Judy Fierstein

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Fierstein in 2019 in the Sierra Nevada JudyFierstein-P1020591AndrewCalvertUSGS (cropped).jpg
Fierstein in 2019 in the Sierra Nevada

Judith Ellen Fierstein is research geologist employed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the California Volcano Observatory. Fierstein has published widely on volcanism in Chile and the U.S. state of Alaska, among other regions, including the eruptive histories of Laguna del Maule in the Chilean Andes and Novarupta in Katmai National Park. She is a fellow of the Geological Society of America (GSA), and, alongside research partner Wes Hildreth, won the organization's Florence Bascom Award in 2019.

Contents

Education and career

Judith Ellen Fierstein attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, [1] from which she received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 and a Master of Science degree in 1989. [2]

Fierstein first began working for the U.S. Geological Survey in 1980, after attaining her undergraduate degree. She was hired as a summer field assistant to Wes Hildreth for his planned geologic mapping of Mount Adams in the Cascade Range of Washington, but ashfall from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens left their target inaccessible. Instead, the duo backpacked in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes within Katmai National Park & Preserve, Alaska, to conduct fieldwork and map Novarupta and surrounding volcanoes. Since then, Hildreth has been a mentor to Fierstein and her most prolific research partner. [1] [3]

In a 2023 series of articles in Discover magazine, Fierstein was named as an influential figure among women in volcanology. She has mentored other successful women volcanologists; for example, Michelle Coombs, former scientist-in-charge of the Alaska Volcano Observatory, was a field assistant to Fierstein while in college. Coombs was also mentored by Terry Keith, one of Fierstein's collaborators on research in Alaska. [4] [5]

Fierstein is currently a research geologist at the California Volcano Observatory in Menlo Park, California, [6] which monitors volcanoes in California and Nevada, including the Lassen Volcanic Center, Long Valley Caldera, and Mount Shasta. [7]

Research

Fierstein is best known for her work in volcanology and geologic mapping, [4] [8] and has been described as an engaging orator for her ability to present her research to the public. [9] She formerly served as an associate editor of the Bulletin of Volcanology , [10] [11] and has also reviewed manuscripts for the journal Geology. [12]

Among Fierstein's studies of tephra is the 1992 article "Another look at the calculation of fallout tephra volumes" in the Bulletin of Volcanology, [13] which provides a method for calculating the volumes of tephra deposits. [14] [15] Coauthored with Manuel Nathenson, the paper was later referenced in publicly-presented USGS event. [16]

Alaska

Following her 1980 graduation from UC Santa Cruz, Fierstein experienced her first-ever backpacking trip while working as a field assistant to Wes Hildreth as they conducted research in Katmai National Park & Preserve. [1] This was her first time in the park, but she continued to publish articles on its geologic features, including the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and the volcano Novarupta. [3] For example, in 1984, the Alaska Historical Society published an article by Fierstein on the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes; it was later cited in a symposium on the effects of natural hazards on communities in Alaska. [17] Fierstein has continued to research the region and coauthor publications with Hildreth on its volcanic history. [18]

A 278-page report by Hildreth and Fierstein about Novarupta's 1912 eruption was published by the USGS in 2012, the eruption's centennial year. [19] [20] The centennial garnered nationwide media coverage, [20] [21] and she presented about the occasion at community events, [22] [23] [24] and to Alaska Public Media. [25] For her contributions to the geologic understanding of Katmai, she has been called a "Novarupta-Katmai expert" by the USGS, [26] an "expert on the 1912 eruption [of Novarupta]" by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, [27] and a "Katmai expert" by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. [9]

Fierstein's research in Katmai has also uncovered errors in the research of Clarence N. Fenner and Robert F. Griggs, such as the assumption that Mount Katmai was the vent for the 1912 eruption. [28] Fierstein's work has also been applied alongside the research of Bernard R. Hubbard for determining the eruptive history of Aniakchak Caldera. [29] Copies of an article by Fierstein were found in the files of Hubbard after his passing. [30]

