Questions & Answers

Want to learn more about volcanoes, the Mariana Islands or just the life of a scientist in the field? Send your questions about the science and the researchers' day-to-day experiences in the Marianas along with your age and where you're writing from to volcano@ucsd.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Can the helicopter land on the deck of the R/V Wecoma or on any of the more remote islands or must it fly back and forth to Saipan each time out? No, the Wecoma does not have a helo landing pad (that would make life too easy!). The helicopter will make 2 trips and stay out in the islands, The first trip was 15-16 April to Sarigan and Anatahan. The team (Alison, Toby and Dave) and the helo pilot (Mike) camped out on Sarigan (see the daily log for 16 April). The second trip is scheuled for 19-23 April and again Mike will camp out with the volcanology team on various islands in the northern segment of the chain.

When harvesting samples, how do you choose between one piece of volcanic rock and another? That is, what visual indices are there of what makes one sample more appealing than another? Anything? Or does it have more to do with more practical concerns like weight?
Rocks tend to weather very rapidly in tropical climates so that minerals soon show signs of alteration. We require 'fresh-looking' rocks without any visible indications that they have been modified since they were erupted - so, it's challenging to find such specimens. Weight is also a consideration as the helo has a certain pay-load. We can't go crazy but tens of kilos of rocks can be moved by helo from sampling site to the shore-line for transfer to the Wecoma.

Hi my name is Erica, and I am 14. I wanted to ask if any of you feel any pressure when you go and explore? I mean people expect certain things about you, and maybe you may think that what you got was not enough. Do you feel pressured about that? One more thing, I just wanted to thank you for giving such great information on volcanoes, this is one of the reasons I want to go to UC San Diego, and become a marine biologist. Thank you for your time. Erica
Hi Erika, Rather than considering the "pressure" to produce something when we embark on a fieldtrip, I like to think of it as an opportunity. We have a limited time on various islands which would be just about impossible to visit if it wasn't for support from the National Science Foundation. All we can do is exploit this opportunity to the greatest extent possible and hope that the results (that we are going to get) allow us to do some worthwhile science.

What might you find or what might you hope to happen that would make the expedition better than you ever dared to imagine? Is this something that can only be known after you have analyzed the samples back home in the lab or would you know it when you see it? I suppose if you saw a volcano erupt that might be kinda special.
Most of the action, in terms of our objectives regarding volatile mass balance, will occur in the lab when we get our analyses done. However, you are right in that seeing lava or an eruption would be very exciting.