New insights into the dynamics of large silicic volcanic systems
1 October - 30 November 2023
Biography
Professor Colin Wilson is a geologist who studies both the deposits of volcanic activity and their sub-surface magmatic systems, particularly those that give rise to hazardous explosive volcanic eruptions. He has covered all aspects of this field over his >40 year career with a range of approaches that makes him very unusual in the geoscience world. His work has included exceptionally detailed field studies that have shown how and over what time periods explosive eruptions occur and quantified the processes accompanying these hazardous events. He has undertaken correspondingly detailed studies of the eruption products to show how and over what time periods the parental sub-surface bodies of magma (molten rock) were assembled before eruption, with major implications for the monitoring of modern volcanoes. He has pioneered and applied methods of assessing how rapidly the magma rose to the surface during eruptions and is applying this knowledge to emergency management planning in New Zealand. Overall, he has a globally unique perspective of the dynamics of magmatic systems and their eruptions, particularly those giving rise to supereruptions. He was educated (BSc(Hons) 1977, PhD 1981) at Imperial College, London, but has mostly worked since in New Zealand with field studies there and in the western USA. His work has been recognised from an early stage through the award of two post-doctoral fellowships (Jaffe and URF) from the Royal Society of London and the Wager Medal from the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior. He was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society of London in 2015. He was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2001 and presented with its highest award, the Rutherford Medal in 2017, for his work on understanding large, explosive supervolcanoes and the dangers they pose.
Research Summary
The visit is designed to bring Colin Wilson’s knowledge and experience to bear on multiple projects currently active within the School of Earth Sciences and exchange information and knowledge around the behaviour of large, hazardous volcanic systems. He brings an unparalleled knowledge of large-scale volcanic systems that is of direct relevance to understanding of explosive eruption processes, subsurface magmatic processes and the interface between modern geophysical monitoring techniques and geological knowledge of past eruptive events. The Bristol host will be able to gain understanding from interacting with him that can help shape potential future research avenues and student projects over the next 5 years or more, including collaborative projects between the UK and New Zealand. There are two main aims from the project. First, there will be interactions with Juliet Biggs and other volcano dynamics group members around the geology and geophysics of caldera volcanoes to (a) share comparative information from New Zealand and the East African Rift and (b) discuss the challenges of caldera volcanoes in terms of hazards and monitoring. Second, there will be discussions with Steve Sparks and others around the ways in which the sub-surface ‘mush’ mixture of crystals and melt that is inferred to underlie these large volcanic systems can be modelled. This work centres around using numerical models and information from experimental studies (at Bristol) combined with information from eruption products (from Wilson’s studies) to link modern observations with knowledge of how past mush systems came to erupt (the ‘tipping points’). Results from these interactions will be a review paper on some aspect of large caldera-related volcanic systems, a series of master classes on large explosive eruptions and their magma systems and discussions on a possible large-scale grant to develop ideas brought up during the visit.
Professor Wilson is hosted by Professor Juliet Biggs in Earth Sciences.
Planned lectures and seminars include:
Supervolcanoes are defined by them having explosive supereruptions (>1000 cubic kilometres of pumice and ash). A continuing challenge is understanding how supervolcanoes behave past and present and over what timescales, up to and including those of human interest. This talk summarises work tackling this challenge on supervolcanoes in New Zealand and the USA.
This is an in person lecture that will be followed by a drinks reception at the venue. The event is free and all are welcome. Reserve your place using the Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-lecture-colin-wilson-university-of-bristol-visiting-professor-tickets-727484925997
Please contact eam-earth-sciences@bristol.ac.uk with any access or special requirements by Friday 6 October, 2023.
