|
|
Dr. Jim Begét,
Professor of Geology; Ph.D., 1981 University of Washington (Seattle);
M.S., 1977 University of Washington (Seattle); B.A., 1974 Columbia
University.
University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Geology and Geophysics
P.O. Box 755780, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5780.
Phone: (907) 474-5301, Fax: (907)474-5163, E-mail: ffjeb1 "at" uaf.edu
Dr. Begét studies the
Quaternary history of volcanic and glaciated regions. He is currently
investigating the history and distribution of Late Pleistocene and
Holocene volcanic ash falls in Alaska. Tephra deposits are being
studied in areas near Fairbanks and the central Alaska Range, as well
as near source volcanoes on the Aleutian Peninsula and the Wrangell
Mountains. Studies of the age, volume, and geochemical characteristics
of ash layers will develop the tephrochronologic dating method for
Quaternary sediments in Alaska, and help reconstruct eruption histories
for active Alaskan volcanoes. Dr. Begét is also reconstructing glacier
profiles, dynamics, and chronologies for Pleistocene ice sheets and
glaciers. In addition, investigations of stratigraphy and physical
characteristics of thick loess deposits in Alaska are being studied as
proxy records of climate changes in the Arctic during the last 1,000 to
1,000,000 years. Jim has been involved with the Alaska Volcano
Observatory (AVO) since its founding in 1986, and also receives
research support from the National Science Foundation. He is currently
president of the Commission on Tephrochronology and Volcanology of the
International Quaternary Association (INQUA-COTAV), and is also a
member of the Leader's Group of the Past Global Climate Change Program
of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Project (IGBP-PAGES),
researching Volcano-Climate Interactions. His current research program
emphasizes tephra studes and volcano eruption histories, and has
involved projects at Augustine, Redoubt, Spurr, Iliamna, Douglass,
Katmai, Shishaldin Makushin, and other volcanoes in the eastern
Aleutian arc.
[top of page]
|
Ken Dean, Research
Assistant Professor; M.S., 1979 University of Alaska Fairbanks; B.S.,
1972 Northern Arizona University.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk
Drive, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320.
Phone: (907) 474-7364, Fax: (907) 474-7290, E-mail: kdean "at"
dino.gi.alaska.edu
Kenneson G. Dean leads
the satellite-monitoring group for the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
project in Fairbanks. Research objectives include dynamics, spectral
properties and composition of eruption clouds; the dynamics and sources
of thermal anomalies; and changes in surface landforms caused by
eruptions. Satellite data are used to detect, monitor and analyze
potential airborne and surface hazards resulting from volcanic
eruptions, including volcanic clouds and thermal anomalies.
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), Advanced Very
High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), and Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images are used for daily monitoring and
analysis. AVHRR and MODIS data are received and analyzed in real-time
at stations at the Geophysical Institute. GOES data is received over
computer networks. Landsat, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and
Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data
are used for retrospective studies of surface volcanic processes.
Volcanoes in the North Pacific Region include those in Alaska and on
the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, are the primary focus of these
studies. Analyzed images are shared with various components of the AVO
through a file server and ftp in near real-time. . Another component of
his research involves the Puff dispersion model, which is used to
predict the movement, dynamics and structure of volcanic ash clouds.
The model uses current wind fields to track hypothetical particles on a
global or regional scale. Dispersion, settling, particle size, plume
height and shape of the eruption column are input parameters. The model
is used for both volcano monitoring and research. The focus of research
includes probability maps of the distribution of ash particles in the
North Pacific Region, model sensitivity analyses and fallout
predictions. The model is actively updated and improved based on
research results. Ken teaches a graduate class entitled, "Remote
Sensing of Volcanic Eruptions," (GEOS 692) in the Department of Geology
and Geophysics. This class is taught every other year and is focused on
satellite monitoring techniques used at AVO and other volcano
observatories around the world. Jonathan Dehn is a co-instructor for
the class. Graduate students under Ken's direction learn about
acquisition, processing and analysis of satellite data, and how these
data are used to monitor and study volcanic processes. Students are a
critical component to daily volcano monitoring for the AVO
project.
