iPlex Lunch spring-2018

Geysers and mud volcanoes erupt with greater frequency, and generally with less destructive consequences than their magmatic counterparts. However, their dynamics are in many ways similar to magmatic systems. Like magmatic volcanoes, mud volcanoes are driven by gas expansion and exsolution and regulated by the rheological properties of a dense particle suspension. I will present insights into the subsurface dynamics of the ongoing Lusi mud eruption in East Java, Indonesia constrained by satellite radar interferometry and volcano deformation source modeling. In the second half of the talk, I will present recent work on internal oscillations in geysers. In-situ pressure measurements within the conduit of Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park revealed meter-level water column oscillations with a dominant period of 0.7-1 s during the recharge phase between eruptions. I will present progress towards a mechanical model of these oscillations based on theory and laboratory experiments and discuss its applicability to magmatic systems.