U.S. - Mexico Cooperative Research: Volcanic Risk Evaluation of the Colima and Popocatepetl Volcanoes

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This award will support a group of U.S. researchers headed by Prof. Michael F. Sheridan of the Arizona State University (ASU) to collaborate with a group of Mexican researchers under Professor Ana Lillian Martin of the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The investigators intend to study volcanic activity in Mexico with special emphasis on the region where the Colima and Popocatepetl volcanoes are located. In the process, they plan to produce a volcanic risk map and a report to reduce potential volcanic disasters. More specifically, the researchers will: (1) conduct a literature search of all historic records; (2) gather field data on the stratigraphy and distribution of products; (3) determine radiometric dates of critical events; (4) formulate a conceptual model of volcanic patterns; (5) determine the probability of various types of volcanic events in future eruptions; (6) estimate the distribution of products using computer models of activity; (7) create volcanic risk maps illustrating the results; and (8) publish a monograph with all the pertinent information necessary to explain the risk map. Mexican researchers have designated Colima to be the prime target for risk mitigation but both volcanoes under study are considered dangerous. The numerical models proposed for this study are presently being installed at the Institute of Geophysics of UNAM. ASU will provide Mexican researchers with the technology used in the creation of hazards maps and in the analysis of landsat TM images. Ultimately, the proposed exchange will lead to a better understanding of the complex problem of volcanic activity in Mexico and elsewhere.