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My research exploits the magmatic histories recorded in erupted zoned minerals (akin to the rings in a tree) as well as zoned glass by use of in-situ geochemistry and diffusion chronometry to unravel the life stories and eruption triggers of individual magma bodies prior to their eruption.
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Image credit: USGS.gov
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Koma Kulshan (Mt. Baker) is a volcano in Northern Washington that is nestled in the highly populated area of Bellingham. While Kulshan is classified as a high-threat volcano, the pre-eruptive history of the magmas through time remain unknown. Our team is combining mineral chemistry, diffusion chronometry, and modeling to help determine the storage conditions and pre-eruptive history of Baker magmas.
Read more in the CWU press release |
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Yellowstone is a well-known volcano due to its catastrophic history and present-day hydrothermal and seismic activity. Our research suggests eruption initiation by magmatic recharge can occur on the scale of a human life (weeks to decades at most) in the case of the Lava Creek Tuff Supereruption (Shamloo and Till 2019; Shamloo et al. 2021). This work received press coverage in the New York Times and is featured in National Geographic Documentary series. |
Ash distribution of three Yellowstone supereruptions, the most recent of which covered the majority of the USA (USGS.gov).
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Banded pumices are common in ignimbrites, and intricate layering indicates that they form during magma ascent. Based on this assumption we have used electron microprobe analytical transects of contacts between dark and light, glassy high-silica rhyolite layers in pumices from the Rattlesnake Tuff to infer magma ascent rates through diffusion chronometry.
Left: Banded pumice samples from the Rattlesnake Tuff, part of the High Lava Plains in Eastern Oregon. Note the sharp boundaries between layers ideal for diffusion chronometry. |
