Geology Students Embark on Global Adventure to Examine Volcanoes
“Due to the unique location of St. Lawrence University’s campus, our geology majors 'grow up' with some of the oldest rocks in North America that we can explore in the Adirondack mountains; on Tenerife we explore some of the youngest structures and rocks on the planet,” says Associate Professor of Geology Judith Nagel-Myers. “This island provides us with the unique opportunity to observe current volcanoes and lava flows and their impact on the island and its inhabitants.”
Last month, geology majors embarked on a global adventure during a nine-day volcanology excursion to Tenerife, Canary Islands. Students, joined by St. Lawrence geology faculty, including Nagel-Myers and Visiting Assistant Professor of Geology Sarah Brehm, navigated world-class geologic sites and explored historic and pre-historic volcanic systems, guided by experts from GeoTenerife.
Nagel-Myers says, “Tenerife is a volcanic island that, although only 785 square miles, its highest peak, the Teide volcano, is over 3,700 meters high. Within a week we can see not only a wide variety of volcanic rocks and structures, but also several climate zones and ecological communities coexisting in close vicinities to each other.”
