Sam Poppe, PhD

Welcome!

 

I am a planetary geologist with a healthy fascination for volcanoes because that's where rocky planets like our Earth really demonstrate their dynamic nature!

 

My research aims to understand how magma moves and deforms the rocks around it and ultimately the surface of rocky planetary bodies. I work to better inform volcanic activity forecasts (on Earth) and understand past volcanism elsewhere (the Moon, Mars, etc.). I use field or remote sensing observations from active or inactive volcanoes, laboratory modeling imaged with photogrammetry and X-ray Computed Tomography, sporadically geochemical rock analysis, and analytical and numerical modeling of volcano deformation.

 

I am also an award-winning science communicator, often helping journalists to get their stories straight after the newest volcanic eruption or volcanic discovery in our Solar System.