Royal Society Newton International Fellow to continue working on eruption forecasting of La Soufrière volcano, St. Vincent at Oxford.

Michal Camejo has joined the department as a Royal Society Newton International Fellow. Michal hails from the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre where she formed part of the scientific team managing the 2020-21 eruptive crisis at La Soufrière volcano, St. Vincent. Heralded by minimal precursory activity, this eruption began with an effusive ‘dome-forming’ phase lasting ~3 months followed by ~2 weeks of explosive activity. Based on advice provided by monitoring scientists, approximately 16,000 people were evacuated ahead of the explosive phase with no reported serious injuries or casualties.

Michal’s research combines petrology and seismology with the aim of strengthening eruption forecasting capabilities at this frequently active volcano. Using collected erupted material and seismic data, she will investigate the depths and timescales over which Soufrière magmas make their way to the surface and determine whether these signals can be identified in the monitoring record in advance of eruption. Michal joins other researchers in the department working on complementary datasets from the recent eruption.