Publications

Active lava lakes represent a variety of open-vent volcanism in which a sizeable body of lava accumulates at the top of the magma column, constrained by the vent and/or crater geometry. The longevity of lava lakes reflects a balancing of cooling and outgassing occurring at the surface by input of hot and gas-rich magma from below. Due to their longevity and relative accessibility, lava lakes provi

Whereas research in volcano geodesy seeks to push the boundaries of our knowledge of the physics of volcanoes, monitoring looks at changes in volcano behavior to predict when a volcanic crisis might develop. To be effective, geodetic monitoring must be done before, during, and after eruptions and must be integrated with other monitoring techniques. It requires the type of long-term commitment of t

A VEI 5 dacite eruption emplaced the Orange Tuff about between 34.3 cal kBP and 17.2 cal kBP. Gunung Salak is the unit’s source and the Orange Tuff represents the most recent such eruption from any of the volcanoes southwest of Bogor, Indonesia. The Orange Tuff is the region’s first such documented tephra-fall deposit whose characteristics and phenocryst geochemistry make it readily identifiable o

Volcano geodesy is the branch of geodetic science that deals with the changing shapes of volcanoes, whether large or small, deep-seated or surficial. Together with seismicity and volcanic gas flux, deformation of the ground surface can be a key indicator of subsurface conditions and processes at volcanoes—information that not only improves scientific understanding of magmatic systems but also is u

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has maintained an earthquake catalog since 1989 that now contains over 120,000 hypocenters and magnitudes that occurred near Alaskan volcanoes. Since 1989 the seismic instrumentation and data acquisition and processing techniques have undergone numerous changes as computer systems and seismic processing software have advanced and evolved. In this report we reca

Despite their seeming permanence, volcanoes are prone to catastrophic collapse that can affect vast areas in a matter of minutes. Large collapses begin as gigantic landslides that quickly transform to debris avalanches—chaotically tumbling masses of rock debris that can sweep downslope at extremely high velocities, inundating areas far beyond the volcano. Rapid burial by the debris avalanches them

Knowledge of basal stresses is essential for analyzing slope stability and modeling the dynamics and erosive potential of debris flows and avalanches. Here we derive and test new algebraic formulas for calculating the shear stress τ and normal stress σ at the base of variable‐thickness granular debris masses in states of static or dynamic equilibrium on slopes. The formulas include a lateral press

Mammoth Mountain, California, has exhibited unrest over the past ~30 years, characterized by seismicity over a broad range of depths, elevated 3He/4He ratios in fumarolic gas, and large-scale diffuse CO2 emissions. This activity has been attributed to magmatic intrusion, but minimal ground deformation and the presence of a shallow crustal gas reservoir beneath Mammoth Mountain pose a challenge for

Eruptions of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, USA, can be more powerful than previously recognized. The Kulanaokuaiki-3 (K-3) eruption, ca. 900 CE, consisted of two episodes that dispersed lithic wall-rock clasts (Episode 1) and dominantly scoria (Episode 2; VEI-3) across >65 km2 southeast of the summit. Dense 12 cm blocks of Episode 1 fell 8–10 km from the summit vent, and 2–4 cm lithic lapilli reached

A 2.5-km3 debris avalanche during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens reset the fluvial landscape of upper North Fork Toutle River valley. Since then, a new drainage network has formed and evolved. Cross-section surveys repeated over nearly 40 years at 16 locations along a 20-km reach of river valley document channel evolution, geomorphic processes, and their impacts on sediment delivery. We ana

The deep mantle carbon content and flux are fundamental quantities in understanding global volatile cycles and distributions. Here, we present CO2 concentrations measured in 407 olivine-hosted melt inclusions from Hualalai, Kilauea, Koolau, Loihi, and Mauna Loa to constrain the Hawaiian mantle CO2 content and flux. Quantification of melt inclusion CO2 is complicated by the ubiquitous presence of v

Volcanic eruptions are among Earth’s most dramatic and powerful agents of change. Ash, mudflows, and lava flows can devastate communities near volcanoes and cause havoc in areas far downwind, downstream, and downslope. Even when a volcano is quiet, steep volcanic slopes can collapse to become landslides, and large rocks can be hurled by powerful steam blasts. Hazardous volcanic conditions might la