Judy Fierstein

Judith Fierstein
Fierstein in 2019 in the Sierra Nevada
TitleResearch Geologist
Academic background
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Cruz (BS, MS)
Academic work
Discipline
InstitutionsCalifornia Volcano Observatory
Websitewww.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/judith-fierstein

Judith Ellen Fierstein is a geologist and researcher employed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS),[1][2] and affiliated with the USGS California Volcano Observatory.[3] Fierstein's research in geology has advanced the understanding of volcanism in Chile, including the history of Laguna del Maule. She is also a researcher on volcanoes in Alaska, where she is noted as an expert on Novarupta. Much of her research has been conducted with fellow geologist Wes Hildreth. They are both fellows of the Geological Society of America (GSA);[4] she was nominated by Charles R. Bacon in 2007.[5]

Education

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Fierstein received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 and an Master of Science degree in 1989, both from the University of California, Santa Cruz.[6]: 18 

Research

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Fierstein is best known for her work in the fields of volcanology and geologic mapping,[7] having published papers on the geology of the Andes, Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada, as well as on the geology of Alaska. She is also known for giving engaging presentations to teach communities about her geologic work,[8][9] including co-leading an interpretive hike at Devils Postpile National Monument in 2016.[10]

Fierstein has also worked extensively in the study of tephra stratigraphy.[11][12] as she has developed strategies for calculating the volume of volcanic tephra from a given eruption.[13][14]

Collaborators

[edit]

Fierstein was noted in Discover Magazine as a figure advancing women in geology; she has mentored multiple women who have successful careers in geology, including Michelle Coombs, who was a field assistant to Fierstein,[15] and Terry Keith, who worked with Fierstein on research in Alaska.[16]

Fierstein's partnership with her main research collaborator Wes Hildreth began in 1980 when Hildreth took the newly-graduated Fierstein on a trip to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Katmai National Park and Preserve for geologic research.[1][17] They have since become vital to each other's research, and they have collaborated on researching the Cascades, Andes, and Alaska.[18]

Alaska

[edit]

Early in her career, Fierstein wrote articles on topics in Katmai, including the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and the volcano Novarupta. She wrote an article on the valley, published by Alaska Historical Society in 1984,[19] and has continued publishing other papers on Katmai with Hildreth.[20] 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.[21] The centennial garnered nationwide media coverage,[22] and she presented about the occasion at community events,[23] and to Alaska Public Media.[24]

For her contributions to understanding the park's geology, she has been recognized as a "Novarupta-Katmai expert" by the USGS,[25] an "expert on the 1912 eruption [of Novarupta]" by the Alaska Volcano Observatory,[26] and as a "Katmai expert" by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.[8]

Her research in Katmai has also uncovered errors in the research done by Robert Griggs,[27] but has since corrected many of them.[28] Fierstein's work has also been applied alongside the research of Bernard R. Hubbard for determining the geologic history of the area around Mount Aniakchak.[29] Copies of a paper by Fierstein were found in the files of Father Hubbard after his passing.[30]

Fierstein has also worked with volcanologist Colin Wilson on Alaskan research.[31]

Andes

[edit]

Fierstein's work in South America, including research at Laguna del Maule, led to the first ever tri-national hazards map, which included Chile and Argentina.[32] Her tephra studies have also been applied to fill in the known eruptive history of the volcano.[33]

California

[edit]

Fierstein has contributed to geologic research in both the Mojave National Preserve and the Mono Basin of California.[34][35] She was an advisor to a USGS postdoctoral fellowship on volcanic hazards at Mono Basin.[36]

A professional paper by Fierstein and Hildreth was adapted into a "geonarrative" on the geology at Mammoth Mountain.[37]

Other locations

[edit]

Fierstein has researched in the Cascades of both Washington and Oregon. She has researched the Three Sisters of Oregon,[38] including an instance in which she collaborated with Hildreth and other contributors to create a geologic map of the Sisters' volcanic cluster.[39]

Fierstein and Hildreth were also the first to research the stratigraphic structures making up Mount Adams in Washington and monitor the geologic changes at the mountain.[40] They published a conference paper of their geologic mapping and geothermal assessment of Mount Adams in 1990,[41] and went on to publish the geologic map with USGS in 1995.[42]

