May 16, 2000, SACRAMENTO - A team of geologists specializing in the study of volcanoes will travel to remote regions in Baja California, Mexico in May-June 2000 to study two active volcanic areas. Led by Dr. Brian Hausback of the California State University, Sacramento Geology Department, the team will search for clues to the volcanic history of La Reforma caldera and the Isla San Luis volcano.

Expedition scientists will use satellite LANDSAT images and aircraft-acquired high-resolution images developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in their study of these volcanoes. They will also use Global Positioning Signals (GPS), radiocarbon dating and gas emissions detection devices for their research. Through a grant from the National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration, REFORMA 2000 will bring together experts in volcanic studies–volcanologists–who have experience with these types of volcanoes.

“I am extremely pleased that the National Geographic Society has chosen to support this expedition. Very little is known about these two active volcanic areas. In learning about their eruptive history, we hope to gain a clearer picture of the present volcanic hazards in Baja California,” said Hausback.

Earlier this year, Hausback led a reconnaissance trip to these two volcanic areas. As part of the study, the team climbed to the summit of Tres Virgenes volcano, near La Reforma caldera. The January trip helped define the logistical hurdles facing the main research trip, slated for May-June 2000.

“In January we learned that access in both of these areas is difficult–either by foot or by boat,” said Hausback. “We were able to access areas previously unknown to us, and discovered rock formations that look very promising. The trip helped us refine our itinerary for May, when our focus will be on the island volcano, Isla San Luis, in the Sea of Cortez and a coastal volcano, La Reforma Caldera.”

Isla San Luis is approximately 300 km south of the international border and just north of San Luis Gonzaga Bay. Eruptions on the island may have occurred in the last 500 years and active discharges of sulfurous gas indicate that this island-volcano remains active. This expedition will mark the first comprehensive attempt to study the record of activity of the volcano.

La Reforma caldera is south of Isla San Luis near the town of Santa Rosalia, on the eastern side of the Baja California peninsula. La Reforma has produced many massively explosive and destructive eruptions. The neighboring Tres Virgenes is a composite volcano. Its very youthful appearance, evidence for recent activity and potential risk to the only transportation corridor along the Baja peninsula make it important to understand the hazards posed by a future eruption at this volcano.

Dr. Hausback is a professor of Geology, specializing in volcanology, igneous petrology, and remote sensing. His study areas include Mount St. Helens, Mammoth Mountain, the Sutter Buttes and several areas along the Baja California peninsula. Hausback has taught at CSU Sacramento Geology Department since 1985, and has served as a Faculty Associate in NASA’s Joint Venture Program since 1995. In 1989, he co-founded the Volcanological Society of Sacramento, an organization dedicated to the study and understanding of volcanoes worldwide (web site: www-geology.ucdavis.edu/~vssac/ ). This is the first National Geographic Society expedition grant received by Dr. Hausback.

Joining Hausback will be geologists and crew members from various institutions in the west:

Chris Farrar: Hydrologist and Volcanologist for the US Geological Survey, in Lake Tahoe, California. Farrar has conducted extensive studies on volcanic gasses and hazards at Mammoth Mountain, California. His goal in May will be to capture gas emissions in these areas, and compare them with gas emissions from other known active volcanic regions.
Arturo Martin: Director of Geologic Studies at CICESE (Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Educacion Superior, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico). An authority on the Puertecitos volcanic province in northern Baja California, Martin has collaborated with Hausback on previous studies.
Joann Stock: Professor of Geology and Geophysics at CalTech (California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California). Stock has conducted extensive research in Baja California, and is an expert in fault studies and interpreting aerial images.

Other team members selected by Hausback include Jane Dmochowski, a graduate student at CalTech who will assist in interpreting NASA’s aerial images; Sarah Fowler, a Central Washington University graduate student; Keith Sutter, an Auburn, California adventure photographer; Paul Verke, a writer from Fair Oaks, California; and Chloe Winant, a student from Occidental College in California. Geologist Francisco Paz of Hermosillo, Mexico will join the team for the Isla San Luis research.

The expedition, named REFORMA 2000 after the La Reforma volcano, was funded last year through a grant from the National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration. Since 1888, the National Geographic Society has supported more than 6,500 explorations and research projects, yielding knowledge of the earth, sea and sky. Chartered in Washington, D.C., as a nonprofit scientific and educational organization, the Society’s programs exist “for the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge.”

The REFORMA 2000 Expedition Internet web site is: www.asn.csus.edu/reforma/ The National Geographic Society Web site is: www.nationalgeographic.com.

Photographs are available at the REFORMA 2000 web site: www.asn.csus.edu/reforma/

CONTACT: California State University, Sacramento Geology Dept.
Brian Hausback, Ph.D., 916/278-6521
hausback@csus.edu

www.asn.csus.edu/reforma