California

Fierstein has contributed to geologic research in both Death Valley and the Mono Basin of California. [31] [32] "Eruptive history of Mammoth Mountain and its mafic periphery, California", a 2016 USGS professional paper by Hildreth and Fierstein, was adapted by the USGS alongside another publication to create a "geonarrative" [33] of volcanic landscapes in the western United States. [34] Fierstein has studied the stratigraphy of eruption deposits at Ubehebe Craters, Death Valley, in order to understand the size of past eruptions and how their deposits traveled over the landscape. [35] In 2020, Fierstein and two coauthors, Greg Valentine from the University at Buffalo and James White of the University of Otago, published the work from their project on past eruptions at Ubehebe Crater. [31] [36]

In 2016, Fierstein and Hildreth led an interpretive talk and hike at Devils Postpile National Monument. [37] Additionally, in 2022, Fierstein was an advisor to a USGS Mendenhall Program research opportunity on volcanic hazards in the Mono Basin. [38]

Chile

Fierstein's research in the Andes of South America, including studies at Laguna del Maule, led to the first ever tri-national hazards map, which included Chile and Argentina. [39] [ clarification needed ] Her maps and tephra stratigraphy studies have also been used to fill in the known eruptive history of the volcano. [40]

Other regions

Fierstein has researched volcanoes of the Cascade Range in both Washington and Oregon. Fierstein and Hildreth were the first to research the stratigraphic structures making up Mount Adams in Washington and monitor the geologic changes at the mountain. [41] They published a conference paper containing their geologic maps and geothermal energy assessment of Mount Adams in 1990, [42] and went on to publish the geologic map as a USGS IMAP in 1995. [43] She has also studied the Three Sisters of Oregon and taken rock samples there, [44] and has collaborated with Hildreth and others to create a geologic map of the associated volcanic cluster. [45]

Fierstein has also worked with geologist Dave Tucker, former director of the Mount Baker Volcano Research Center, on research in the North Cascades. Tucker assisted with collecting samples for Hildreth and Fierstein at Mount Baker throughout the 1990s for a 2003 publication on the volcano's eruptive history. [46] Fierstein's works with Hildreth and Tucker have also been applied to the documentation of volcanic and seismic hazards in western Washington. [46] [47]

Awards

Fierstein is a fellow of the Geological Society of America. [48] She was nominated by Charles R. Bacon, and elected to the society in 2007. [49] In 2014, Fierstein, in collaboration with Wes Hildreth, won the Outstanding Publication award from the Association of Earth Science Editors. [50] Also along with Hildreth, Fierstein won the 2019 Florence Bascom Geologic Mapping Award (named for Florence Bascom) from the GSA. They were nominated for the award by Colin Wilson (an Alaska research collaborator [51] ) in recognition of their volcanic mapping efforts in regions worldwide. [52]

