Research & Projects

Phreatomagmatic eruptions have the potential to be more explosive and intense than their magmatic counterparts. My research on phreatomagmatism focusses on how the explosive interaction between magma and water influences fragmentation. I study the physical, chemical, and textural characteristics of ash to determine what control fragmentation mechanism has on the character of ash. This allows us to differentiate between magmatic and phreatomagmatic fragmentation in past eruptions, so that the eruptive dynamics can be better understood. It also allows us to better understand the fundamental process of fragmentation. 

Elements of this work have recently been published in Bulletin of Volcanology here and here.

With the advancement of instrumentation, it is increasingly possible to collect large datasets, which require statistical tools to make sense of. I am interested in using supervised and machine learning techniques to improve interpretation of large and complex datasets in the Geosciences. My PhD work involved the creation of a supervised, multivariate statistical model for differentiating between fragmentation types, which is in preparation for publication. I am currently working on supervised and machine learning techniques for geochemical data in mineral exploration. In my future work I am interested in developing models to process ash imagery, including convolutional neural networks for isolating and measuring ash grain characteristics.

The goal of this research is to understand the relationship between environmental conditions and volcanic eruptions. I am interested in how interactions with the water table or overlying ice and water impact volcanic eruptions. The twin goals of this work are 1) to understand how we can use evidence of magma-ice or magma-water interactions to add to the paleoclimate record, by noting presence (and thickness) or ice or water and 2) how we can in turn use the paleoclimate record to fill in the volcanic record. This is of special interest for eruptions at mid-latitudes, which are less well-recorded in ice-core records.

Aspects of this work are published in Bulletin of Volcanology here and Canadian Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology here.