▸ Bubble nucleation and magma fragmentation
Vesicle textures in pyroclasts preserve a record of volatile degassing, including bubble nucleation, growth, and coalescence, during magma ascent through volcanic conduits. Pyroclasts from explosive silicic eruptions, contain exceptionally large numbers of vesicles with characteristic size patterns. By coupling models of vesiculation and conduit-flow, I investigate how vesicle populations evolve during ascent and ultimately contribute to magma fragmentation and explosive eruption dynamics.
▸ Shift from explosive to effusive activity during the 2011-2012 Cordón-Caulle eruption
On June 4, 2011, Cordón-Caulle in southern Chile began erupting, producing vigorous volcanic plumes that rose 9-12 km into the atmosphere. Within about a week, plume heights declined and lava effusion began. I investigate the processes that drove this shift in eruption style by linking changes in magma-reservoir pressure to the evolving flow of magma through the volcanic conduit and comparing model predictions with multiple observational datasets.
▸ Hot springs as indicators of volcanic activity
Hot-spring temperatures in volcanic regions reflect heat supplied by underlying magmatic systems, but they are also influenced by cold rainwater infiltrating through the vadose zone. I am exploring how numerical models of heat and fluid flow can separate these effects and reveal changes in subsurface magmatic activity from hot-spring temperature records.
