24 Undergraduate Research Posters
This poster session highlights geoscience research conducted and presented by undergraduate students. Abstracts must be written by students (but may include non-student co-authors). Research topics may include any area of the earth sciences.
Thursday, 23 April 2026
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
LMH, 5th Floor Chapel
Hot Rock Experiments as a Baseline for Studying Lava-Ice and Lava-Sediment-Ice Interactions
Paper number: 24-0
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM
Authors
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Catheryn RyanState University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
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Tracy GreggState University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
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Stephan KolzenburgState University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Abstract
Glaciovolcanism and magma-ice interactions can yield important insights into the geologic histories of Earth and potentially Mars. However, the initial stages of glaciovolcanic eruptions are impossible to observe due to their occurrence under ice-cover.
Prior research on glaciovolcanism primarily investigated the relationship and outcomes between magma and pure-ice interactions. Meanwhile, the effects of sediments contained within the ice on heat transfer and meltwater generation, as would be observed in rock glaciers or massive ground ice, is still not well understood.
Our research uses small-scale experiments with heated basalt blocks of varying geometries and volumes placed in contact with pure ice and sediment-ice mixtures. The basalt blocks were heated to 600 ˚C and placed in direct contact either on top or beneath blocks of ice/sediment-ice. These ice blocks were created using varying sediment grain sizes and sediment:ice ratios. Each experiment was conducted within a suspended basket, allowing the runoff of meltwater into a catchment basin located directly beneath. We collected measurements of internal and external temperatures of the basalt samples and meltwater, along with meltwater mass over time.
Preliminary results found sediments to be successful at providing insulation, with meltwater production slowing greatly and hot rocks taking significantly longer to cool. Meltwater discharge and rock temperature over time had a direct correlation, with discharge being the highest at the start of contact and slowing as the rock cooled. These hot rock experiments serve as a baseline for comparison to experiments which will utilize fully-melted basalt. Furthering our understanding of glaciovolcanism in the context of Earth can help us gain better insights into how it may have occurred on Mars, as well as the hazards (e.g. Jokulhlaups, lahars, etc.) associated with these eruptions.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3
doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-410764
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