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Another time, there was about 20 feet of snow covering an EDM survey brass disk at the top of a cliff. The snow formed a big cornice, but I dug a pit down to access it. So, we made the Geodolite shot despite all the snow clearing required to get it done. 😅 ✅ We were helping to protect the residents!

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One time, the hill where the 2-color instrument hut sits was snowed in, so we couldn’t drive up to it. But we needed more fuel there to run the generator. I strapped a full gas can to a backpack frame and carried it up the hill in order to maintain continuity of operations by re-fueling in that way.

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Three field crews did this surveying; 1) Estrem’s crew that I was on (leveling & HP 3850 EDM), 2) Langbein’s crew (2-color EDM), and 3) Savage & Prescott’s Geodolite crew including Mike Lisowski, Karl Gross & Gary Hamilton. They were all my mentors, as well as colleagues and friends. We worked hard!

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Office of Earthquakes, Volcanoes & Engineering (OEVE) was based in Menlo Park, California and served as home base for our field crews that worked that winter of 1983-1984 in Mammoth to monitor the ongoing activity and provide data to augment the USGS seismic network.

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Jim Savage (based mainly in Menlo Park at ‘OEVE’) mentored me personally, and between himself and John Estrem - who was my field supervisor and our survey field crew boss at Mammoth Lakes - I learned so much about how to monitor an active volcano in near real-time with these methods.

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I used to reduce the leveling data both on an HP hand-held programmable calculator (and on a small desktop variant HP), and also would back that up by literally hand-calculating with pencil and paper, to ensure my numbers were correct, before my supervisor checked them and sent them to Jim Savage.

Ask me anything about this; I hope that sharing the information might help others to understand. It was an intense experience to monitor the activity and to provide data rapidly to USGS leadership, who in turn worked with local emergency managers to plan next steps; no evacuation was necessitated.

The surveying we (USGS) did in 1983-1984 included first-order leveling of ‘dry tilt’ L-shaped benchmark arrays, as well as line length distance measurements by laser shots (EDM, an HP 3850, the Geodolite and two-color). In subsequent years, these methods were eventually eclipsed by GPS/GNSS methods.

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Photo of largest crack observed by M. Patrick, USGS HVO:

Astronomy 🔭 @astronomy.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Reposted by Stormrider

NASA has released onboard video of Artemis II's reentry through Earth's atmosphere 🤩 Top speed: about 25,000 mph

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Yes, he made some innovative contributions back then!

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This figure from Hill et al. shows the context of the range of magmatotectonic activity before, during the time when I worked there (yellow highlighter), and afterwards. Our surveying work helped to document a declining activity phase, which was followed by renewed and different types of activity.

Direct link to PDF: link.springer.com/content/pdf/...

link.springer.com

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It’s an open access publication by Hill, Mangan & McNutt

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I also shared a bit about my experiences while living and working in Mammoth Lakes in 1983-1984 during the seismic activity that raised concerns. Some earthquakes were strong enough to wake up just about everyone and the science we were doing helped to assess the evolving situation as it played out.

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Here’s a figure I contributed and spoke about -

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Here’s the guidebook cover -

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Friends of the Pleistocene 2026 field trip to the Mono Basin was enlightening and fun - I learned so much! Volcanoes, eruptions, faults, earthquakes, ancient glaciers and lakes, all viewed from diverse scientific perspectives. Topped off by spectacular sunrises, sunsets, and campfire conversations.

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They get a ‘cool’ emoji from me! Great job!

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I was stoked to see this completed seismic retrofit while walking in silver lake

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Mastery of bead and quill moccasins, gauntlets, dresses & coats, and of canoes, are displayed and explained in the artists’ own words

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Autry 40 (strategic plan): theautry.org/sites/defaul...

theautry.org

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

“Mission Statement: The Autry Museum of the American West brings together the stories of all peoples of the American West, connecting the past with the present to inspire our shared future.”

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Yesterday, enjoyed a visit to the Autry Museum and would like to recommend it. You can learn so much about Los Angeles, its culture & history during your visit. Many unique and different perspectives, diverse art works, decorative pieces, and objects are available to explore - theautry.org/about-us

theautry.org

About Us

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Reposted by Stormrider

Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The part of the Antarctic Ice Sheet within a region known as Wilkes Subglacial Basin is vulnerable to change. It holds enough ice to - on its own - raise sea levels by 3-4m. And yet it is hard to find a living scientist who has ever been there. Our new review paper talks about:

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Reposted by Stormrider

HydrologyNL @hydrology.nl · 29/09/2026

On 27 September 2026 a landslide occured near Lete in the Mustang District, Nepal. The debris went into the Kali Gandaki River. Location: maps.app.goo.gl/Rh3oqfy75E7i...

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Reposted by Stormrider

Science Magazine @science.org · 29/09/2026

On 28 September, a jet-powered drone slammed into the headquarters of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, killing at least two people and destroying a section of the historic building. scim.ag/3TsMg5M

scim.ag

Russian drone kills at least two in Ukraine science academy attack

New underground labs are being built as war rages on

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Great sunsets last night and tonight!

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Reposted by Stormrider

Governor Gavin Newsom @governor.ca.gov · 22/09/2026

In the 20 years since California's carbon emission peak in 2004, we've both slashed those emissions by 28% and nearly doubled our economy. The Golden State’s economy is growing BECAUSE of our climate action, not despite it. #ClimateWeekNYC

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Reposted by Stormrider

Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Our planet is very old. We, on the other hand, are not. And when I say "not", I probably cannot convey to you how astonishingly, eye-swivellingly, knee-tremblingly non-old we are compared to the Earth under our feet. But I'm going to try. Please wish me luck. 1/

Photo of the Earth seen from over the crater-pocked brown-grey surface of the Moon, from Artemis II.

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Seismic resilience milestone reached for the City of Los Angeles water system: mayor.lacity.gov/news/mayor-b...

mayor.lacity.gov

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Latest USGS update for Kīlauea 🌋 volcano:

Update from USGS on activity at Kīlauea volcano

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Stormrider @kwh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Latest from USGS ~30 minutes ago (posted on Facebook - USGS Volcanoes account):

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Here are USGS & NPS Facebook posts - tune in directly to their social media on other platforms:

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See the section, “Possible Outcomes” for four SCENARIOS, based on past observations.

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USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-09-15T03:18:09+00:00

USGS HVO’s recent update mentions the new changes they’ve noted in the pattern of activity leading up to now, occurring now, and anticipating a potential shift in behavior: volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/...

volcanoes.usgs.gov

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By the way, the photo displayed shows a USGS scientist operating thermal imaging equipment. Photos like this sometimes are foreshortened and make it appear that they are so close as to be unsafe. Rest assured, USGS personnel are trained to keep safe while also collecting valuable monitoring data.

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Let’s start from this key point of reference, the USGS’s main web site on activity and changes ongoing at Kilauea. As the situation develops, one can always look here for 🌋 significant updates 👀 : www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/ki...

usgs.gov

Kīlauea

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