Student Projects
Students participating on the Enlighten cruise will each design and conduct a re ...
Diane Perry: Comparison of Lava Morphology at ASHES and International District
From August seventh through the twenty-fourth during the Enlighten 2010 expedition to Axial Seamount, my project will focus on lava morphologies. When lava from a deep-sea eruption solidifies, it takes a form based on its flow rate. The different forms are defined as lava morphologies. I am interested in how the different lava morphologies can reveal the nature of past eruptions.
The question I would like to answer is: Do the lava morphologies at ASHES, International District, and Castle hydrothermal vent sites differ, and if so how do the flow morphologies reflect eruptive processes at each site (i.e. effusion and flow rates)? With this information I can infer past eruption characteristics, the permeability of the crust thus hydrothermal vent placement, and how lava is being deposited at a spreading tectonic plate boundary (Fundis et al., 2010; Delaney et al., 1998). So far in my research, I have learned how to log lava morphologies during Jason dives using a program called virtual van and how to map this data in the Collaborative Ocean Visualization Environment (COVE) program. I am very excited to have this opportunity to explore my own research question and hope to be “Enlightened” by the results.
