Looking inside volcanoes

Overview

Volcanoes are big, hot, loud, and scary.  Because of this, we know little of their internal structure or underlying ‘plumbing system’, despite them representing a global natural hazard.

In this talk, Professor Christopher Jackson shows how new 3D seismic imaging techniques – essentially X-ray scanning of the Earth – can be used to illuminate the structure of volcanoes and the evolution of their underlying ‘hot rocks’.

Christopher is passionate about communicating science to the public and was one of the Royal Institution Christmas lecturers in 2020 for the series ‘Planet Earth – a user’s guide’, focussing on how we can achieve a sustainable future.

He has also appeared in ‘Expedition Volcano’ a BBC2 series with a team of international volcanologists visiting two of the world’s most volatile and spectacular volcanoes – in DRC and Rwanda.  He released a very well-received Audible podcast ‘The Grown Up’s Guide to Planet Earth’.

Christopher is keen to inspire young people in science, particularly from under-represented groups, aiming for a future geoscience community that is far more diverse and inclusive.