Personal life

As of 2019, Fierstein has a husband named Rich as well as two children, both of whom join her on expeditions. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Wilson, Colin. "2019 GSA Florence Bascom Geologic Mapping Award". Geological Society of America . Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  2. "Alumni notes" (PDF). Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Santa Cruz (Department newsletter). UC Santa Cruz: 14–30. Fall 2011.
  3. 1 2 Hults, Chad P.; Fierstein, Judy (September 2016). "Katmai National Park and Preserve and Alagnak Wild River: Geologic Resources Inventory report". Natural Resource Reports. National Park Service. Bibcode:2016nrr..reptE...1H.
  4. 1 2 Klemetti, Erik (March 27, 2023). "The changing face of volcanology". Discover Magazine . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  5. Klemetti, Erik (March 29, 2023). "A long way still to go to create representative volcanology". Discover Magazine . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  6. "Judith Fierstein" (Staff profile). U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  7. "California Volcano Observatory". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  8. Natural Hazards Mission Area; Calvert, Andrew Todd (July 18, 2019). "Women in science, geologist". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Grimes, Marmian; Seibert, Stevie (April 13, 2012). "Lecture explores century of study of Novarupta eruption". University of Alaska Fairbanks . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  10. Sobolewski, Linda; Hansteen, Thor H.; Zorn, Edgar U.; et al. (March 10, 2023). "The evolving volcano-ice interactions of Crater Glacier, Mount St. Helens, Washington (USA)". Bulletin of Volcanology . 85 (4): 22. Bibcode:2023BVol...85...22S. doi:10.1007/s00445-023-01632-5.
  11. "Editorial board". Bulletin of Volcanology . Retrieved May 3, 2025 via SpringerLink.
  12. Nguyen, Chinh T.; Gonnermann, Helge M.; Houghton, Bruce F. (2014). "Explosive to effusive transition during the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century (Novarupta 1912, Alaska)" (PDF). Geology . 42 (8): 703–706. Bibcode:2014Geo....42..703N. doi:10.1130/G35593.1.
  13. Fierstein, Judy; Nathenson, Manuel (January 1992). "Another look at the calculation of fallout tephra volumes". Bulletin of Volcanology . 54 (2): 156–167. Bibcode:1992BVol...54..156F. doi:10.1007/BF00278005.
  14. Nathenson, Manuel; Fierstein, Judy (April 10, 2015). "Spread sheet to calculate tephra volume for exponential thinning" via Ghub.
  15. Pyle, David M. (December 30, 1995). "Assessment of the minimum volume of tephra fall deposits". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research . 69 (3–4): 379–382. Bibcode:1995JVGR...69..379P. doi:10.1016/0377-0273(95)00038-0.
  16. Communications and Publishing; Mastin, Larry (May 26, 2016). "Forecasting ashfall impacts from a Yellowstone supereruption". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  17. Zimmerman, Christian E.; Neal, Christina A.; Haeussler, Peter J. (2008). "Natural hazards, fish habitat, and fishing communities in Alaska". In McLaughlin, Katherine D. (ed.). Mitigating Impacts of Natural Hazards on Fishery Ecosystems. AFS Symposium. Vol. 64. American Fisheries Society. pp. 375–388. doi:10.47886/9781934874011.ch29. ISBN   978-1-934874-01-1.
  18. Rozell, Ned (June 1, 2012). "Alaska's Novarupta volcanic eruption remembered 100 years later". Anchorage Daily News . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  19. Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy (2012). The Novarupta-Katmai Eruption of 1912—Largest Eruption of the Twentieth Century: Centennial Perspectives. Professional Paper. Vol. 1791. U.S. Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/pp1791.
  20. 1 2 Klemetti, Erik (June 6, 2012). "The biggest bang of the 20th century: The 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska". Discover Magazine . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  21. Carlowicz, Michael (June 9, 2012). "Remembering a monster eruption". NASA Earth Observatory . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  22. Grimes, Marmian (April 13, 2012). "100th anniversary of Novarupta-Katmai eruption lecture April 25". University of Alaska Fairbanks . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  23. "Katmai researcher to speak on giant eruption 100 years later". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner . April 24, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  24. "Baranov Museum welcomes volcano talk tonight". Kodiak Daily Mirror . April 26, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  25. Spack, Kristin (June 7, 2012). "Novarupta - Katmai eruption of 1912, largest eruption of the 20th century". Alaska Public Media . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  26. Communications and Publishing; Fierstein, Judy (June 6, 2012). "PubTalk 6/2012 — Exploring the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  27. "The Novarupta - Katmai 1912 eruption: A free lecture in Fairbanks by Judy Fierstein". Alaska Volcano Observatory. April 25, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  28. Fierstein, Judy (June 2012). "The great eruption of 1912" (PDF). Alaska Park Science. 11 (1). National Park Service: 6–13.
