OUR RESEARCH
Because volatile compounds like water and carbon dioxide transition from liquid to vapor states at relatively low temperatures, they play a defining role in processes ranging from Earth's hydrologic cycling to catastrophic decompression in volcanic conduits. Research in our group focuses on why and how volcanoes erupt; the consequences of gases released from magmas for climate and biota; and surface processes on Earth and other solar system bodies. Our tools include field work, geochemical measurements, spacecraft data, and numerical models.
Ongoing projects investigate:
(1) the mechanisms that determine whether magmas erupt,
(2) the eruptive dynamics of flood basalts (rare, enormous volcanic eruptions),
(3) the connection between these voluminous volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions,
(4) the erosional history of Titan and Mars, and
(5) the self-destruction of inwardly migrating moons.