Residents of Southcentral Alaska have been preparing for the possible eruption of Mt. Spurr over the last few months, with concerns lingering about the effects of potential ashfall on local communities. Recent UAA alumnus Paul Gabriel, who defended his master’s thesis in geological sciences in April, is focused on another volcanic public health concern: mercury. Originally from […]
An NSF-funded ashfall study links magma composition shifts to volcanic tremors, offering a powerful new tool for monitoring eruptions and protecting communities U.S. National Science Foundation-funded researchers discovered that subtle changes in magma composition may drive tremors during volcanic eruptions, offering a new tool for forecasting volcanic activity and guiding hazard assessments. Volcano forecasts are […]
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize a domestic program focused on detecting and warning about volcanic threats. Their bill – cosponsored by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) – will enable the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to continue to improve its volcano […]
A new radar-based volcano monitoring system developed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and U.S. Geological Survey will expand across the U.S. and beyond. The expansion, funded by NASA, could lead to earlier detection of volcanic unrest. The Alaska Volcano Observatory at UAF has been using a prototype of this system, named VolcSARvatory, since early 2022. Its […]