  29. Browne, Brandon L.; Neal, Christina; Bacon, Charles R. (2022). The ~400 yr B.P. Eruption of Half Cone, a Post-Caldera Composite Cone within Aniakchak Caldera, Alaska Peninsula. Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Professional Report. Vol. 126. Alaska Department of Natural Resources. doi:10.14509/30839.
  30. Hubbard, Bernard R. (1852–2001). Bernard R. Hubbard, S.J. Papers. Santa Clara University. folder 100 via ArchivesSpace.
  31. 1 2 Valentine, Greg A.; Fierstein, Judy; White, James D.L. (September 23, 2020). "Soft sediment deformation in dry pyroclastic deposits at Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley, California". Geology . 49 (2): 211–215. doi: 10.1130/G48147.1 .
  32. Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy; Ryan-Davis, Juliet (February 24, 2021). "No ring fracture in Mono Basin, California". GSA Bulletin . 133 (9–10): 2210–2225. Bibcode:2021GSAB..133.2210H. doi:10.1130/B35747.1.
  33. "Geonarratives". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  34. Nagorsen, Sarah. "Volcanic landscapes". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 3, 2025 via ArcGIS StoryMaps.
  35. "All volcanoes in California have been at normal background levels of activity in the past week" (Post). Volcano Hazards Program. March 31, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2025 via Facebook.
  36. Valentine, Greg (Winter 2021). "Volcanology research". Epoch (Department newsletter) (45). University at Buffalo.
  37. Communications and Publishing; Phillips, David (July 13, 2016). "Young and old volcanoes east of the Sierra Nevada: New map, report and public events". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  38. Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program. "21-27. Volcanic hazards in the Mono Basin, eastern California". U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022.
  39. Natural Hazards Mission Area; Lowenstern, Jacob (March 18, 2021). "The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program in 2021". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  40. Fierstein, Judy (January 8, 2018). "Postglacial eruptive history established by mapping and tephra stratigraphy provides perspectives on magmatic system beneath Laguna del Maule, Chile". Chapman Conference (Abstract). American Geophysical Union.
  41. Norris, Robert D. (1991). "The Cascade volcanoes; monitoring history and current land management". The Cascade Volcanoes: Monitoring History and Current Land Management. Open-File Report. Vol. 91-31. U.S. Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/ofr9131.
  42. Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy (August 1990). "Geologic map and geothermal assessment of the Mount Adams volcanic field, Cascade Range of southern Washington". Transactions. 14 (2). Geothermal Resources Council: 1455–1456. Bibcode:1990tgrc.conf.1455H.
  43. Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy (1995). Geologic Map of the Mount Adams Volcanic Field, Cascade Range of Southern Washington. IMAP. Vol. 2460. U.S. Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/i2460.
  44. Fierstein, Judith E. (August 13, 2000). "NGDB rock sample C188044". U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  45. Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy; Calvert, Andrew T. (2012). "Geologic Map of Three Sisters Volcanic Cluster, Cascade Range, Oregon". Scientific Investigations Map. Vol. 3186. U.S. Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/sim3186.
  46. 1 2 Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy; Lanphere, Marvin (June 1, 2003). "Eruptive history and geochronology of the Mount Baker volcanic field, Washington". GSA Bulletin . 115 (6): 729–764. Bibcode:2003GSAB..115..729H. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2003)115<0729:EHAGOT>2.0.CO;2.
  47. Manson, Connie J. (1988). Seismic Hazards of Western Washington and Selected Adjacent Areas--Bibliography and Index, 1855 - June 1988 (PDF). Open File Report. Vol. 88-4. Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
  48. "Fellowship: Current Fellows". Geological Society of America . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  49. "2007 GSA Fellows Elected by Council" (PDF). GSA Today. 17 (7). Geological Society of America: 13–16. July 2007. Bibcode:2007GSAT...17g..13.. doi:10.1130/1052-5173(2007)17[13:GFEBC]2.0.CO;2 (inactive June 2, 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of June 2025 (link)
  50. Schwartz, Larry. "Association of Earth Science Editors Outstanding Publication Award". Minnesota State University Moorhead . Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  51. Fierstein, Judy; Wilson, Colin J.N. (July 1, 2005). "Assembling an ignimbrite: Compositionally defined eruptive packages in the 1912 Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes ignimbrite, Alaska". GSA Bulletin . 117 (7–8): 1094–1107. Bibcode:2005GSAB..117.1094F. doi:10.1130/B25621.1.
  52. Stratton, Christa (July 2, 2019). "Geological Society of America Award Winners for 2019" (News release). Geological Society of America . Retrieved May 2, 2025.