Exciting News!

I found out today that I will be flying in a helicopter up to Mt. St. Helens on Monday!

I am going up with a scientist on the geodesy team (they study the deformation of the ground on and around the volcanoes, which can indicate if/when magma is moving underneath) to build a cement pad that will be used for some sort of drilling rig, I think. We will be working right on the dome of lava rock that was built in the middle of the crater, so I should get some great pictures! Then we will finish off the day with a couple stops at GPS stations throughout the volcano, to gather data and put out some new equipment (each station needs 4 batteries, each battery weighs 65 lbs... I will definitely get my workout in for the day!).

I am really lucky that Joe, my supervisor, is really flexible and has encouraged me to get out into the field. His project doesn't really present any opportunities to do so, but one thing the USGS really emphasizes with this internship is getting experience in all aspects of volcano science, including work in the lab, the office, and the field. So I owe Joe a huge thanks for letting me work with other scientists too so I can get the full experience!

If you want to read a little bit more about Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO), here is the website:
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/
(there are lots of links to pictures, stories, eruption reports, etc. Enjoy!)