Science For Alaska: Jessica Larsen

Exploring the subterranean realms of Alaska’s active volcanoes

Jessica Larsen, Professor, UAF-GI

Alaska, located along the North Pacific portion of the Ring of Fire, is home to 52 historically active, potentially hazardous, and spectacularly beautiful volcanoes. These not-so-silent residents of our state produce an astounding diversity in eruption styles; each volcano has a somewhat unique “personality.” In order to monitor, assess hazards, and provide timely and accurate information to the public about our restless volcanoes, we must investigate what happens within the crust of the Earth: a realm hidden from human eyes. In this talk we will observe the region beneath volcanoes, from their deep magmatic roots all the way to the surface of the Earth, and explore some of the reasons why together they exhibit an astounding array of differences in eruption style.