Student wins place at Hawaii volcano centre

FIRE mountain... Amy with a lump of lava she collected from Mount Etna

student Amy Chadderton will experience nature’s explosive power up close when she flies to Hawaii to study active volcanoes.

Amy, from Spinghead, has been selected for a prestigious place at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory where she will document the volcanoes with world experts.

Volcanologists from across the world apply for such voluntary roles and currently only six other people are studying there. Amy will fly out next month for a three-month placement.

She will be visiting the largest volcano on Earth, Mauna Loa, which has been erupting for at least 700,000 years and the most active volcano on the planet, Kilauea, which is an invaluable resource for volcanologists.

The 22-year-old said: “Volcanologists from all over the world go there to capture data.

“It’s one of the best places for volcanologists to study as it’s happening right now and constantly erupting. It is definitely going to be a good opportunity to learn from some of the world’s experts.”

The former Crompton House pupil did an undergraduate degree in geography at Sheffield University and last August finished a Masters degree in volcanology at Lancaster.

She said: “I took a year out to have a break from studying and I found this opportunity on the United States Geological Survey website.

“They run volcano observatories and I applied not really thinking that I would get it. People from all over the world can apply.

“I heard back and it was positive and I had a telephone interview and was offered a place.

“I will do a bit of everything really, but I will be going out with monitoring groups to document the eruptions happening at the moment.

“There is an element of danger as it’s slightly unpredictable.

“I’m applying for a PHD to start in September so the experience of doing this will definitely help me along with my academic career.

I want to study gas emissions from volcanoes and have an academic career in research at university.

“I have always been a fan of geology. It’s my favourite subject and volcanology is geology that’s happening right now. It’s rocks that are being made.”

In other projects, Amy has been involved in the measurement of gas emissions from the White Island volcanoes during a three-week visit to New Zealand as part her undergraduate dissertation.

She is excited about the latest project, adding: “That gave me a taste and I want to do more.”

Amy will be put up at a guest house in the National Park but will have to pay for her flights and living expenses.

Volcanoes have caused problems for her before though.

When the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted last April and grounded flights, Amy was left stuck during a trip to Mount Etna in Sicily.