New Scientist-in-Cost at USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory

Dr. Jon Big, Scientist-in-Charge of the U.S. Geological Study Cascades Volcano Observatory.

(Credit rating: Elizabeth Westby, USGS-Cascades Volcano Observatory. Public area.)

VANCOUVER, Wash. — As of January 4, 2021, Dr. Jon Important normally takes about management of the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory from Seth Moran, who has served as the scientist-in-cost for the past 5 years.

“It is my enjoyment to announce Jon Important as the new scientist-in-demand of the Cascades Volcano Observatory,” stated Michelle Coombs, acting director of the USGS Volcano Science Heart, who oversees all five U.S. volcano observatories. “Jon has experienced a distinguished job with the USGS in geomorphology research, and the Volcano Science Heart will gain considerably from his vitality, enthusiasm and leadership over the up coming 5 several years.” 

Important will guide the Cascades Volcano Observatory in its three key spots of target: analysis, monitoring and community outreach. Serving for the future five a long time, he envisions protecting CVO as one of the world’s premier volcano observatories. His main plans are to assure that CVO stays at the reducing edge of volcano science inquiry by rebuilding staff members misplaced to retirement attrition, and by maximizing personnel as needed to fulfill the worries of protecting the community.

“I want to make sure that the Cascades volcanoes are sustainably monitored in a fashion that is commensurate with the hazards they pose to culture,” states Major. “I seem forward to the issues forward and operating really hard to increase awareness of volcano hazards through the Cascades and outside of as a result of stakeholder engagement at many stages.”

Big joined CVO as a hydrological field assistant in 1982, sooner or later doing work his way to the posture of study hydrologist. His research has focused on hydrological hazards involved with volcanic eruptions and landscape responses to substantial inputs of sediment, ranging from the Might 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens to dam removals.

“One of the most fascinating matters figured out from Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes is how resilient Earth is,” states Significant. “No make any difference how devastating the eruption, Earth always rebounds.” 

Main has worked at volcanoes in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, El Salvador, Chile and the Philippines. 

He gained his B.S. from the College of Dayton, a M.S. from Penn Condition and a Ph.D. from the Department of Geological Sciences at the College of Washington.

Major can take in excess of the helm of a perfectly-operating observatory from Seth Moran, who served as the scientist-in-demand from 2015 to 2020. Through his tenure, CVO built great strides to enhance checking networks at Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood, such as big updates to the Mount Rainier lahar warning system, and also initiated strategies to increase networks at Glacier Peak and Mount Adams.  Moran also facilitated CVO’s enormous years-long hard work to manage an worldwide volcanology conference held in August 2017 in Portland initiated the establishment of the National Volcano Early Warning System, which was approved by Congress in 2019 and labored with the U.S. Forest Assistance and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the work to develop a lengthy-term multi-agency plan to mitigate hazards of sediment transport and Spirit Lake drainage at Mount St. Helens. Moran will resume his get the job done as a volcano seismologist at CVO.