Current Student Thesis
Topics:
** SO2 emitted by volcanoes in the North Pacific Region, Courtney
Kearney
** Dynamics of thermal anomalies at active domes, Andrea Kearney
Completed Student Theses:
** Numerical Modeling of Lava Flow Cooling Applied to the 1997 Okmok
Eruption: Comparison with AVHRR Satellite
Imagery -
MS Thesis, Matthew Patrick
**An Analysis of Volcanic Plume Ash Plume Movement and Dispersion
within the North Pacific Region - MS Thesis,
Kenneth R.
Papp
**Satellite Thermal Remote Sensing of the Volcanoes of Alaska and
Kamchatka During 1994-1996 and the 1994
Eruption
of Kliuchevskoi Volcano - MS Thesis - W. Christopher Wyatt
**Merging Remotely Sensed Data with Geophysical Parameters - PhD
Dissertation, Craig Searcy
[top of page]
|
Dr. Jonathan Dehn,
Research Associate Professor; Ph.D., 1992 Christian-Albrecht
Universität Kiel (Germany); M.S., 1987 Arizona State University; B.S.,
1984 Arizona State University.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk
Drive, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320.
Phone: (907) 474-6499, Fax: (907) 474-5618, E-mail: jdehn "at"
gi.alaska.edu
Dr. Dehn studies
volcanology through remote sensing techniques at the Alaska Volcano
Observatory. He organized the first Internal Workshop on
Kamchatkan-Aleutian Subduction Processes in Petropavlosk, Russia, and
has started new collaborations with colleagues throughout the North
Pacific Region. Before coming to the Geopyhsical Institute, Dehn held
positions at Kiel University's GEOMAR marine research center in
Germany, and at the Geological Survey of Japan's Hokkaido Branch in
Sapporo. Dehn is also a three-time Fulbright Scholar to Germany. [Home Page]
[top of page]
|
Dr. John Eichelberger, (UAF
Department of Geology and Geophysics Chair). Professor of
Volcanology; Coordinating Scientist, Alaska Volcano Observatory; Ph.D.,
1974 Stanford University; B.S., M.S., 1971 Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk
Drive, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320.
Phone: (907) 474-5530, Fax: (907) 474-5618, E-mail: eich "at"
gi.alaska.edu
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.
[top of page]
|
Dr. Jeff Freymuller,
Assistant Research Professor of Geophysics; Ph.D., 1991 University of
Southern Carolina; M.S., 1988 University of Southern Carolina; B.S.,
1985 California Institute of Technology.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk
Drive, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320.
Phone: (907) 474-7286, Fax: (907) 474-5618, E-mail: jeff "at"
giseis.alaska.edu
Dr. Freymueller is a member of the Seismology Group at the Geophysical
Institute, and a cooperating faculty member of the Department of
Geology and Geophysics. His current research interests include: 1) the
active tectonics of Alaska; 2) ground deformation due to active
volcanism in Alaska; 3) behavior of the San Andreas fault system in
Northern California, and the partitioning of plate boundary deformation
in the western United States; 4) the partitioning of deformation among
the various elements of the India/Eurasia plate boundary zone. Dr.
Freymueller has conducted his research in Alaska, California, China and
South America, and has active involvement in regional studies of
crustal movements on three continents, as well as global studies. [Home Page]
[top of page]
|
Dr. Jessica
Faust Larsen,
Research Assistant Professor; Ph.D., 1996, M.S., 1993, B.A., 1991
University of California, Santa Cruz.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk
Drive, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320.
Phone: (907) 474-7992; Fax: (907) 474-5163, E-mail: faust "at"
gi.alaska.edu, [Home Page]
Dr.
Larsen is a Research Associate Professor
with the Geophysical Institute. Jessica's graduate (UCSC) and
post-graduate
(CalTech and UAF) work has focused on experimental mineral physics
applied to
understanding water storage in the mantle, the fate of subducting
oceanic crust
and lithosphere, formation of the Earth’s atmosphere through shock
loading
experiments on mixtures of iron and serpentine. Since arriving at UAF
in 1997,
Jessica’s work has focused on applying igneous petrology to
understanding active
volcanism, through field-based and laboratory studies of Aleutian arc
and other
magmatic systems. Jessica oversees the UAF Experimental Petrology Lab,
and
works with the Alaska Volcano Observatory to map and constrain eruptive
histories of active Aleutian arc volcanoes. Major research themes
include:
- Experimental determination of vesiculation
processes in silicate melts. This project involves constraining bubble
nucleation rates and mechanisms, coalescence rates, conditions of
equilibrium
vs. disequilibrium degassing, and the development of bubble/vesicle
size
distributions. (NSF)
- Crystallization kinetics and phase equilibria
studies of Aleutian basaltic-andesites and phonolite and
tephriphonolite magmas
from the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius (with Lucia Gurioli or U. Hawaii;
NSF).
