María Clara Lamberti walks on hot land while An ice cream runs through his face. It is a place that knows perfectly, but knows that it is changing. Advanza covered by a special suit, helmet, protective glasses and antigas mask.
There is not a single distinguishable feature; Not even his closest friends could recognize her.
It might seem like exploring A distant planet with an atmosphere full of toxic gases and dangers hidden under the surface.
However, it is in Argentina, in the Copahue volcano, in Neuquén. She is a Conicet assistant researcher and one of the many Argentine specialists who study the country’s active volcanoes.
In Argentina there are 38 active volcanoesof which around 14 are considered dangerous for the population.
For this reason, professionals from all over the country are dedicated to constantly monitoring them. Who are and how professionals work on the edge of the fire belt.
From the inside
“We measure the waters and fumaroles (openings by which they ascend gases). We find a greater proportion of one gas on anotherwe can know if there is any kind of activity, ”says Lamberti.
Volcanoes are easily recognizable geological structures, they usually have the appearance of mountains and are connected with The deepest layers of the Earthwhich allows magma output. However, not all volcanoes are the same, nor is their activity necessarily catastrophic.
Volcanoes like the Hawaians, for example, have a less viscous type of lavathat when erupting it flows gently through the slopes.
In contrast, volcanoes like the Andean region They expel acid lavawhose eruption releases much more energy. The famous Vesubio volcano in Italy is a reminder of this type of volcanoes.
The data analyzed by Lamberti allows to anticipate possible rashes and the associated risks. “However, it is not an exact science.
María Clara is part of the study and monitoring group of active volcanoes at the Institute of Andean Studies Don Pablo Groeber, dependent on CONICET.
He dedicated six years to his degree at the University of Buenos Aires, five to the doctorate and three to the postdoctoral one before being able to postulate to enter as a researcher at CONICET.
Since then, it has risen some of the most iconic volcanoes – and dangerous – of the country, from the Andes mountain range to Antarctica.
The group days are extensive because its members must carry out promotions that last hours. “For example, in the Peteroa volcano, on the border with Chile, we have very long days,” explains the geologist. “We walk 4 hours ascending, We go down to the craterwe work 4 more hours and finally we have 3 hours back. We do so for three or four days. ”
And he adds that much of the success of the campaign lies in planning: “If you forget an instrument, it is a lost work day.”
Until 2012, they could camp near the summit, which optimized working time. However, The setback of a glacierclimate change in between, left them without a fresh water source to supply. Now, the day includes a long round trip.
“We always work as a team, never alone, and in case of emergency we know Possible escape routes
“Many times you have to avoid walking on hot mud. Also clarifies that they always carry A well -armed kit And they have never had major inconveniences.
In recent months, field exits are carried out in conjunction with other institutions, since the government funds assigned for these works are frozen.
“There was also human resources migration,” Lamberti says with some concerns, ” Very trained people who went to the private sector To work something else, or left outside. ”
Beyond the uncertainty of these times, Maria Clara continues to work on planning the next promotions.
Burning land
Although volcanoes usually associate with large eruptions of liquid and solid material, Your true destructive potential It does not lie in magma or lava, but in gases.
“Although they are often used as synonyms, magma and lava are not the same,” explains geologist Alejandro Báez. “Both magma and lava are molten rock: the difference is that we call it magma when It is inside the earth and lavawhen it is emitted above the earth’s surface during an eruption, ”adds the Conicet postdoctoral fellow.
“Lava, al flow downIt is usually more predictable since it will be controlled by the topography by prosecuting in the valleys, ”continues Báez.
“On the other hand, during explosive eruptions, the eruptive column formed by a mixture of pyroclastic material and gases, can eventually collapse and descend on the hillside in a much more fluid way generating what is known as pyroclastic flow, ”he warns.
This large mass, a mixture of gases and solids, can reach speeds greater than 100 kilometers per hour.
The true destructive power of a volcano, then, lies in a mass of gas and dust to very high temperatures that descends rapidly on the hillside.
The majority of the fatalities that occurred in the Roman city of Pompeii were not because of the lava, the rocks or the ash expelled, but by a dense burning cloud He advanced down and swept everything he found in his path.
Báez-who works at the Paleobiology and Geology Research Institute (IIPG, CONICET-UNRN) in general Roca, Río Negro-explains that there are so-called supervolcanes: Earth regions associated with Great magmatic camerasthat is, huge underground magma deposits that are not necessarily linked to an active volcanic cone.
Thousands of people can be walking right now by immense underground volcanoes without knowing it.
An example is the Yellowstone National Park, where this supervolcano manifests itself through geysers and fumaroles. Another case are the Flégreos fields, in Naples, Italy, where the ancient Romans They knew how to take advantage of this geological characteristic to build their hot springs. In Argentina, the boiler of Cerro Galán, in Catamarca, is a clear example of this type of volcanoes.
However, far from being just a curiosity, in geology These phenomena are studied with extreme caution. Yellowstone, for example, is one of the most monitored places on the planet.
“The eruption of one of these supervolcanos could generate changes globally,” says Báez.
In fact, together with the meteorite hypothesis, it is accepted that the extinction of the great dinosaurs was associated with intense volcanic activity which caused climatic changes on a global scale.
Despite these catastrophic scenarios, the geologist has tranquility. “While there are records in the past of the history of this type of eruption, There are no historical records of activity in the supervolcanesand they are also highly monitored places, ”he says.
On the other hand, it emphasizes that volcanoes are not only agents of destruction: “The Issuance of ashesin some cases, it brings nutrients to the ground, ”concludes Báez.
In addition, the importance of volcanic eruptions in the origins of the earth is widely accepted. Life on the planet, as we know it, began Thanks to the nutrients that these volcanoes released in the atmosphere and the oceans.
Network volcanoes
In June 2011, the Chilean volcano Puyehue erupted, which put the entire region alert and caused serious logistics problems, both in land and aerial access.
The campaigns of the monitoring group seek to monitor the 14 volcanoes considered dangerous in the country. The ash achieved places as distant as Brazil and even southern Australia. This event seriously affected the economy of Patagonia, especially the sectors of tourism and livestock.
Given this situation, the then existing Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation promoted the creation of the Network of Scientific-Technical Organizations for Disaster Risk Management (Red Gircyt).
The Network is made up of various institutions, among which the National Universities, Institutes of CONICET, the Argentine Mining Geological Service (Segemar) and the National Meteorological Service, among others, stand out. Since 2016, the network is responsible for coordinate efficiently and dynamic the necessary information for prevention and response to natural disasters. Within the Safe, the Argentine Volcanic Surveillance Observatory specifically deals with the monitoring of active volcanoes.
A network of professionals that is constantly monitoring Argentine geology.
María Clara Baja del Copahue and is installed in Caviahue. When returning to Buenos Aires you will evaluate the data, you will publish reports, you will share your work with the community.
You know that In a few months the volcano will rise againwhich will be the same and will be different. He knows that the next ascent can prevent a catastrophe.
