Cathy Snelson's Explosive First Season on Mt. Erebus
March 5, 2008 -- New Mexico Tech Assistant Professor of Geophysics Cathy Snelson started off her new year with a bang. Well, several bangs. On January 2, 2008, Snelson arrived in Antarctica armed with 1500 pounds of ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) explosives with the intention of blowing it up around the Mt. Erebus volcano to see what was inside.
Had Snelson spent too many long nights analyzing seismic data and snapped, deciding to blast away the volcano to reveal its secrets? Hardly. The plan was to place seismometers all around the volcano, set off a series of explosions, record the seismic waves as they bounced around inside the volcano, and THEN spend too many long nights analyzing the results.
This method of mapping the interior of the volcano, especially the magma chamber, is similar to how NMT researchers discovered and mapped the Socorro Magma Body many years ago. But without EMRTC in residence in Antarctica, researchers have to produce their own explosions. They also have to contend with the extreme cold, difficulty getting to the site, and watching out for retaliatory bombs lobbed out from an active volcano.
Snelson is back in Socorro now analyzing data along with post-doc Daria Zandomeneghi and PhD student Hunter Yarbrough. Snelson is also planning a few changes for her next trip to Antarctica, including using a different explosive that will provide twice the "punch" of ANFO--important for generating strong seismic waves to get through all the fractured rock around the volcano. She also plans to use better seismometers that can withstand extreme cold for a longer time.
Snelson was thrilled with her first visit to Antarctica, saying "It was amazing! It's all about science. Everyone is there to support the science. . . . It's a harsh place, but there's so much potential for incredible science. . . . I was like a kid in a candy store! You could work on imaging for the rest of your life."
Sounds like all those long nights of analyzing data are worth it