- Okmok volcano geology. Field-group leader for
AVO effort. Focus: Stratigraphy, petrology, and geochemistry of the
Holocene
caldera-forming eruptions, updating the geologic map (with Tina Neal,
Janet
Schaefer, Chris Nye, and Jim Beget). (AVO)
- Western Aleutians geological studies. Project
chief for the AVO mapping and hazards report mission. Field work
conducted on
Semisopochnoi and Little Sitkin volcanoes September 2005.
Supported by ship-based helicopter.
Focus: geologic maps, eruptive
histories, and hazards assessment (with Tina Neal and Michelle Coombs).
(AVO).
(For more
information, CV,
etc, please see my Home Page
)
[top of page]
|
Dr. Steve McNutt, (UAF
Volcanology Research Group Leader) Research Professor, Volcano
Seismology, Alaska Volcano Observatory; Ph.D., 1985 Columbia
University; 1984, M. Phil., M.S., 1982 Columbia University; B.A., 1977
Wesleyan University.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk
Drive, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320.
Phone: (907) 474-7131, Fax: (907) 474-5618, E-mail: steve "at"
giseis.alaska.edu
Dr. McNutt's primary research focus is in the field of volcano
seismology. Current research topics include studies of source and
propagation effects for volcanic tremor, low-frequency volcanic
earthquakes, and explosion earthquakes at Kilauea, Spurr and Arenal
volcanoes; volcanic hazards assessments in Alaska and Central America;
the mechanical behavior of volcanoes including periodicity of
eruptions, and the effects of earth tides, sea level variations, and
tectonic stresses on eruptive activity; volcanic lightning; and
development of new air-deployable seismometers for use in otherwise
inaccessible areas. Student Opportunities: Students are involved in all
phases of study and monitoring of Alaska's volcanoes. [Home Page]
[top of page]
|
Dr. Chris Nye, Research
Assistant Professor of Geology; Ph.D., 1983 University of California,
Santa Cruz; 1978, M.S.; B.S., 1976, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk
Drive, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320.
Phone: (907) 474-7430, Fax (907) 474-5618, E-mail: cnye "at"
giseis.alaska.edu
Dr. Nye focuses on the geochemistry, petrology and geology of
convergent margin volcanoes, most notable those in Alaska. Applications
include the petrogenesis of volcanic rocks, recycling of crustal
material in subduction zones, and description of temporal variations in
magmatic plumbing systems that produce geothermal reservoirs. Chris
manages the participation within AVO of the Alaska Division of
Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Duties include operational,
managerial, and programmatic tasks, and studies of active volcanism and
volcanic deposits. Research focuses on the geochemistry, petrology and
geology of convergent margin volcanoes, with special emphasis on
detailed trace-element geochemical studies of individual volcanoes in
an attempt to understand temporal variations in their magmatic plumbing
systems. Additional interests involve more topical research into the
petrogenesis of volcanic rocks and contamination of Aleutian lavas by
the upper crust.
[top of page]
|
Dr.
Michael West, Research Assistant Professor, Volcano
Seismology, Alaska Volcano Observatory; Ph.D., 2001 Columbia
University; 1998, M.S., Columbia University; B.A., 1993 Colorado
College.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk
Drive, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320.
Phone: (907) 474-6977, Fax (907) 474-5618, E-mail: west "at"
gi.alaska.edu, [Home Page]
West joined the faculty of
the Geophysical Institute in the fall 2004 after moving from New Mexico
State University where he was a post-doctoral fellow. His primary
interest is in understanding the subsurface structure of volcanoes
through seismic imaging. By combining seismic techniques with
information from rock chemistry and deformation, his work seeks to
understand the behavior of different volcanoes. He has worked on
tectonic and volcanic issues in the Western U.S., Iceland, and along
the Juan de Fuca mid-ocean ridge off the coast of Oregon. Since
arriving at the GI, West has begun a several year collaboration with
the Colima Volcano Observatory in Mexico and is establishing a pool of
broadband seismometers at the GI designed for rapid deployment in
rugged volcanic terrain. These instruments will be used for seismic
studies in the Aleutians and abroad.
[top of page]
|
|