Fierstein has also worked with geologist Dave Tucker on research in the North Cascades. Tucker assisted in collecting samples for Hildreth and Fierstein at Mount Baker in the 1990s for a 2003 publication on its eruptive history.[43]

Fierstein's work with Hildreth has also been used for documenting the seismic hazards present in Western Washington.[44]

Awards

[edit]

Along with Wes Hildreth, Fierstein won the Florence Bascom Geologic Mapping Award from the GSA in 2019.[45] They were nominated by Colin Wilson.[46]

Also in collaboration with Hildreth, she won the Outstanding Publication award from the Association of Earth Science Editors.[47]

Affiliations

[edit]

Fierstein is an Associate Editor of the Bulletin of Volcanology.[48] She has also served as a manuscript reviewer for the journal Geology.[49]

References

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  1. ^ a b "2019 GSA Florence Bascom Geologic Mapping Award". The Geological Society of America. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Judith E Fierstein [Person]". ScienceBase-Directory. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved April 6, 2023. Also available from ScienceBase-Catalog.
  3. ^ "Climate Group Research". Department of Geology. University at Buffalo. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "Fellowship: All Active and Current GSA Fellows". The Geological Society of America.
  5. ^ "2007 GSA Fellows Elected by Council" (PDF). GSA Today. 17 (7): 13–16. July 2007. doi:10.1130/1052-5173(2007)17[13:GFEBC]2.0.CO;2.
  6. ^ "Alumni Notes" (PDF). Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Santa Cruz (Newsletter): 14–30. 2011.
  7. ^ Calvert, Andrew Todd. "Women in Science, Geologist". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Grimes, Marmian; Seibert, Stevie (April 13, 2012). "Lecture explores century of study of Novarupta eruption". University of Alaska Fairbanks. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Baranov Museum welcomes volcano talk tonight". Kodiak Daily Mirror. April 26, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Communications and Publishing (July 13, 2016). "Young and Old Volcanoes East of the Sierra Nevada: New Map, Report and Public Events". U.S. Geological Survey.
  11. ^ Fierstein, Judy (2007). "Explosive eruptive record in the Katmai region, Alaska Peninsula: an overview". Bulletin of Volcanology. 69 (5): 469–509. Bibcode:2007BVol...69..469F. doi:10.1007/s00445-006-0097-y. ISSN 1432-0819. S2CID 128983665.
  12. ^ Fierstein, J.; Hildreth, W. (December 2004). "Kaguyak to Katmai: Post-Glacial Tephras in Katmai National Park, Alaska". 2004 Fall Meeting (Abstract). American Geophysical Union. Bibcode:2004AGUFM.V23A0622F.
  13. ^ Nathenson, Manuel; Fierstein, Judy (2015). "Spread sheet to calculate tephra volume for exponential thinning" – via Ghub.
  14. ^ Communications and Publishing (May 26, 2016). "Forecasting Ashfall Impacts from a Yellowstone Supereruption". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Klemetti, Erik (March 29, 2023). "A Long Way Still to Go to Create Representative Volcanology". Discover Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  16. ^ Klemetti, Erik (March 27, 2023). "The Changing Face of Volcanology". Discover Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  17. ^ Hults, Chad P.; Fierstein, Judy (2016). Katmai National Park and Preserve and Alagnak Wild River: Geologic Resources Inventory (PDF) (Report). In Natural Resource Reports
  18. ^ Hildreth, Wes (2005). "Thorarinsson Medal Acceptance" (PDF). IAVCEI News. 2005 (1). International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior: 7–8.
  19. ^ Zimmerman, Christian E.; Neal, Christina A.; Haeussler, Peter J. (January 2008). "Natural Hazards, Fish Habitat, and Fishing Communities in Alaska". American Fisheries Society Symposium. 64: 375–388. S2CID 29181482. Citing "The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Katmai National Park and Preserve" (1984).
  20. ^ Rozell, Ned (June 1, 2012). "Alaska's Novarupta volcanic eruption remembered 100 years later". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  21. ^ Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy (2012). The Novarupta-Katmai Eruption of 1912—Largest Eruption of the Twentieth Century: Centennial Perspectives. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1791 (Report). doi:10.3133/pp1791. LCCN 2011277689.
