MONTSERRAT: THE CLASSROOM TO THE FIELD AND BACK AGAIN

At Union College, we took ten geology majors to Montserrat to study volcanic deposits and processes and gain a better understanding of the hazards associated with living with an active volcano. The group ranged from freshman to seniors, and half of the students had taken a volcanology course. Prior to the 9 day-trip, we met with the students several times and discussed volcanic deposits/processes, the geologic setting and eruptive history of Montserrat and viewed the documentary, “Montserrat’s Andesite Volcano” by David Lea and Steve Sparks.

On the island, the students studied several outcrops and interpreted the volcanic depositional processes. Students worked in pairs, with the senior students acting as mentors, trying to distinguish airfall, surge, lahar, and pyroclastic flow deposits. We toured the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) to learn about monitoring techniques and hazard preparedness. We hoped to visit areas in the exclusion zone to see the devastated town of Plymouth. However, our first night on the island, the Soufrière Hills Volcano had an explosive eruption, so we had to alter our initial itinerary. This presented a unique opportunity, as the students were able to see first-hand how the MVO scientists and the inhabitants of Montserrat deal with volcanic hazards. Conversations with the locals during the eruption itself, greatly enhanced the students appreciation for the difficulties inherent in living on an erupting volcano. In addition, students were able to view the seismographs of the eruption they had just witnessed and see images taken by the helicopter of the extent of the pyroclastic flow.

Following the field-trip, the students continued to visit the MVO website to learn of any new eruptions. They created posters highlighting their interpretations of volcanic deposits, coupled with the active processes they observed for the student research symposium. One student prepared a 40 minute documentary of our excursion, based on hours of footage and interviews he shot while on the trip. Another student has used samples we collected from Montserrat to design a lab exercise for the volcanology course, focusing on petrography and geochemistry. These various field-trip “follow-ups” have enhanced the students experience and also been an effective recruiting tool for potential geology majors.