Jacob B. Lowenstern
Jake Lowenstern is a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver, WA. He serves as the Chief of the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, which is a partnership of the USGS and USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance.
From 2002-2017, Jake served as Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Through his career, he has worked on a wide variety of topics related to magmas and their overlying hydrothermal systems.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Stanford University 1992
M.S. Stanford University 1991
A. B. Dartmouth College 1986
Affiliations and Memberships*
Geological Society of America (GSA)
Mineralogical Society of America (MSA)
American Geophysical Union
Society of Economic Geologists (SEG)
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)
Honors and Awards
AGU College of Fellows Distinguished Lecturer, 2024-25
Member of VDAP Team for AGU International Award, 2024
Fellow, AGU 2023
Fellow, MSA 2021
Fellow, GSA 2010
AAPG Distinguished Lecturer, 2006
Lindgren Award (SEG) 2000
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 78
Magma intrusion and volatile ascent beneath Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Recent activity has provided new insights into the causes of surface deformation in and around the Yellowstone Caldera, a topic that has been debated since the discovery of caldera floor uplift more than four decades ago. An episode of unusually rapid uplift (>15 cm/yr) centered near Norris Geyser Basin along the north caldera rim began in late 2013 and continued until a Mw 4.9...
Authors
Charles W. Wicks, Daniel Dzurisin, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Jerry L. Svarc
An experimental investigation of interaction between andesite and hyperacidic volcanic lake water
Alteration in magmatic-hydrothermal systems leads to distinct changes in rock texture and mineralogy, and a strong redistribution of elements between fluid and rock. Here, we experimentally interacted andesite scoria with hyperacidic, high-sulfidation style fluids from Kawah Ijen volcano (Indonesia) at 25 and 100˚C, seeking to reproduce the textures observed in natural samples from this...
Authors
Vincent van Hinsberg, Kim Berlo, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Evidence of cosmic impact at Abu Hureyra, Syria at the Younger Dryas Onset (~12.8 ka): High-temperature melting at >2200 °C
At Abu Hureyra (AH), Syria, the 12,800-year-old Younger Dryas boundary layer (YDB) contains peak abundances in meltglass, nanodiamonds, microspherules, and charcoal. AH meltglass comprises 1.6 wt.% of bulk sediment, and crossed polarizers indicate that the meltglass is isotropic. High YDB concentrations of iridium, platinum, nickel, and cobalt suggest mixing of melted local sediment with...
Authors
Andrew M.T. Moore, James P. Kennett, Douglas J. Kennett, William M. Napier, Ted E. Bunch, James W. Weaver, Malcolm A. LeCompte, Victor Adedji, Paul C. Hackley, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Gunther K. Kletetschka, Brendan J. Culleton, Robert E. Hermes, James H. Wittke, Joshua J. Razink, Michael Gaultois, Allen West
The 2017-19 activity at Mount Agung in Bali (Indonesia): Intense unrest, monitoring, crisis response, evacuation, and eruption
After 53 years of quiescence, Mount Agung awoke in August 2017, with intense seismicity, measurable ground deformation, and thermal anomalies in the summit crater. Although the seismic unrest peaked in late September and early October, the volcano did not start erupting until 21 November. The most intense explosive eruptions with accompanying rapid lava effusion occurred between 25 and...
Authors
Devy Kamil Syahbana, K. Kasbani, G. Suantika, Oktory Prambada, A. Andreas, Ugan Saing, Syegi Kunrat, Supriyati Andreastuti, S. Martanto, E. Kriswati, Yasa Suparman, Hanik Humaida, Sarah E. Ogburn, Peter J. Kelly, John Wellik, Heather Wright, Jeremy Pesicek, Rick Wessels, Christoph Kern, Michael Lisowski, Angie Diefenbach, Michael P. Poland, Francois Beauducel, R. Greg Vaughan, John S. Pallister, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Contrasting perspectives on the Lava Creek Tuff eruption, Yellowstone, from new U–Pb and 40Ar/39Ar age determinations
The youngest major caldera-forming event at Yellowstone was the ~ 630-ka eruption of the Lava Creek Tuff. The tuff as mapped consists of two major ignimbrite packages (members A and B), linked to widespread coeval fall deposits and formation of the Yellowstone Caldera. Subsequent activity included emplacement of numerous rhyolite flows and domes, and development of two structurally...
Authors
Colin JN Wilson, Mark E. Stelten, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Opal-A in glassy pumice, acid alteration, and the 1817 phreatomagmatic eruption at Kawah Ijen (Java), Indonesia
At Kawah Ijen (Indonesia), vigorous SO2 and HCl degassing sustains a hyperacid lake (pH ~0) and intensely alters the subsurface, producing widespread residual silica and advanced argillic alteration products. In 1817, a VEI 2 phreatomagmatic eruption evacuated the lake, depositing a widespread layer of muddy ash fall, and sending lahars down river drainages. We discovered multiple types...
