During the SZ4D-sponsored Magmatic Drivers of Eruption pre-AGU workshop in 2023, it became clear that many fundamental science questions on volcanic systems could be answered in Alaska. Alaska’s active volcanic arc, with its frequent eruptions and extensive monitoring network, provide an ideal setting for advancing our understanding of magma generation, storage, transport, and eruption processes within subduction zones. 

Jump forward to May 2025: we hosted a dynamic three-day NSF-funded workshop that brought together more than 70 geoscientists from over 40 institutions across the United States. Held at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, the event convened researchers at all career stages to address high-priority questions about Alaska’s volcanoes, working with datasets collected and beautifully curated by the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). Attendees also toured the AVO facility, gaining firsthand insight into its state-of-the-art monitoring systems and data archives.

After learning from knowledge holders about the state-of-the-arc (ha-ta-ta-ta), participants formed breakout working groups centered around six major research themes:

1) the structure of magmatic plumbing systems,

2) origins of magma diversity along the arc,

3) diversity of seismic sources in volcanic systems,

4) the link between melt inclusion volatile information and gas data,

5) cycles in eruptive composition and style and

6) landslides monitoring and detection. 

Multiple AGU abstracts resulted from these collaborative groups:

• A Community Approach to Rapidly Characterize Melt Inclusion Compositions from the June 1992 Explosive Eruption of Mount Spurr, Alaska

• Petrologic and Geophysical Synthesis of the Magmatic System at Akutan Volcano

• The Aleutian-Alaskan System: Revisiting the Correlations between Magma Geochemistry and Tectonic Parameters along the Northern Arc of the Ring of Fire

To maintain this momentum, a follow-up mini-workshop supported by SZ4D will be held on Sunday, December 14th, the day before AGU 2025, continuing to build an inclusive, interdisciplinary community focused on Alaska-Aleutian arc research. 

Want to get involved? Please check ou products from last May's workshop or, better yet, attend the follow-up workshop! Registration to attend is free and still open, with a deadline of December 2.

Participants from the May 2025 Workshop in front of UAF

Photo credit: Behnaz Hosseini