Colgate BLAST on Augustine Volcano, Alaska in July 2025. Photo by Rylie Berwanger.
Research @ BLAST
What are the processes that drive volcanic eruptions?
How do volcanoes change their eruptive personalities through time?
Currently we are focused on the relationship between geochemistry and explosivity at Augustine Volcano, Alaska.
Current and Recent Work
The BLAST lab uses a variety of techniques to investigate volcanic eruptions. Current techniques include:
grain size analysis (using size data to infer the explosivity of previous eruptions) - how do different eruptions compare, and how does explosivity vary within a single eruption?
whole rock geochemistry (by XRF and ICP-MS)- how do tephra compositions vary between eruptions and within a single eruption?
Pics and profiles of BLAST students
Recent fieldwork to Augustine Volcano in 2022 and 2024
For more information
If you are a Colgate student interested in joining the BLAST lab, please get in touch!