Modern volcanology is a multidisciplinary subject including aspects of geochemistry, petrology, geophysics, and geodynamics. The University of Oregon Volcanology group utilizes a variety of research tools including microanalytical facilities, high performance computing, experimental petrology, and isotopic analysis. Please visit the linked research profiles of our faculty to learn more about research being conducted at the University of Oregon.
Researchers examine the chemical diversity of the Earth's crust and mantle and explore the link between composition and physical properties.
Researchers use computational, theoretical and analogue experimental approaches to examine the movement of magma, deformation of the surrounding crust, and eruption mechanics.
Eruptive products contain information about the processes that shaped them from deep in magmatic reservoirs to their eruption into the atmosphere.
Using seismic waves, gravity and deformation signals, researchers explore the presence of melt in the subsurface and unrest in volcanic systems.
Applied mathematics and computational approaches are used to simulate conditions in the subsurface and in erupting volcanoes.
My name is Lissie Connors, and I'm a 3rd year Ph.D. candidate working with Paul Wallace. I study the behavior of volatile elements in magmas--specifically using volatiles as a tool to understand signatures of magma generation, track timescales of magma storage and ascent, and unravel degassing processes.
I'm examining the geochemistry of melt inclusions and their host phenocrysts from tephra cones along the flanks of Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira. These volcanoes produce compositionally unique magmas, and emit globally significant volumes of CO2 and SO2--but their pre-eruptive volatile contents have never been explored.
I'm the proud owner of a 7-pound elderly dog named Gretchen. She has one tooth and a zest for life.
The Earth Sciences Department has long enjoyed an international reputation for strength in studies of high-temperature geological processes, dating to at least 1965 when the original Center for Volcanology was established by emeritus faculty AR McBirney, DW Weill and GG Goles (see brochure below, circa 1968). The 60’s, 70’s and 80’s saw many landmark studies published by department faculty and graduate students on a variety of topics including characterization of the lunar samples returned by the Apollo missions; experimental studies of lava rheology, phase equilibria, and trace element partitioning; and field and analytical investigations of layered mafic intrusions, oceanic archipelagos, subduction-related volcanoes, ore deposits, and metamorphic terranes. Recently our group was selected as a Cluster of Excellence by the University Oregon that has led to an expansion of the volcanology group. Our current faculty continue the tradition of petrological and volcanological research while also expanding into the realms of geochemistry, geophysics, and high performance computing. While our interests are diverse, we share a focus on active volcanic, magmatic, hydrothermal, and process-oriented investigations.
Oct. 1: Colin Wilson, Victoria University (Special Time: 12:30)
Oct. 3 (Special Seminar in Cascade 200): Tony Irving, University of Washington
Oct. 8: CIDER Video
Oct. 15: Alison Graettinger, University of Missouri
Oct. 22: Adam Kent, Oregon State University
Oct. 29: Tom Sisson, USGS
Nov. 5: Mary Benage, USGS
Nov. 12: TBA
Nov. 19: Martin Streck, Portland State University
