![]() ![]() Kenya, in Africa because the east Africa rift system can be compared to the rift system under the sea here in Antarctica. It’s the 18 th largest volcano in the world. ![]() Phil says that he always tries to give the “what, where, why, when” of Mt. However, it is not entirely free of danger…Phil was once knocked unconscious by a lava “bomb” that was ejected from the volcano. With its lake of molten lava inside the crater on top, Phil says it’s like “a window into the guts of the volcano.” It is changing all the time…making it a very interesting volcano to study. Erebus does not present the same hazards as other volcanoes, and as a result it is easier to study.īelow, the Mt. Scientists who study volcanoes are continually making predictions and evaluating the hazard potential in studying them. Erebus is also unique because it is one of few volcanoes in the world that’s a model volcano, not a hazard. Fundamentally volcanic eruptions are driven by gases, which are between 80-95% water and 2-20% carbon dioxide. Erebus is made up of about 50% water and 50 % carbon dioxide…which is very unusual for a volcano. I’ve heard that from so many of the scientists here. He says that “being an academic is freedom to pursue questions that come to mind.” He was interested in the outdoors as a high school student and found that this was a profession that allowed him to be outdoors. Erebus Volcano Observatory.Īntarctica isn’t his only repeat performance….for example he’s spent ten summers in far eastern Russia, studying active volcanoes, especially those in Kamchatka. He was a member of the ANDRILL science team and I talked with him in McMurdo this season. In fact, it was through an educational outreach program that I first met Phil in 1998. Throughout the years, Phil has taken many graduate students and teachers with him to do research projects on the volcanology of Mt. ![]() He teaches and does research in geochemistry, petrology, and volcanology. He is a professor of Geochemistry in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science. Phil is currently at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, in Socorro, New Mexico. to do a Post Doc at Ohio State University, but he didn’t leave Erebus behind. Phil started coming to the ice as a graduate student from New Zealand, and he spent his first six seasons at Scott Base. Phil told me that he has actually spent many of his birthdays ON Mt. Phil Kyle, began his field seasons in Antarctica in 1969. Erebus and spend time on the mountain, looking back at what lies below it? Or, what about climbing up to see the lava lake in the crater at the top? Scientist Dr. ![]() I’ve been wearing the light-weight parka for most of my time in McMurdo.)īut what would it be like to study Mt. (It’s funny to see me wearing BIG red in this photo, taken weeks ago. This one’s taken near the WISSARD test site. I love this view from out on the sea ice near Cape Evans, taken on my trip here in 2006. It dominates the landscape here and is quite beautiful…with its plume of gas rising up and surrounding the top of the volcano with what looks like billows of soft, white clouds. Whether I’ve been out to the WISSARD drill/test site, Happy Camper School, or just on a hike up Observation Hill…Mt. For weeks I’ve been getting great views of Mt. ![]()
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