PRESENT WORK: The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is a collaboration between three entities: The USGS (based primarily in Anchorage), the Alaska State Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS), and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). I work for DGGS as part of AVO. My title is Research Volcanologist, but my job description includes a number of tasks: geologic mapping of historically active (and some prehistoric) volcanoes and volcanic deposits; research on volcanic deposits and processes; monitoring of active volcanoes; and also organizing the helicopter and fixed-wing scheduling and logistics for AVO field work.

Part of my job is also to help and advise UAF students involved in volcanology. I am an affiliate professor at UAF, therefore available to be a thesis committee member for graduate students doing research on volcanic-related studies.

HISTORY: My PhD in volcanology was completed at the University of Tasmania, Australia in 2006, under Prof. Jocelyn McPhie. My M.Sc. in Ore Deposit Geology was received from the University Alaska Fairbanks in 1988 under the supervision of Prof. Rainer Newberry, and I received a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Washington in 1984. Prior to pursuing volcanology, I spent 20 years working as a contract field geologist in mineral exploration, on projects in Alaska, Arizona, Argentina, British Columbia, Greenland and Nepal. For much of that time, my company specialized in working in steep, rugged terrain. I was fortunate to work on a variety of ore deposit types, the majority of which were volcanic-hosted deposits or prospects. The contracts involved geologic mapping (solo and in a team), drill-core logging, geochemical sampling, and running geologic mapping and core-drilling programs.

Professor Cahill’s research focuses on atmospheric aerosols and their impacts on visibility, global climate, and human health. Her research includes laboratory experiments, modeling, and field studies of atmospheric aerosols and their properties. She is currently investigating the size and composition of particulate matter entering the Arctic from Asia and other continents. In addition, she is quantifying the chemical composition and radiative properties of volcanic aerosols and developing airborne sensors for determining the concentration, composition and potential health effects of atmospheric aerosols.

My main research interests are in volcano seismology and marine hydroacoustics. Here in Alaska my research has focused on seismic and acoustic data collected at Shishaldin volcano. I have used the acoustic data to investigate the mechanics of the 1999 eruption and am currently investigating unsual hybrid earthquakes that took place on Shishaldin in 2002. My Ph.D. research at the University of Hawai`i focused on the seismicity of Lo`ihi submarine volcano as well as hydroacoustic data collected by the Hawai`i Undersea Geo-Observatory (HUGO). Among the signals recorded by HUGO are the first hydroacoustic recordings of confirmed submarine landslides, signals which could prove useful for tsunami monitoring.

Dr. Christensen's primary interests are in the field of earthquake seismology and earth structure problems using seismological methods.

Research activities include detailed studies of earthquake sources and rupture processes of large earthquakes using a variety of inversion methods and waveform modelling techniques. Recent research has been centered on large earthquakes in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, including the 1965 Rat Islands, the 1964 Prince William Sound, and the 1986 Andreanof Islands earthquakes. These studies are aimed toward understanding the nature of interplate coupling, asperity distribution, and the dynamics of the rupture process.

Research interests include general seismicity studies with emphasis on the spatial and temporal variations of intraplate seismicity and their relationships to subduction zone dynamics. Research which focuses on stress variations over short time periods and possible relationship to larger tectonic stresses are currently underway. Stress variations which are related to the major plate interactions often have far reaching effects which can be observed in seismicity patterns and stress orientations in the surrounding region. Similarly, stress variations which can be observed in intraplate settings may often indicate the stress state of the major boundary.

Dr. Christensen is also involved with earth structure studies in various regions of Alaska. These studies use both local and teleseismic data to determine physical properties of the crust and upper mantle.

Dissertation: Experimental and petrologic constraints on magma movement, storage, and interactions at two volcanoes in Katmai National Park, Alaska

Michelle has been a Research Geologist for USGS-AVO in Anchorage since 2004. Her work includes research on a wide variety of topics in geology, petrology, and geochemistry, as well as geologic mapping and hazards assessment. Prior to 2004, Michelle worked for the USGS in Menlo Park, CA, where her research focused on the geochemistry, petrology, and submarine geology of Hawaiian volcanoes. She is currently working on several volcanoes along the Aleutian arc, including Augustine, Spurr, Tanaga, and Gareloi.

