Together with a trusty erupting mannequin of Mount Shasta, a field stuffed with lava bombs, and the most interesting silver volcanologist go well with, we shared data via hands-on studying about volcanic hazards, rocks, and eruptions. Our viewers included households from the many Pacific Islander teams represented in California, together with of us with heritage from Hawai’i, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand, Tahiti, and elsewhere. More than 350,000 Pacific Islanders reside in California, greater than any state aside from Hawai’i, and 1 in 5 reside in the Bay Area.
Many Pacific Islands are volcanic, giving us the alternative to speak about Hawaiian and American Samoan volcanoes in addition to the ones we have now proper right here in California! Participants additionally enthusiastically helped scientists make the volcano “erupt” with rice cereal and corn flour many instances. Afterward, that they had the alternative to examine actual volcanic rocks, match up volcanic hazards with their eruption settings, and even take images in our lava sampling go well with.
Outreach occasions like this are an opportunity for scientists to work together straight with the communities we serve, each to assist share our data about volcanoes and to assist folks put together for the subsequent volcanic eruption in California. Because eruptions are a low-probability, high-impact occasion, we wish folks to be comfy with the chance of experiencing volcanic hazards whereas nonetheless appreciating the stunning locations they create – whether or not on the Mainland or throughout the ocean!