New Summa and Awwiller Postdoctoral Fellow Pablo Moreno-Yaeger Investigates the Forces Behind Volcanic Eruptions
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Davis welcomes Dr. Pablo Moreno-Yaeger as its newest Summa and Awwiller Postdoctoral Fellow. With a background in volcanology, geochemistry and geochronology, Moreno-Yaeger studies the processes that shape volcanic systems and influence when eruptions occur. Working with UC Davis Professor Kari Cooper, he will build on his previous research into the relationship between geological processes and volcanic activity, exploring the timescales of magma storage before an eruption.
His postdoctoral work will center on processes occurring within a volcano itself. By studying crystals preserved in magma, he hopes to better understand how long they remain within a volcanic system before an eruption and what those records can reveal about the conditions leading up to it.
"In the past, I focused on external triggers for volcanic eruption, like glaciation, but now, I’m studying how long a crystal remains in magma before an eruption," said Pablo Moreno-Yaeger.
During his doctoral research, Moreno-Yaeger examined how external forces, particularly glaciation, could influence volcanic behavior. He studied how the weight of ice sheets could affect volcanic activity. Thick ice places pressure on the Earth's crust, potentially influencing the movement of magma and the conditions under which an eruption occurs.
“It’s been hypothesized that, in the past, glaciers could prevent volcanoes from erupting. That’s because ice sheets on top of volcanoes are so thick that they act like a pressure cooker lid, covering the volcano and inhibiting eruptions.”
To investigate this relationship, Moreno-Yaeger studied volcanoes in the southern Andes of Chile that were covered by the Patagonia ice sheet during the last glacial period. His research found that volcanic eruptions did not stop entirely during glaciation but occurred less frequently. He also observed changes in volcanic composition following the retreat of the ice, raising questions about how changing pressure conditions affect the magma beneath the surface.
“Volcanoes become more explosive once the ice retreats. Imagine a soda that has retained a lot of gases for a long time. Those gases want to come out of the soda but they can’t because of the lid.”
These findings help explain how environmental and climate changes can influence volcanic systems. Moreno-Yaeger notes that some volcanoes may be more sensitive to glaciation than others, making it important to understand the characteristics of individual systems before drawing conclusions about their behavior.
For Moreno-Yaeger, the study of volcanoes began long before his academic career. Growing up in Chile, he developed an early fascination with volcanic landscapes, influenced in part by his family's history of living near volcanoes.
“My father grew up in an area that had one of the biggest eruptions in the twentieth century, the eruption of the Quizapú Crater. It's a vent on the northern flank of the Cerro Azul volcano in the Chilean Andes. My grandfather would talk about that eruption and that drew my attention to volcanoes.” Moreno-Yaeger studied at the Universidad de Chile and the University of Wisconsin-Madison before coming to UC Davis.
Improving scientific understanding of volcanic systems can help inform assessments of the hazards they pose. Volcanic eruptions have had serious consequences for nearby communities, public health, agriculture, and even air travel. For Moreno-Yaeger, the long-term goal is to help people understand the volcanoes around them through research that uncovers the processes taking place beneath the Earth's surface.
The Summa and Awwiller Postdoctoral Fellowship is supported by the generosity of Lori Summa and David Awwiller, who established the fellowship to support postdoctoral researchers pursuing innovative, cross-disciplinary research. These opportunities help early-career scientists advance their work while contributing to the intellectual environment of the department.