HR: 09:15h
AN: ED51A-06 [PDF]
TI: Petrology in Action: Teaching Volcanology in the Undergraduate Curriculum
AU: * Harpp, K S
EM: kharpp@mail.colgate.edu
AF: Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346 United States
AB:
Most petrology classes include description of volcanic systems as part of igneous petrology. The field of volcanology
presents an opportunity for students to apply petrologic principles to physical processes with which they are familiar and to
exemplify active magmatic processes that occur on relatively short time scales. As an illustration of the pedagogical
connections between physical volcanology and igneous petrology, several classroom and lab exercises are described, including:
a) analog experiments to illustrate rheological properties of magmas and how they vary with differing magmatic compositions;
b) guided inquiry explorations of the role of magma composition on eruptive style and frequency; c) a sequence of
demonstrations to illustrate physical principles of volcanic eruptions; d) problem sets using data from recent eruptions; and
e) simulation of a volcanic monitoring crisis. The activities and demonstrations presented here illustrate a variety of
applications of petrologic concepts, with an emphasis on the relationship between magmatic composition and its physical
properties and how these physical properties in turn dictate the behavior of volcanic systems. They can be easily modified to
illustrate magma chamber processes. These exercises are designed primarily for sophomore-level undergraduates and can be
carried out in classrooms with a minimum of resources. The emphasis on hands-on inquiry exercises, coupled with the dynamic
nature of some of these demonstrations gives students a chance to visualize petrologic processes that drive some of Earth's
most dramatic events.
UR: http://classes.colgate.edu/kharpp/volc_crisis/
DE: 3640 Igneous petrology
DE: 6605 Education
DE: 8400 VOLCANOLOGY
DE: 8419 Eruption monitoring (7280)
DE: 8439 Physics and chemistry of magma bodies
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting