ATHABASCA — Science enthusiasts gathered at Athabasca University on Thursday, Oct. 29, to explore the explosive science of volcanoes during a special lecture hosted by Science Outreach – Athabasca.
Dr. Darcy Cordell delivered his second talk of the year for the organization, detailing why researchers study volcanoes and how geophysics helps track subterranean structures. During the presentation, Cordell noted that volcanoes cause an average of 500 deaths worldwide each year and can severely disrupt human society, pointing to historical events such as the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption in Iceland, which grounded over 100,000 flights in Western Europe.
The discussion also touched on catastrophic events in Earth's history, including the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, which triggered global climate impacts known as "The Year Without Summer" in 1816. Cordell shared research showing that a major eruption at the Yellowstone Caldera could send enough ash as far away as Athabasca to cause roof collapses.
The latter half of the lecture highlighted Cordell's doctoral research on the Laguna del Maule volcano in central Chile. Utilizing methods such as magnetotellurics—measuring Earth's magnetic and electrical fields via trucks, boats, helicopters, and horses—Cordell and his team investigated the volcano, which has shown signs of unrest with the ground ballooning upwards by about two metres since 2007. Their findings indicated a large, deep magma field containing supercritical fluid, pointing toward a potentially explosive future for the site.
