaltic to basaltic andesite volcanoes but can have uncertain origins. Veniaminof volcano in the Alaska-Aleutian arc is a frequently active open-vent center, regularly producing Strombolian eruptions and small lava flows from an intracaldera cone within an intracaldera ice cap. The September–December 2018 eruption of Veniaminof evolved in explo
Authors
Matthew W. Loewen, Hannah R. Dietterich, Nathan Graham, Pavel Izbekof
Non-USGS Publications**
Loewen, M. W., Bindeman, I. N., & Melnik, O. E. (2017). Eruption mechanisms and short duration of large rhyolitic lava flows of Yellowstone. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 458, 80–91. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.10.034
Ustunisik, G., Loewen, M. W., Nielsen, R. L., & Tepley, F. J., III. (2016). Interpretation of the provenance of small-scale heterogeneity as documented in a single eruptive unit from Mt. Jefferson, Central Oregon Cascades. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 17, 1–19. http://doi.org/10.1002/2016GC006297
Tuohy, R. M., Wallace, P. J., Loewen, M. W., Swanson, D. A., & Kent, A. J. (2016). Magma transport and olivine crystallization depths in Kīlauea's east rift zone inferred from experimentally rehomogenized melt inclusions. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 185(C), 232–250. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.04.020
Loewen, M. W., & Bindeman, I. N. (2016). Oxygen isotope thermometry reveals high magmatic temperatures and short residence times in Yellowstone and other hot-dry rhyolites compared to cold-wet systems. American Mineralogist, 101, 1222–1227. http://doi.org/10.2138/am-2016-5591
Drew, D. L., Bindeman, I. N., Loewen, M. W., & Wallace, P. J. (2016). Initiation of large‐volume silicic centers in the Yellowstone hotspot track: insights from H2O- and F-rich quartz-hosted rhyolitic melt inclusions in the Arbon Valley Tuff of the Snake River Plain. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 171, 10. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-015-1210-z
Loewen, M. W., & Bindeman, I. N. (2015). Oxygen isotope and trace element evidence for three‐stage petrogenesis of the youngest episode (260–79 ka) of Yellowstone rhyolitic volcanism. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 170(4), 1–39. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-015-1189-5
Burns, D. H., de Silva, S. L., Tepley, F. J., III, Schmitt, A. K., & Loewen, M. W. (2015). Recording the transition from flare-up to steady-state arc magmatism at the Purico–Chascon volcanic complex, northern Chile. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 422(C), 75–86. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.04.002
Loewen, M. W., Duncan, R. A., Kent, A. J., & Krawl, K. (2013). Prolonged plume volcanism in the Caribbean Large Igneous Province: New insights from Curaçao and Haiti. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 14(10), 4241–4259. http://doi.org/10.1002/ggge.20273
Loewen, M. W., & Kent, A. J. (2012). Sources of elemental fractionation and uncertainty during the analysis of semi-volatile metals in silicate glasses using LA-ICP-MS. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 27(9), 1502–1508. http://doi.org/10.1039/c2ja30075c
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.