UNC volcano study gets media attention

The volcano erupted every 45 minutes.

And Jonathan Lees could capture it from every angle.

Lees a professor in the UNC geology department" was the subject of a National Geographic special filmed in Guatemala last month.

His cameramen turned out to be UNC alumni.

""It was really a strange coincidence"" Lees said. Lees and a group of geologists and undergraduates from UNC, N.C. State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and Michigan Technical University were monitoring the eruptions of Mount Santiaguito, an extremely active volcano in western Guatemala.

Lees' use of new methods of seismic observation in the barren mountains of Central America attracted the attention of the National Geographic Society's Wild Chronicles"" series.

""It's always fun for me to work with academics who are truly passionate about what they do"" said Pablo Durana, one of the cameramen who followed Lees. Durana graduated from UNC in 2006 with a degree in communications studies. His intern for the shoot, Hayes Baxley, graduated from UNC in 2008.

Sharing the Carolina background gave Durana and the scientists a lot more to talk about, he said.

Lees, a professor at UNC since 2000, has been studying volcanoes for more than 12 years and has visited them all over the world. His next stop is in Japan.

The study of volcanoes isn't just about prediction"" he said, shuffling papers on his cluttered desk in Mitchell Hall. Volcanoes are interesting parts of nature by themselves — we're just trying to understand how it all works.""

His recent project combines seismic monitoring systems with high-definition video and sound recording to closely define the downward force of volcanic explosions.

""We're putting old methods together — acoustic waves" seismic waves and video monitoring — to give us a better understanding of how these eruptions work" Lees said.

Lees designed a program that uses the mathematical data from all these sources to create a more fluid picture of the constant eruptions at sites like Santiaguito.

Using volcanic data in this way is like fixing years of poor eyesight, Lees said.

If you're blind in one eye" you don't see any depth" Lees said. His program uses multiple cameras to capture all sides of a volcanic eruption.

This simple yet novel way to observe volcanic eruptions drew the eye of both Wired and Nature magazines, earning Lees and his colleagues a moment of fame in the scientific community.

National Geographic's Wild Chronicles"" program takes a look at scientific solutions to the secrets of the Earth. Lees' episode will air in June" Durana said.

Durana's work has taken him from the inside of high-security prisons to secluded tribal villages around the world" but his trip to Mount Santiaguito with Lees was his first time on an erupting volcano.

""It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever shot" Durana said.

Lees was glad to have Durana and Baxley along on the trip.

There's a real camaraderie among the Tar Heels" Lees said. We all started picking on the N.C. State guy right away.""



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