  22. ^ Wilcox, Barbara (May 16, 2012). "Exploring The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes". Belmont, CA: Patch. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "100th anniversary of Novarupta-Katmai eruption lecture April 25". University of Alaska Fairbanks. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  24. ^ Spack, Kristin (June 7, 2012). "Novarupta – Katmai Eruption of 1912, Largest Eruption of the 20th Century". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "PubTalk: Exploring The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes". U.S. Geological Survey. June 6, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  26. ^ "April 25 -- The Novarupta - Katmai 1912 eruption: a free lecture in Fairbanks by Judy Fierstein". Alaska Volcano Observatory. University of Alaska System. April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Fierstein, Judy. "The Great Eruption of 1912" (PDF). Alaska Park Science. 11 (1). Anchorage, Alaska: National Park Service: 7–13 – via ARLIS.
  28. ^ teofilo (June 6, 2012). "Ten Thousand Smokes, One Hundred Years". Gambler's House. Wordpress.
  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" (PDF). Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Professional Report 126. doi:10.14509/30839. S2CID 248174850. DGGS 30839.
  30. ^ "Hubbard (Bernard R., S.J.) Papers". Online Archive of California. Retrieved April 6, 2023. ArchivesSpace
  31. ^ "Team Profile: Colin Wilson". Geothermal Next Generation. GNS Science. July 9, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  32. ^ "The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program in 2021". U.S. Geological Survey. March 18, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ Schweich, Tom. "Bibliography: Eastern Mojave Vegetation". Tom Schweich. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  35. ^ Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy; Ryan-Davis, Juliet (2021). "No ring fracture in Mono Basin, California" (PDF). GSA Bulletin. 133 (9–10): 2210–2225. Bibcode:2021GSAB..133.2210H. doi:10.1130/B35747.1. ISSN 0016-7606. S2CID 233933590. ResearchGate:349575993. USGS
  36. ^ Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program. "Mendenhall Program: Volcano-related opportunities". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  37. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. "Mammoth Mountain Flows, Long Valley Caldera, and Bishop Tuff". Retrieved April 7, 2023 – via ArcGIS.
  38. ^ Fierstein, Judith E. "NGDB rock sample C188044". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy; Calvert, Andrew T. (2012). "Geologic Map of Three Sisters Volcanic Cluster, Cascade Range, Oregon". U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3186. Scientific Investigations Map. doi:10.3133/SIM3186. S2CID 127698991. [Database doi:10.5066/P9IYBCRI].
  40. ^ Norris, R. D. (1991). "The Cascade volcanoes; monitoring history and current land management". U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 91-31. doi:10.3133/ofr9131. ISBN 978-1288836444. Catkey:2716407.Crater Lake Institute
  41. ^ Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy (1998). "Geologic map and geothermal assessment of the Mount Adams volcanic field, Cascade Range of southern Washington" (PDF). Geothermal Resources Council TRANSACTIONS. 14 (2): 1455–1456. USGS
  42. ^ Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy (1995). "Geologic map of the Mount Adams volcanic field, Cascade Range of southern Washington". U.S. Geological Survey IMAP 2460. doi:10.3133/i2460. Catalog.
  43. ^ Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judy; Lanphere, Marvin (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. ISSN 0016-7606.
  44. ^ Manson, Connie J. (1988). "Seismic hazards of Western Washington and selected adjacent areas: Bibliography and Index, 1855–June 1988" (PDF). Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Open File Report 88-4. In Washington Geologic Survey Publications Catalog
  45. ^ "Honors & Awards: 2019 GSA Award & Medal Recipients". The Geological Society of America. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  46. ^ "Geological Society of America Award Winners for 2019" (Press release). Boulder: The Geological Society of America. July 2, 2019. GSA News Release No. 19-25
  47. ^ Schwartz, Larry. "Association of Earth Science Editors Outstanding Publication Award". Minnesota State University Moorhead. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  48. ^ "Bulletin of Volcanology: Editors". Springer. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  49. ^ 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. ISSN 1943-2682.