USGS Directory

Dr. Eichelberger's primary scientific contributions have been toward understanding the origins of andesitic magmas and the factors that control explosive versus effusive eruption styles. The first 17 years of his career were spent in DOE national laboratories, first as a research scientist at Los Alamos and Sandia and later as supervisor of the Geochemistry Division at Sandia. During this time, he led efforts to apply research drilling to volcanic problems and worked closely with both USGS and academic colleagues on drilling projects in Hawaii, the Cascades Range, Long Valley Caldera, and Alaska. Since coming to the University of Alaska in 1991, he has worked to stabilize funding for AVO and to expand the observatory’s monitoring reach westward through the entire Aleutian Arc. In parallel with this growth, he actively advocates raising the level of national and international participation in Aleutian Arc science. He has also continued an interest in exploration of the subsurface through collaborations in volcano drilling in Japan. Dr. Eichelberger is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, an Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research, and teaches classes in geology, igneous petrology, and volcanology. Student Opportunities: Currently, my students are working on active volcanic systems on the Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula (Russian Far East). In addition, we are active participants in the Unzen Scientific Drilling Project, which will culminate with drilling into the still-hot conduit for the 1990-1995 eruption on Kyushu Island, Japan. I am most excited about recent progress in reinterpreting chemical zonations in caldera-forming eruptions as products of sudden chamber recharge rather than protracted fractionation. I also think that a synthesis of geologic, seismic and geodetic (SAR and GPS) insights may lead to a new view of volcanic fields as dike-fed, with shallow chambers less important than previously believed.

Dr. Keskinen's current research interests include petrologic studies of metamorphic rock suites in Alaska and California aimed towards P-T-time evolution of the Fairbanks mining district, Wrangellia in southeast Alaska and Canada, determination of P-T regime and style of metamorphism indicative of tectonic processes along "terrane" margins, evaluation and interpretation of hydrothermal processes in active and fossil geothermal and volcanic systems, geologic characterization of hydrothermal processes in poly-metamorphosed roof pendant rocks, textural and mineralogical development of metapyroclastic rocks, and low-grade metamorphism of Mn-rich rocks.

Game's research topics include: post-caldera eruptive activity at Aniakchak caldera, catastrophic draining of the intracaldera lake at Aniakchak, experimental photogrammetric measurement of deformation at Augustine volcano, the incorporation of 1989-90 Redoubt tephra into the geologic record, establishment of benchmark photographic stations and the use of repeat photography to document geomorphic changes caused by eruptive activity.

A few of his duties include: mapping and interpretation of Quaternary and recent eruptive products at active Alaskan volcanoes; hazards assessment; eruption crisis response including observation and documentation of volcanic activity, dissemination of information to Federal, State, and local authorities as well as the media, scientific community, and the general public.

I have been working for the USGS on various aspects of volcanology, eruption response, and hazard mitigation since 1983. My introduction to volcanoes started in college looking at Viking Orbiter images of Olympus Mons and other volcanic features on Mars. My first Earthly volcano was Mount St. Helens where I prowled the pumice plain in 1982 and watched wide-eyed as the lava dome above me erupted gas and ash. I learned a great deal about lava and volcano monitoring at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in the early days of the Pu’u ‘O’o eruption and spent several years mapping the summit and southwest rift zone of Kilauea Volcano. In 1985, I enjoyed a month at sea on an ALVIN expedition to the active propagating rift system near the Galapagos at 95.5°W. I moved to Alaska in 1990 where I have been a geologist on staff at the Alaska Volcano Observatory ever since. I’ve been fortunate to respond to and study major eruptions at Redoubt, Spurr, Augustine, Okmok, and a steady stream of smaller events in the Aleutian arc. My science focuses on deciphering eruptive histories, studies of young pyroclastic deposits and processes, and hazard assessment. Volcanoes where I have spent considerable field time with my AVO and academic colleagues include: Spurr, Redoubt, Ukinrek, Aniakchak, Black Peak, Okmok, and Little Sitkin. Being at an Observatory where there is an emphasis on eruption response, I’ve developed strong interests and experience in managing volcano hazard information, warning systems, interagency coordination, and volcanic ash and aviation hazards. Because Alaska is downwind of Russia, I work with Russian volcanology colleagues in Kamchatka and Sakhalin on Russian eruption warning systems. My professional interests and collaborations have taken me to Russia, Japan, Ecuador, Chile, and Iceland. I completed a two-year detail in Washington D.C. as a Geoscience Advisor to USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance where I developed and facilitated U.S. assistance in disaster mitigation programs abroad.

