Michael Clynne
I am currently a Research Geologist at the USGS California Volcano Observatory (CalVO) and fundamentally a field geologist who maps Cascade volcanoes and interprets their eruptive history, geochemistry and petrology.
My primary interests are in using mineralogy, crystal chemistry and rock textures to determine the origin and evolution of magmas erupting at Cascade volcanoes. I am currently the USGS geologist who most versed in geology of the Lassen Volcanic Center and southernmost Cascades volcanoes and the geology of Mount St. Helens. I interface with managers and staff at Lassen Volcanic National Park and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument on geologic and interpretation issues in those parks. I entered the USGS as a student field assistant in 1975 and have been employed there ever since.
I am currently in the final stages of producing a geologic map of Mount St. Helens. The field work is complete and I am writing the materials that will accompany the map. My goal is to understand the complex eruptive history of Mount St. Helens as thoroughly as possible using stratigraphy and geochronology. I and colleagues have added considerable detail to the geologic history framework produced by earlier USGS geologists.
My work at Lassen is at a mature stage. The geologic map of the Lassen Volcanic Center and vicinity describes the geology and eruptive history of the Lassen Volcanic Center and the many smaller volcanoes that surround it. The basic geologic work at Lassen has been used to provide a framework for interpretation of the hydrothermal system and as basis for volcano hazards assessment of the region. A variety of topical studies in collaboration with colleagues include geochronology, geochemistry, isotope geology, petrology, mineral chemistry, physical volcanology, geophysics, tectonics and hydrothermal systems. Some of the geologic processes described at Lassen have guided work at other Cascades volcanoes and the arc as a whole.
Professional Experience
Former associate editor Bulletin of Volcanology
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. University of California-Santa Cruz, 1993
M.S. California State California-San Jose, 1983
B.S. University of California-Santa Cruz, 1976
Affiliations and Memberships*
Geological Society of America
American Geophysical Union
Honors and Awards
Geological Society of America Fellow
Science and Products
Localized rejuvenation of a crystal mush recorded in zircon temporal and compositional variation at the Lassen Volcanic Center, northern California
Volcano hazards assessment for the Lassen region, northern California
Lahar hazard zones for eruption-generated lahars in the Lassen Volcanic Center, California
Eruption probabilities for the Lassen Volcanic Center and regional volcanism, northern California, and probabilities for large explosive eruptions in the Cascade Range
Sutter Buttes: The lone volcano in California's Great Valley
Major and EDXRF Trace Element Chemical Analyses of Volcanic Rocks from Lassen Volcanic National Park and Vicinity, California
Plagioclase populations and zoning in dacite of the 2004-2005 Mount St. Helens eruption: Constraints for magma origin and dynamics
Petrology of the 2004-2006 Mount St. Helens lava dome -- implications for magmatic plumbing and eruption triggering
Radiocarbon dates from volcanic deposits of the Chaos Craigs and Cinder Cone eruptive sequences and other deposits, Lassen Volcanic National Park and vicinity, California
Robust 24 ± 6 ka 40Ar/39Ar age of a low-potassium tholeiitic basalt in the Lassen region of NE California
Pre-1980 eruptive history of Mount St. Helens, Washington
"Hot Water" in Lassen Volcanic National Park: Fumaroles, steaming ground, and boiling mudpots
No abstract available.
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Localized rejuvenation of a crystal mush recorded in zircon temporal and compositional variation at the Lassen Volcanic Center, northern California
Volcano hazards assessment for the Lassen region, northern California
Lahar hazard zones for eruption-generated lahars in the Lassen Volcanic Center, California
Eruption probabilities for the Lassen Volcanic Center and regional volcanism, northern California, and probabilities for large explosive eruptions in the Cascade Range
Sutter Buttes: The lone volcano in California's Great Valley
Major and EDXRF Trace Element Chemical Analyses of Volcanic Rocks from Lassen Volcanic National Park and Vicinity, California
Plagioclase populations and zoning in dacite of the 2004-2005 Mount St. Helens eruption: Constraints for magma origin and dynamics
Petrology of the 2004-2006 Mount St. Helens lava dome -- implications for magmatic plumbing and eruption triggering
Radiocarbon dates from volcanic deposits of the Chaos Craigs and Cinder Cone eruptive sequences and other deposits, Lassen Volcanic National Park and vicinity, California
Robust 24 ± 6 ka 40Ar/39Ar age of a low-potassium tholeiitic basalt in the Lassen region of NE California
Pre-1980 eruptive history of Mount St. Helens, Washington
"Hot Water" in Lassen Volcanic National Park: Fumaroles, steaming ground, and boiling mudpots
No abstract available.
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government