Authors
Jacob B. Lowenstern, Vincent van Hinsberg, Kim Berlo, Moritz Liesegang, Kayla Iacovino, Ilya N. Bindeman, Heather Wright
Geologic field-trip guide to the volcanic and hydrothermal landscape of the Yellowstone Plateau
Yellowstone National Park, a nearly 9,000 km2 (~3,468 mi2) area, was preserved in 1872 as the world’s first national park for its unique, extraordinary, and magnificent natural features. Rimmed by a crescent of older mountainous terrain, Yellowstone National Park has at its core the Quaternary Yellowstone Plateau, an undulating landscape shaped by forces of late Cenozoic explosive and...
Authors
Lisa Ann Morgan Morzel, W. Gary Shanks, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Jamie M. Farrell, Joel Robinson
Monitoring gas and heat emissions at Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA based on a combined eddy covariance and Multi-GAS approach
We quantified gas and heat emissions in an acid-sulfate, vapor-dominated area (0.04-km2) of Norris Geyser Basin, located just north of the 0.63 Ma Yellowstone Caldera and near an area of anomalous uplift. From 14 May to 3 October 2016, an eddy covariance system measured half-hourly CO2, H2O and sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes and a Multi-GAS instrument measured (1 Hz frequency)...
Authors
Jennifer L. Lewicki, Peter J. Kelly, Deborah Bergfeld, R. Greg Vaughan, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Probing magma reservoirs to improve volcano forecasts
When it comes to forecasting eruptions, volcano observatories rely mostly on real-time signals from earthquakes, ground deformation, and gas discharge, combined with probabilistic assessments based on past behavior [Sparks and Cashman, 2017]. There is comparatively less reliance on geophysical and petrological understanding of subsurface magma reservoirs.
Authors
Jacob B. Lowenstern, Thomas W. Sisson, Shaul Hurwitz
The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program—Helping to save lives worldwide for more than 30 years
What do you do when a sleeping volcano roars back to life? For more than three decades, countries around the world have called upon the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) to contribute expertise and equipment in times of crisis. Co-funded by the USGS and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance...
Authors
Jacob B. Lowenstern, David W. Ramsey
Causes of distal volcano-tectonic seismicity inferred from hydrothermal modeling
Distal volcano-tectonic (dVT) seismicity typically precedes eruption at long-dormant volcanoes by days to years. Precursory dVT seismicity may reflect magma-induced fluid-pressure pulses that intersect critically stressed faults. We explored this hypothesis using an open-source magmatic-hydrothermal code that simulates multiphase fluid and heat transport over the temperature range 0 to...
Authors
Cecile A. Coulon, Paul A. Hsieh, Randall A. White, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Steven E. Ingebritsen
Conversion of wet glass to melt at lower seismogenic zone conditions: Implications for pseudotachylyte creep
Coseismic frictional melting and the production of quenched glass called pseudotachylyte is a recurring process during earthquakes. To investigate how glassy materials affect the postseismic strength and stability of faults, obsidian gouges were sheared under dry and wet conditions from 200°C to 300°C at ~150 MPa effective normal stress. Dry glass exhibited a brittle rheology at all...
Authors
Brooks P. Proctor, David Lockner, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Nicholas M. Beeler
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 78
Magma intrusion and volatile ascent beneath Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Recent activity has provided new insights into the causes of surface deformation in and around the Yellowstone Caldera, a topic that has been debated since the discovery of caldera floor uplift more than four decades ago. An episode of unusually rapid uplift (>15 cm/yr) centered near Norris Geyser Basin along the north caldera rim began in late 2013 and continued until a Mw 4.9...
Authors
Charles W. Wicks, Daniel Dzurisin, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Jerry L. Svarc
An experimental investigation of interaction between andesite and hyperacidic volcanic lake water
Alteration in magmatic-hydrothermal systems leads to distinct changes in rock texture and mineralogy, and a strong redistribution of elements between fluid and rock. Here, we experimentally interacted andesite scoria with hyperacidic, high-sulfidation style fluids from Kawah Ijen volcano (Indonesia) at 25 and 100˚C, seeking to reproduce the textures observed in natural samples from this...
Authors
Vincent van Hinsberg, Kim Berlo, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Evidence of cosmic impact at Abu Hureyra, Syria at the Younger Dryas Onset (~12.8 ka): High-temperature melting at >2200 °C
At Abu Hureyra (AH), Syria, the 12,800-year-old Younger Dryas boundary layer (YDB) contains peak abundances in meltglass, nanodiamonds, microspherules, and charcoal. AH meltglass comprises 1.6 wt.% of bulk sediment, and crossed polarizers indicate that the meltglass is isotropic. High YDB concentrations of iridium, platinum, nickel, and cobalt suggest mixing of melted local sediment with...
Authors
Andrew M.T. Moore, James P. Kennett, Douglas J. Kennett, William M. Napier, Ted E. Bunch, James W. Weaver, Malcolm A. LeCompte, Victor Adedji, Paul C. Hackley, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Gunther K. Kletetschka, Brendan J. Culleton, Robert E. Hermes, James H. Wittke, Joshua J. Razink, Michael Gaultois, Allen West
The 2017-19 activity at Mount Agung in Bali (Indonesia): Intense unrest, monitoring, crisis response, evacuation, and eruption
After 53 years of quiescence, Mount Agung awoke in August 2017, with intense seismicity, measurable ground deformation, and thermal anomalies in the summit crater. Although the seismic unrest peaked in late September and early October, the volcano did not start erupting until 21 November. The most intense explosive eruptions with accompanying rapid lava effusion occurred between 25 and...
