Volcanologist Focuses on Reduction of Risk
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Volcanologist Focuses on Reduction of Risk John A. Lockwood This edited transcript is based on John A. Lockivood's plenary presentation entitled "Volcanoes: The Ultimate Materials Source,"gben at the Materials Research Society 1998 Spring Meeting in San Francisco on April 13,1998. When Robert Hull, Immediate Past President of MRS, introduced volcanologist Jack Lockwood as the plenary speaker, he said, "We, all of us, as researchers have our tools or our experimental pieces of equipment. My piece of equipment is an electron microscope. Bob Nemanich's [1998 MRS President] might be a growth chamber. Jack's is a volcano, and his experimental tool is the volcano ofMauna Loa in Hawaii, which is the largest volcano in the world." In response, Lockwood said, "I looked at the [MRS Meeting] list of papers and was struck by the fact that you have the potential of repeatVolcanologist John A. Lockwood measures the lava flow advance rate in Royal Gardens ing experiments. You have some control; you subdivision. United State Geological Survey photo by R.W. Decker. can perhaps jiggle the voltages or something. We are totally helpless with our experiments."
We Don't Get to Repeat Our Experiments A volcano does whatever it's going to do and we, the observers on the outside, try to figure out what's going on. While people like to think volcanologists really know what's going on, the truth is commonly we don't and we don't get to repeat our experiments. My primary focus is the relationship of volcanoes to society. As materials researchers, you affect society through your technological findings and innovations. Society changes because of your work. In my particular case, it doesn't really make a difference what I do. The volcano will change society all by itself. There are two important terms to know and distinguish:
I have to deal with volcanic risk by trying to reduce it. For example, the risk of eruptions can sometimes be reduced by diverting the flow of lava. Three items used to divert the flow are explosives, water, or new structures. I was involved with the U.S. Air Force in developing contingency plans to divert lava flows by detonating laser-controlled bombs (which we call "aerial displaced explosive devices" to avoid PR problems). In 1992, Italian volcanologists drilled a tunnel in a channel that was threatening a town called Zepherano. They detonated 7,000 kilos of explosives in the tunnel which changed the course of the channel and caused the flow to go in another direction, sparing the town. hazard as in volcanic hazard and risk as in In Iceland, volcanologists saved a harvolcanic risk. The hazards are what volca- bor by spraying vast amounts of water to noes are going to do anyway. The risk is cool and thicken the flow of lava, making what happens when people are too close it form its own diversion. In Hawaii, a to the volcano. diversionary structure was built to proReduction of risk is really my focus. tect the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Mauna Loa Reduction of risk would be easy if you Observatory.
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