RESEARCH

I operate the Planetary Research, Earth and Space Science, Undergraduate Experience (PRESSURE) lab, which serves as an undergraduate-centered research experience. My research interests include, but are not limited to, lava flow morphology and propagation, small-scale explosive eruptions and associated landforms, channels formed via thermomechanical erosion of lava, etc. Furthermore, I am intrigued by volcanic processes on other planetary bodies with different ambient conditions than Earth. I use a variety of methodologies, including analog experiments, numerical modeling, and analysis of data obtained via spacecraft.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: I am currently recruiting students for summer and Fall 2026 and winter and spring 2027. Strong preference for students completing 500 or 700/701 projects.

Analog Experiments

A large portion of my research has involved using analog experiments to simulate volcanic processes. Specifically, I have used polyethylene glycol wax (PEG), a commercial grade polymer, to simulate the emplacement of lava flows.

Lava flow emplacement

I am interested in the propagation and morphology of lava flows. Specifically, I investigate how changes at the vent, flow composition, and rheology influence whether or not lava flows will advance or not*. The "or not" does not imply an inactive flow, but instead can include processes such as flow inflation (i.e., the endogenic thickening of the flow). Furthermore, thermomechanical erosion of the substrate by the heating and/or removal of material by flowing lava remains a relatively understudied process. Field evidence on Earth via outcrops and active lava tubes and numerous landforms on Mercury, Venus, the Moon, and Mars suggest that thermomechanical erosion is an importance process in the development of volcanic fields. Understanding lava flow behavior is critical for hazards mitigation and planetary surface evolution.

Pictured (right): Piper Harring '25 presenting a pilot study of modeled lava flow eruption conditions on Mars at AGU 2024.

Volcanic vents

Thanks to high resolution image, topographic, and temporal data, we are able to identify, characterize, and quantify volcanic vents (i.e., identification, morphological classification, and dimensions) on several planetary surfaces. Small vents indicative of mild explosive eruptions constrain volatile concentrations in melts which have implications for planets such as the Moon, Mercury, and Mars.

Pictured (left): linear depression interpreted as a fissure vent in Elysium volcanic region on Mars

Sinuous rilles

Sinuous rilles are observed on the surfaces of all rocky planets in the inner solar system. The formation mechanism of these landforms is not necessarily universal. On the Earth and moon, sinuous rilles are thought to for from the thermal and/or mechanical erosion of the substrate by hot, low viscosity lavas. On Venus, sinuous rilles and canali may have formed from more exotic melts, such as carbonatite.

Pictured (near right): Will McDonald '25.5 presents a study of sinuous rilles on select Martian shield volcanoes and tholi at LPSC 2025; (far right) Kijani Derenoncourt '26 emphatically explains her research of mapped sinuous rilles on the Tharsis Montes Rift Aprons at IAVCEI 2025.

Thermomechanical erosion

Hot flowing lava has the potential to modify surfaces by either melting the substrate (thermal erosion), removing material (mechanical erosion), or both melting and removing material (thermomechanical erosion). While landforms suggestive of thermomechanical erosion are prevalent on planetary surfaces, the scale and magnitude of this process on Earth remains poorly constrained. Examples of thermomechanical erosion on Earth ancient (~1.5 Ga) or limited, and it is often difficult to assess in the field whether thermal and/or mechanical erosion have occurred during an eruption. Due to recent effusive eruptions of well-documented volcanoes in areas with subterranean infrastructure, the need to understand this process is important for hazards mitigation. Furthermore, landforms created in part due to thermomechanical erosion may be prone to concentrating ore deposits.