Publications

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual

Volcanoes and upper-crustal plutons in diverse geologic settings tend to share common features of mineral and chemical compositions, emplacement age, and magmatic volume. Voluminous silicic ignimbrites associated with caldera sources, widespread components of Cordilleran arcs, have commonly been interpreted as broadly concurrent with assembly of upper-crustal batholiths. Tertiary ignimbrites in th

Diatoms from estuarine and marsh sediments can be used to evaluate a number of geological processes. Information on salinity, elevation, and substrate derived from modern assemblages have been used to determine local and regional Holocene sea level history, identify seismic and tsunami events, and aid in the recognition of regional variations in precipitation. In order to apply diatoms to these qu

Diatoms provide the chief Cenozoic biostratigraphic tool in marine sediments beneath high primary productivity zones, especially where calcareous fossils are rare or poorly preserved. Diatom biostratigraphy, which is based on originations and extinctions of unique taxa, is especially useful in circum-Antarctic, equatorial Pacific, and high latitude North Pacific marine successions, which are avail

Medicine Lake volcano has had 4 eruptive episodes in its postglacial history (since 13,000 years ago) comprising 16 eruptions. Time intervals between events within the episodes are relatively short, whereas time intervals between the episodes are much longer. An updated radiocarbon chronology for these eruptions is presented that uses paleomagnetic data to constrain the choice of calibrated ages.

Medicine Lake volcano (MLV) is a very large shield-shaped volcano located in northern California where it forms part of the southern Cascade Range of volcanoes. It has erupted hundreds of times during its half-million-year history, including nine times during the past 5,200 years, most recently 950 years ago. This record represents one of the highest eruptive frequencies among Cascade volcanoes an

Technical outreach — distinct from general-interest and K-12 educational outreach — for volcanic hazards is aimed at providing usable scientific information about potential or ongoing volcanic activity to public officials, businesses, and individuals in support of their response, preparedness, and mitigation efforts. Within the context of a National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) (Ewert et a

The Purisima Formation is an important upper Miocene and Pliocene stratigraphic unit in central California, cropping out from the coast at Point Reyes north of San Francisco to more extensive exposures in the Santa Cruz Mountains to the south. The fine-grained rocks in the lower parts of the Purisima Formation record a latest Miocene transgressive event, whereas the middle and upper parts of the f

No abstract available

The Breccia Museo, a pyroclastic flow that crops out in the Campi Flegrei volcanic complex (Naples, Italy), contains alkali-syenite (trachyte) nodules with enrichment in Cl and incompatible elements (e.g., U, Zr, Th, and rare-earth elements). Zircon was dated at ≈52 ka, by U-Th isotope systematics using a SHRIMP. Scanning electron microscope and electron microprobe analysis of the constituent phas

The most recent episode in the ongoing Pu'u 'O'o-Kupaianaha eruption of Kilauea Volcano is currently producing lava flows north of the east rift zone. Although they pose no immediate threat to communities, changes in flow behavior could conceivably cause future flows to advance downrift and impact communities thus far unaffected. This report reviews lava flow hazards in the Puna District and discu

Geodesists are, for the most part, a patient and hardworking lot. A day spent hiking to a distant peak, hours spent waiting for clouds to clear a line-of-sight between observation points, weeks spent moving methodically along a level line – such is the normal pulse of the geodetic profession. The fruits of such labors are all the more precious because they are so scarce. A good day spent with an e