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Showing posts from June, 2015

Investigating the erection of a lava spine at Mt. Unzen volcano, Japan

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It's time to dust the cobwebs off this blog! This post is a guest post from my friend and colleague Adrian, a fellow volcanology postgraduate here in the University of Liverpool. He is writing about his research on Unzen volcano in Japan, which was published last week. Enjoy!  My first paper, created in collaboration with Oliver and a host of co-authors from the University of Liverpool, Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich and research institutions in Kochi, Nagasaki and Tsukuba, Japan, looks at the mechanics of a spine growth episode at Mt. Unzen volcano, Japan. Left: The 'Tower of Pelée' spine at Mt. Pelée, Martinique, 1902. Photo credit: unknown. Middle: The 'whaleback' spine at Mount St Helens in 2005. Photo credit: USGS, taken Feb 22 2005.  Right: The remnant of the spine at Mt. Unzen. Photo credit: Yan Lavallée.  Lava spines are a spectacular feature of some lava dome volcanoes. They appear as massive, cohesive blocks that pierce through the