Mapping the Magmatic Pathways Beneath Volcanoes from Newberry, Oregon to Santorini, Greece

Emilie Hooft

University of Oregon

What does the plumbing system beneath a volcano look like? Is it a big vat of magma? Or a long column? Or many layers of magma sills? It used to be that people thought there were big magma chambers under volcanoes, but it turns out they are often quite small and we do not yet know how magma plumbing systems are structured. In this talk, UO Earth Science Professor Emilie Hooft will describe how she uses seismic imaging to map the deep system of pathways that transport magma to the earth’s surface. Her cutting-edge research uses measurements from hundreds of seismic sensors to find differences in the rate at which sound passes through rocks, and is like making a CAT scan of a volcano. From a societal and hazards point of view, this gives us a better idea of what’s underground and how to predict what might happen when the volcano becomes restless. Additionally, this research helps scientists better understand how the earth functions, how big magma systems assemble themselves, and how they reset and regrow after major volcanic episodes.