Phillip Dawson named new CalVO Scientist-In-Charge
Phil replaces Andy Calvert, who stepped down in September after five very busy years overseeing CalVO's move to Moffett Field and observatory operations during the worldwide pandemic. Phil comes from a position as a research geophysicist where he has served with distinction as scientist, colleague, organizational leader, and mentor for more than 40 years. He is an internationally-recognized expert in volcano seismology with vast experience in field, experimental, and theoretical approaches to understanding, in particular, the mysterious but important seismicity related to fluids in magmatic systems. His seismic data processing and analysis software and techniques are now used around the
What’s normal for a volcano? How CalVO scientists decide when to raise an alarm (or not)
In this spectrogram from November 30, 2024, at Mammoth Mountain, earthquakes in a swarm appear as bright blips of color, arriving rapid-fire and very close in time at nearby stations. Every day, CalVO duty scientists check the number, intensity, and character of earthquakes happening at our volcanoes. It's actually quite common for an active volcano - meaning one that has eruptible magma somewhere in its plumbing - to experience small quakes and shakes. There's always something going on, whether it's magma gurgling, gases and fluids flowing through a hydrothermal system, or the bulk of the volcano settling and shifting. The