Current work and student
projects
Lunar Crater Volcanic Field – This project
focuses on the physical volcanology and relationships between volcanism and
structure in a medium sized intraplate volcanic field dominated by monogenetic
activity. The work is part of a
broader effort in the UB volcanology group to understand the plumbing of mafic
systems, transitions in eruptive styles, and the relationship between
monogenetic and polygenetic volcanism.
This research is the primary focus of Ph.D. student Amanda Hintz, and of
M.S. students Peter Johnson, Jamal Amin, and Andrew Harp and is being conducted
in collaboration with Joaquin Cortes (at UB), Elizabeth Widom
(Miami University of Ohio), and Eugene Smith (University of Nevada – Las
Vegas).
Phreatomagmatic processes – Using field studies
and experimental approaches to understand the energetics of explosions, and
resulting deposits and landforms, caused by interaction of magma and
water. Current work involves
detonating buried explosives to study crater formation and subsequent
excavation to study the subsurface structures (in nature referred to as diatremes)
that are produced. Future work will
include large-scale experiments mixing magma and water. Collaborators on this project include
James White (New Zealand), Pierre-Simon Ross (Canada), Jacopo Taddeucci (Italy) and Ingo Sonder
(UB).
Volcanic hazards in interior
USA –
In this project we are integrating volcanic, geochemical, and geochronological data from the entire western USA to assess
hazards associated with intraplate volcanism. Collaborators on this work include Joaquin
Cortes (at UB), Michael Ort (Northern Arizona University), and Amanda Hintz
(Utah Geological Survey).
VHub –
Cyberinfrastructure for Volcano Eruption and Hazards
Modeling and Simulation – VHub (see vhub.org) is a major effort funded by the National
Science Foundation with the
overarching goal to provide a mechanism for globally collaborative research and
development of computational models of volcanic processes and their integration
with complex geospatial, observational, and experimental data. VHub is promoting seamless accessibility
of appropriate models and data to organizations around the world charged with
assessing and reducing risk, reaching across resource levels and cultural
boundaries. VHub is an
international effort and currently includes partners in Italy, France, Spain,
New Zealand, Japan, and Mexico, and is linked with other large efforts such as
the Global Volcano Model (http://www.globalvolcanomodel.org).