Alaska Volcano Observatory

Rick Wessels

Department:	Alaska Volcano Observatory
Institute:	USGS
Discipline(s):	Remote Sensing

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Rick has been a Research Geophysicist for AVO at the USGS in Anchorage since 2003. His research focuses on understanding volcano and glacier dynamics using remote sensing as the main tool. His remote sensing work uses a wide range of high resolution satellite and airborne data in the visible, shortwave infrared, thermal infrared, and radar. Rick is also involved in NASA funded research studying Earth analogues of features on Mars.

Before joining AVO, Rick was at the USGS-Flagstaff office working as an Arizona State University Post-Doc on the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) project.

[Show Publications]

Eruption of Alaska volcano breaks historic pattern 4519

Larsen, J., Neal, C., Webley, P., Freymueller, J., Haney, M., McNutt, S., Schneider, D., Prejean, S., Schaefer, J., and Wessels, R., 2009, Eruption of Alaska volcano breaks historic pattern: Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, v. 90, n. 20, p. 173-174.

Atmospheric contribution of gas emissions from Augustine volcano, Alaska during the 2006 eruption 4389

Airborne surveillance of gas emissions from Augustine for SO2, CO2 and H2S showed no evidence of anomalous degassing from 1990 through May 2005. By December 20, 2005, Augustine was degassing 660 td1 ofSO2, and ten times that by January 4, 2006.

McGee, K.A., Doukas, M.P., McGimsey, R.G., Neal, C.A., and Wessels, R.L., 2008, Atmospheric contribution of gas emissions from Augustine volcano, Alaska during the 2006 eruption: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 35, L03306, doi: 10.1029/2007GL032301, 5 p.
full-text PDF : 165 KB

Monitoring and modeling ice-rock avalanches from ice-capped volcanoes: a case study of frequent large avalanches on Iliamna Volcano, Alaska 4364

Iliamna is an andesitic stratovolcano of the Aleutian arc with regular gas and steam emissions and mantled by several large glaciers. Iliamna Volcano exhibits an unusual combination of frequent and large ice-rock avalanches in the order of 1Ã�106 m3 to 3Ã�107 m3 with recent return periods of 2â��4 years. We have reconstructed an avalanche event record for the past 45 years that indicates Iliamna avalanches occur at higher frequency at a given magnitude than other mass failures in volcanic and alpine environments. Iliamna Volcano is thus an ideal site to study such mass failures and its relation to volcanic activity.

Huggel, Christian, Caplan-Auerbach, Jacqueline, Waythomas, C.F., and Wessels, Rick, 2007, Monitoring and modeling ice-rock avalanches from ice-capped volcanoes: a case study of frequent large avalanches on Iliamna Volcano, Alaska: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 168, p. 114-136, doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2007.08.009.

Volcanic disruption of summit ice at Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 2004-2007 4429

Neal, C.A., Coombs, Michelle, Wessels, Rick, and McGimsey, R.G., 2007, Volcanic disruption of summit ice at Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska, 2004-2007 [abs.]: Geological Society of America - Abstracts with Programs, v. 39, n. 4, p. 20.

Satellite measurement of glaciers on volcanoes in Alaska: building an inventory of ice extent and hazards 4431

Wessels, Rick, Neal, C.A., Waythomas, Christopher, Huggel, Christian, and Dean, Ken, 2007, Satellite measurement of glaciers on volcanoes in Alaska: building an inventory of ice extent and hazards [abs.]: Geological Society of America - Abstracts with Programs, v. 39, n. 4, p. 20.

The role of remote sensing in monitoring of Augustine Volcano 4154

Webley, Peter, Dean, Ken, Dehn, Jon, Bailey, John, Schneider, Dave, Wessels, Rick, Lovick, Joseph, Rinkleff, Peter, and Izbekov, Pavel, 2006, The role of remote sensing in monitoring of Augustine Volcano [abs.]: Geological Society of America - Abstracts with Programs, v. 38, n. 5, p. 28.

The reawakening of Alaska's Augustine Volcano 4177

Augustine volcano, in south central Alaska, ended a 20-year period of repose on 11 January 2006 with 13 explosive eruptions in 20 days. Explosive activity shifted to a quieter effusion of lava in early February, forming a new summit lava dome and two short, blocky lava flows by late March (Figure 1). The eruption was heralded by eight months of increasing seismicity, deformation, gas emission, and small phreatic eruptions, the latter consisting of explosions of steam and debris caused by heating and expansion of groundwater due to an underlying heat source.

Power, J.A., Nye, C.J., Coombs, M.L., Wessels, R.L., Cervelli, P.F., Dehn, J., Wallace, K.L., Freymueller, J.T., and Doukas, M.P., 2006, The reawakening of Alaska's Augustine Volcano: Eos, v. 87, n. 37, p. 373, 377.

Geothermal disruption of summit glaciers at Mount Spurr Volcano, 2004-6: an unusual manifestation of volcanic unrest 4196

Mount Spurr, a 3,374-m-high stratovolcano in the Cook Inlet region of Alaska, showed signs of volcanic unrest beginning in 2004 and lasting through 2006. These signs included increases in heat flow, seismicity, and gas flux, which we interpret as the results of a magmatic intrusion in mid-2004. In response, debris-laden meltwater beneath the glacier in Mount Spurr's geothermally active summit basin accumulated as the overlying snow and ice melted. As heat output increased, the icecap subsided into a growing cavity over a meltwater lake, similar to that observed during subglacial volcanic activity in Iceland.

Coombs, M.L., Neal, C.A., Wessels, R.L., and McGimsey, R.G., 2006, Geothermal disruption of summit glaciers at Mount Spurr Volcano, 2004-6: an unusual manifestation of volcanic unrest: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1732-B, 33 p., available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1732/pp1732b/index.html .
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Headless debris flows from Mount Spurr volcano, Alaska 4091

McGimsey, R., Neal, C., Waythomas, C., Wessels, R., Coombs, M., Wallace, K., 2004, Headless debris flows from Mount Spurr Volcano, Alaska [abs.]: Transactions, American Geophysical Union, v. 85, n. 47, Abstract V43B-1430.

Deciphering silicic dome emplacement processes in the northern Pacific: Quantitative analyses of high resolution satellite and field-based data 4064

Ramsey, M.S., Dehn, J., Adleman, J.N., Larsen, J.F., McGimsey, R.G., Neal, C.A., and Wessels, R., 2003, Deciphering silicic dome emplacement processes in the northern Pacific: Quantitative analyses of high resolution satellite and field-based data [abs.]: in Fall meeting supplement, Eos, v. 84, n. 46, V51F-0346.

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