Owen McCluskey

Nationality: Northern Irish
Institution: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
Country: Italy
Research Title: Numerical simulations of magma and rock dynamics and definition of ground deformation and gravity patterns diagnostic of deep magmatic movements at Mount Etna

PROJECT SUMMARY

This research project will focus on generating numerical simulations of magma and rock dynamics at Mount Etna, as well as, defining ground deformation and gravity patterns diagnostic of deep magmatic movements. Particular attention will be trained on deformation across various time scales, from seconds to ultra-long period events. Time-dependent 2D/3D models of magma and rock dynamics during multicomponent magma convection and mixing in geometrically complex magma chamber-dyke systems will allow for the generation of a synthetic space-time series of gravity anomalies and ground deformation. Analysis of these synthetic signals, in comparison with experimental and real signals, can identify sets of geophysical signals diagnostic of magma movements at depth

Scientific Background

I graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2018 with a BSc. (Hons) in Geography, where I primarily studied GIS and the glacial geomorphology of Northern Ireland. After developing a strong interest in studying geohazards, I undertook MSc. In Geological and Environmental Hazards at the University of Portsmouth, where I was introduced to applied Volcanology, numerical hazard modelling and environmental risk assessments. Over the duration of my MSc., I also participated in the Erasmus + funded 3DTeLC project (Bringing the 3D-world into the classroom: a new approach to Teaching, Learning and Communicating the science of geohazards in terrestrial and marine environments), hosted by INGV Catania. I then proceeded to spend a week in Iceland, where I received mentorship on my MSc. thesis from the Icelandic Met Office regarding volcanically induced jökulhlaups from Katla. In early 2020, the University of Portsmouth then hired me as a Research Associate on their Global Earth Model project. The project focused on estimating shallow, translational landslide susceptibilities on a global scale using cloud-based processing. Prior to my appointment on the IMPROVE project, I also enjoyed a stint working as a research assistant at Queen’s University Belfast on the SPACE project (Supportive environments for Physical, social Activity, healthy Aging and CognitivE Health).

Activity Record