HotStuff - MSc Volcanology Seminars: Part 1/2 - Sophie Jackson, Lin Way & Alex Walton-Keeffe

We are pleased to welcome three of our own MSc Volcanology students: Sophie Jackson, Lin Way and Alex Walton-Keeffe, to give talks on their research projects and their current progress.

Speakers and talks:

Sophie Jackson - Hazards on Volcán de Agua, Guatemala

Agua is a very understudied volcano near Antigua Guatemala with little known about the extent of past hazards and what could occur in the future. It is thought to have last erupted 10,000 years ago and lahars are known to have destroyed the previous capital city of Ciudad Vieja in 1541. In February 2024 during the COV12 conference, substantial wildfires occurred on Agua leading to significant slope instability.  This project aims to identify previous hazards that have occurred and date with charcoal, as well as modelling possible scenarios for rainfall triggered lahars.

Lin Way - InSAR-observed deformation at a dormant volcanic field (Lamongan) in Indonesia

Little is known about volcanic behaviour at monogenetic fields, making it difficult to forecast future eruptions. Deformation observed at the Lamongan volcanic field (LVF) in 2019 presents an opportunity to study the subsurface processes occurring at a monogenetic field using freely available satellite data. This could provide insights into possible precursory activity as well as the behaviour and timescales of volcanic unrest. 

We will investigate InSAR observations of the deformation event by improving the signal-to-noise ratio of data, modelling source parameters and relate our findings to future volcanic hazards such as possible vent locations. Preliminary modelling of surface displacements show that a single source is unable to fully describe the observed deformation and that multiple sources may be needed.

Alex Walton-Keeffe - Tracing the source conditions of Central Andean ignimbrites through machine learning thermobarometry and thermodynamic modelling.

The Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex (APVC) in South America possesses numerous calderas that catastrophically erupted over the past 10 Ma. These calderas are thought to be influenced by the underlying Altiplano-Puna Magma Body (APMB), but the links between the two are unclear. I will attempt to resolve these mysteries by analysing textural and mineral chemistry data from two recent ignimbrites at the APVC’s southern edge. I will then utilise a novel thermobarometric programme to predict stable pre-eruptive conditions and APVC source depths; if these depths align with the APMB, it provides evidence that the APMB is (or directly influences) the APVC’s source.