Cracking Volcanoes

For my first proper post on this blog, I thought I should follow up the post about my research  with some short introductions to the volcanoes that I'm studying. These volcanoes are: Volcán de Colima, Mt St Helens, Santiaguito, and Mt Unzen. Why have I chosen these volcanoes? One simple reason really, all of them have produced or are currently producing lava domes within the past 20 years. Instead of focusing on just one volcano or one eruption, I can compare and contrast my findings from multiple sources and hopefully gain a better understanding of the processes I'm looking at. Volcán de Colima View of Volcán de Colima from the north-west in August 2012. The large lava flow in the foreground was formed in 2004.  Volcán de Colima, located in mid-western Mexico is the most active volcano in North America and it is one of two volcanoes on this list that is erupting today. It has been erupting almost continuously since 1998, with the exception of an 18-month hiatus from Jul

After the warm enthusiasm I received from my guest blog post a few weeks ago, I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe I should write my own blog. So here it is. Over the next few weeks, months or maybe even years I'll be writing about volcano-related topics, my experiences and thoughts as I work through my PhD, as well as any other interesting topics. This is going to be a very steep learning curve for me, so I hope you enjoy reading this blog as it evolves. Thanks! The author on the south flank of Volcàn de Colima, July 2012