Authors
Devy Kamil Syahbana, K. Kasbani, G. Suantika, Oktory Prambada, A. Andreas, Ugan Saing, Syegi Kunrat, Supriyati Andreastuti, S. Martanto, E. Kriswati, Yasa Suparman, Hanik Humaida, Sarah E. Ogburn, Peter J. Kelly, John Wellik, Heather Wright, Jeremy Pesicek, Rick Wessels, Christoph Kern, Michael Lisowski, Angie Diefenbach, Michael P. Poland, Francois Beauducel, R. Greg Vaughan, John S. Pallister, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Contrasting perspectives on the Lava Creek Tuff eruption, Yellowstone, from new U–Pb and 40Ar/39Ar age determinations
The youngest major caldera-forming event at Yellowstone was the ~ 630-ka eruption of the Lava Creek Tuff. The tuff as mapped consists of two major ignimbrite packages (members A and B), linked to widespread coeval fall deposits and formation of the Yellowstone Caldera. Subsequent activity included emplacement of numerous rhyolite flows and domes, and development of two structurally...
Authors
Colin JN Wilson, Mark E. Stelten, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Opal-A in glassy pumice, acid alteration, and the 1817 phreatomagmatic eruption at Kawah Ijen (Java), Indonesia
At Kawah Ijen (Indonesia), vigorous SO2 and HCl degassing sustains a hyperacid lake (pH ~0) and intensely alters the subsurface, producing widespread residual silica and advanced argillic alteration products. In 1817, a VEI 2 phreatomagmatic eruption evacuated the lake, depositing a widespread layer of muddy ash fall, and sending lahars down river drainages. We discovered multiple types...
Authors
Jacob B. Lowenstern, Vincent van Hinsberg, Kim Berlo, Moritz Liesegang, Kayla Iacovino, Ilya N. Bindeman, Heather Wright
Geologic field-trip guide to the volcanic and hydrothermal landscape of the Yellowstone Plateau
Yellowstone National Park, a nearly 9,000 km2 (~3,468 mi2) area, was preserved in 1872 as the world’s first national park for its unique, extraordinary, and magnificent natural features. Rimmed by a crescent of older mountainous terrain, Yellowstone National Park has at its core the Quaternary Yellowstone Plateau, an undulating landscape shaped by forces of late Cenozoic explosive and...
Authors
Lisa Ann Morgan Morzel, W. Gary Shanks, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Jamie M. Farrell, Joel Robinson
Monitoring gas and heat emissions at Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA based on a combined eddy covariance and Multi-GAS approach
We quantified gas and heat emissions in an acid-sulfate, vapor-dominated area (0.04-km2) of Norris Geyser Basin, located just north of the 0.63 Ma Yellowstone Caldera and near an area of anomalous uplift. From 14 May to 3 October 2016, an eddy covariance system measured half-hourly CO2, H2O and sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes and a Multi-GAS instrument measured (1 Hz frequency)...
Authors
Jennifer L. Lewicki, Peter J. Kelly, Deborah Bergfeld, R. Greg Vaughan, Jacob B. Lowenstern
Probing magma reservoirs to improve volcano forecasts
When it comes to forecasting eruptions, volcano observatories rely mostly on real-time signals from earthquakes, ground deformation, and gas discharge, combined with probabilistic assessments based on past behavior [Sparks and Cashman, 2017]. There is comparatively less reliance on geophysical and petrological understanding of subsurface magma reservoirs.
Authors
Jacob B. Lowenstern, Thomas W. Sisson, Shaul Hurwitz
The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program—Helping to save lives worldwide for more than 30 years
What do you do when a sleeping volcano roars back to life? For more than three decades, countries around the world have called upon the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) to contribute expertise and equipment in times of crisis. Co-funded by the USGS and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance...
Authors
Jacob B. Lowenstern, David W. Ramsey
Causes of distal volcano-tectonic seismicity inferred from hydrothermal modeling
Distal volcano-tectonic (dVT) seismicity typically precedes eruption at long-dormant volcanoes by days to years. Precursory dVT seismicity may reflect magma-induced fluid-pressure pulses that intersect critically stressed faults. We explored this hypothesis using an open-source magmatic-hydrothermal code that simulates multiphase fluid and heat transport over the temperature range 0 to...
Authors
Cecile A. Coulon, Paul A. Hsieh, Randall A. White, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Steven E. Ingebritsen
Conversion of wet glass to melt at lower seismogenic zone conditions: Implications for pseudotachylyte creep
Coseismic frictional melting and the production of quenched glass called pseudotachylyte is a recurring process during earthquakes. To investigate how glassy materials affect the postseismic strength and stability of faults, obsidian gouges were sheared under dry and wet conditions from 200°C to 300°C at ~150 MPa effective normal stress. Dry glass exhibited a brittle rheology at all...
Authors
Brooks P. Proctor, David Lockner, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Nicholas M. Beeler
*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