Dr. Newberry is interested in the genesis and characterization of all ore deposit types, but is especially involved in work with skarn, PGE, greisen, and "metamorphic" vein deposits. Most recently he has studied and published work concerning intrusion-hosted gold deposits. For the last decade he has worked with the Alaska Geological Survey creating 1:63,360 geologic maps in Interior Alaska based on intensive field work and airborne geophysical surveys. He is a senior author for 13 1:63,360 maps covering 6 different 1:250,000 quadrangles of Interior Alaska.

Dr. Power is a volcano seismologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory

Dr. Prakash is a geologist and a remote sensing expert. For the last 10 years the primary focus of her research work has been in using remote sensing and GIS techniques to detect, map, monitor, quantize, model and investigate surface and underground coal fires in coal mining areas and to study the related environmental problems using multisensor, multitemporal satellite and airborne data. Other research interests include: · High Temperature Event (HTE) investigation, viz. volcano eruptions, forest fires, thermal springs, coal fires, urban heating etc, using remote sensing techniques. · Investigating new sensor technologies for the Thermal Infrared region. · Geoenvironmental studies using environmental indicators and impact assessment models in a variety of environments. · Mutisensor (optical, thermal, microwave) image and data fusion for geologic and geoenvironmental applications. · Disseminating remote sensing knowledge to remote communities by developing multimedia and distance learning tools.

Dr. Stephanie Prejean is a research geophysicist at the USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, Alaska. As an observatory scientist she interprets seismicity to monitor volcanoes and forecast eruptions. When Stephanie is not responding to volcanic crises, her research focuses on studying the physical processes that trigger earthquakes and using earthquakes to track the movement of magma and high pressure fluids in the crust. Most recently she has explored the possibility of using co-eruptive seismicity to better understand the dynamics of erupting ash columns.

Originally from Louisiana, Stephanie Prejean has moved gradually westward and northward studying active tectonics and volcanism. Stephanie obtained her BS in 1996 from the University of Memphis. There she first worked with the USGS at the Center for Earthquake Research and Information. Stephanie then pursued her PhD at Stanford University under the guidance of Mark Zoback and Bill Ellsworth, studying crustal stress and earthquake sources at the Long Valley caldera, California. After earning her PhD in 2002, Stephanie became a USGS Mendenhall postdoctoral fellow, working closely with David Hill in Menlo Park, California. Stephanie joined the USGS permanently in 2003 at the Alaska Volcano Observatory. In her 7 years at AVO, Stephanie has played a role in forecasting and monitoring eight volcanic eruptions.

Janet's current work includes geologic mapping, volcano hazard assessment, GIS, crater lakes, tephra studies, and eruption response.

Dave has been working at AVO since 1997 and his research involves satellite-based detection and measurement of volcanic eruption clouds, and applications of remote sensing in volcano monitoring.

Dr. Severin is in charge of the department's electron microprobe and XRF. Research interests focus on the interpretation of elemental patterns in incrementally grown biologic structures (mainly from fish) with the goal of reconstructing paleoenvironment and paleobiology. In addition to using "traditional" point analyses, Dr. Severin is exploring the use of digital X-ray mapping for understanding the distributions of trace and minor element in organic and inorganic materials.