Heather M. Wright
I work for the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP), a cooperative partnership between the USGS and USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. In my current role, I conduct international training courses, participate in volcanic crisis response efforts, and perform fundamental scientific research on volcanic processes.
My research integrates fieldwork with quantitative textural and chemical characterization of volcanic clasts, in order to produce conceptual models of the relevant geologic processes and better understand processes of shallow magma storage, ascent, and eruption. I use a variety of observation strategies and tools, including geologic mapping and stratigraphy; optical, electron and x-ray microscopy; and tools to measure pore fraction and geometry. I increasingly also work on methods of eruption forecasting and crisis communication for volcanic risk reduction.
I enjoy the multidisciplinary nature of my job. And, I am fortunate to work with an amazing group of colleagues at the USGS and at our partner agencies around the world.
Professional Experience
2013-present: Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, Cascades Volcano Observatory, USGS
2012-2013: California Volcano Observatory, USGS
2010-2012: Mendenhall postdoctoral appointment, USGS Menlo Park, CA. Project title "Using crystal and glass compositions from eruptive products of Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake) volcano to examine magma chamber evolution processes; modelling this evolution through time using an integrated geochemical and thermodynamic approach."
2006-2009: Research fellow, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Project title "Physical volcanology and petrology of the Cerro Galan caldera complex, northern Argentina"
2006: Ph.D. (Geological Sciences) University of Oregon. Thesis title: Physical and chemical signatures of degassing in volcanic systems
1999-2001: Earth Science Intern, ECO, US Geological Survey
1999: Student Intern, USRA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Education and Certifications
PhD, Geological Sciences, University of Oregon
BA, Geology Minors in Spanish and Astronomy, Whitman College
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union
Geological Society of America
Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science
International Association of Volcanology and Geochemistry of the Earth's Interior
Honors and Awards
Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their i
George P. L. Walker award of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, given every two years to an early career scientist in the fields encompassed by IAVCEI,
University of Oregon Doctoral Research Fellowship, awarded to the most outstanding doctoral applicant in any UO PhD program by a faculty selection committee, 2005
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Honorable Mention, 2003
University of Oregon Staples Fellowship, 2002
Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi National Honorary Science Fraternities, 1999
Graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors in Major, 1999
Leeds Prize for Excellence in Geology, 1999
Science and Products
Compaction and gas loss in welded pyroclastic deposits as revealed by porosity, permeability, and electrical conductivity measurements of the Shevlin Park Tuff
Sixty thousand years of magmatic volatile history before the caldera-forming eruption of Mount Mazama, Crater Lake, Oregon
Columnar jointing in vapor-phase-altered, non-welded Cerro Galán Ignimbrite, Paycuqui, Argentina
Heterogeneous pumice populations in the 2.08-Ma Cerro Galán Ignimbrite: Implications for magma recharge and ascent preceding a large-volume silicic eruption
Melt fracturing and healing: A mechanism for degassing and origin of silicic obsidian
A re-appraisal of the stratigraphy and volcanology of the Cerro Galán volcanic system, NW Argentina
The flow dynamics of an extremely large volume pyroclastic flow, the 2.08-Ma Cerro Galán Ignimbrite, NW Argentina, and comparison with other flow types
1:100,000-scale topographic contours derived from digital elevation models, San Francisco Bay region, California: a digital database
Preliminary maps of Quaternary deposits and liquefaction susceptibility, nine-county San Francisco Bay region, California: a digital database
Science and Products
Compaction and gas loss in welded pyroclastic deposits as revealed by porosity, permeability, and electrical conductivity measurements of the Shevlin Park Tuff
Sixty thousand years of magmatic volatile history before the caldera-forming eruption of Mount Mazama, Crater Lake, Oregon
Columnar jointing in vapor-phase-altered, non-welded Cerro Galán Ignimbrite, Paycuqui, Argentina
Heterogeneous pumice populations in the 2.08-Ma Cerro Galán Ignimbrite: Implications for magma recharge and ascent preceding a large-volume silicic eruption
Melt fracturing and healing: A mechanism for degassing and origin of silicic obsidian
A re-appraisal of the stratigraphy and volcanology of the Cerro Galán volcanic system, NW Argentina
The flow dynamics of an extremely large volume pyroclastic flow, the 2.08-Ma Cerro Galán Ignimbrite, NW Argentina, and comparison with other flow types
1:100,000-scale topographic contours derived from digital elevation models, San Francisco Bay region, California: a digital database
Preliminary maps of Quaternary deposits and liquefaction susceptibility, nine-county San Francisco Bay region, California: a digital database
*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