Dr. Kayla Iacovino has been awarded an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a research and outreach plan at the US Geological Survey - Menlo Park, California. Results of this research will provide a model for quantifying the amount and composition of gasses prior to volcanic eruptions, improving the ability to accurately predict volcanic processes. Magmatic volatile species (H2O, CO2, S species, F, and Cl) power explosive eruptions and influence the chemical evolution of magma. Once emitted, these volcanic gases can substantially alter atmospheric chemistry, climate, and ecology. The investigation will be based on geochemical and petrological data from the Millennium Eruption of Paektu volcano, located on the North Korea-China border. For outreach activities, Dr. Iacovino will create a series of educational videos targeted at young women by highlighting her own research and showcasing female-led research projects at the US Geological Survey.
Despite being one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human history, with ash deposits reaching as far east as Japan, the Millennium Eruption of Paektu volcano is very poorly studied in large part due to its location in a geopolitically complex region. In 2002-2005, signs of volcanic unrest at Paektu caught the attention of local and regional officials, prompting the Mt. Paektu Geoscientific Experiment (MPGE), a collaborative international effort between the US, UK, China, and North Korea. In collaboration with the MPGE, Dr. Iacovino's research will investigate the gas budget of the Millennium Eruption and will test the hypothesis that magma bodies that feed voluminous, highly explosive eruptions widely contain a pre-eruptive vapor phase at weight percent concentration levels. Detailed measurements of pumice and lava chemistries will be carried out using electron microprobe, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ion microprobe techniques. The results of these measurements will be used to construct experiments aimed at reproducing the pressure-temperature-chemical conditions that existed beneath Paektu volcano prior to the Millennium Eruption.
