Geology and Mapping

Tim Orr was appointed as a Physical Science Technician in 2002. Orr routinely mapped the evolving flow field associated with the ongoing Puʻu Oʻo eruption, both on the ground and using aerial photography. He collected samples from lava flows and skylights and prepared them for chemical analysis at mainland USGS laboratories. Orr provided field and laboratory assistance in the ongoing development of time-lapse photography as a monitoring tool to document the evolution of the flow fields and other unique geologic features associated with Pu’u O’o. Orr's work was so outstanding that, in 2006, he was hired to work full-time for the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory as a Federal employee. He then moved to Alaska and works at AVO.

Peter Graves was hired by CSAV to provide GIS and cartographic assistance to Frank Trusdell, a geologist at HVO. Much of Graves' work involved reviewing digital terrain maps of the island and integrating these into GIS analytical programs; field work included collecting GPS data to provide ground-truth to the remotely connected DTM data sets. Graves’ work was directed primarily toward the development of maps of lava flow inundation zones for Mauna Loa. This work resulted in the publication of the Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2401 entitled “Map Showing Lava Inundation Zones for Mauna Loa, Hawaiʻi”, by F.A Trusdell, P. Graves and C.R. Tincher in 2002.