Colima, Mexico '07

May - August 2007

Just after the spring semester ended at MTU (May 2007), I took up an internship at the University of Colima, Mexico. Reminiscent of the good old days at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, I met a great group of people researching various aspects of an active volcano. Volcan de Colima is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico but is poorly understood. The current foci of study are: infrasound, thermal, gas, and ash. A full-fledged observatory doesn't exist to track changes at Colima, but various groups are working to collect data to monitor the hazards. With time, it should be possible to develop a cohesive program of complimentary research and monitoring that will communicate effectively with Proteccion Civil and decision-makers.

Over the course of the summer, many interns came and went and, in Andrew's words shared: "scars and stories."

Incoming students brought various backgrounds while semi-permanent interns generously became mentors to lead fieldwork. Regular trips to the temporary radar site at Monte Grande (on the lower flank of Colima) and to the summit of Nevado (the immediate neighbor of Colima, a high peak almost level with the volcano) allowed us to do hands-on fieldwork and monitoring. The station located near the summit of Nevado was a perfect observation site; the Proteccion Civil staff was very welcoming and generous with their support. Not only did they facilitate our trips up the long, often gouged-out road through the park, they lent out space to stay overnight and fill up the common spaces with bulky gear. Muchas gracias a Rojo y los otros Superheroes!

Hoping to build on my experiences of geological mapping, instrument installation, and general volcanic monitoring, I joined as many field trips as possible. This was an important opportunity to compare an andesitic volcano with what I have already learned about Hawaiian volcanoes and Mount St. Helens. One of the primary differences on my mind was the frequency and impact of lahars at Colima. Having just arrived in Mexico at the end of their dry season, odds were good that I'd be able to investigate fresh deposits. Not a fan of gambling and slowly learning that monitoring efforts were planned a bit differently than expected, my hopes to study active lahars fell through, but late in the summer I witnessed my first lahar while in the field with 5 other students.


We had just arrived at the Monte Grande site when an intense rain (and thunder/lightning) storm closed in. After assembling the gear under tarps and boxes, the 6 of us sheltered under the remaining tarp as a strong rain blew down and whipped around us. The Monte Grande site is a low dome on the volcano's flank cut on both sides by two ravines (barrancas). Safely situated high on the rise, the radar, rain gage, and other instruments (like the permanent infrasound sensors we were going to install) occupy a relatively small area on the rise. After at least 15 minutes (and feeling more and more chilly with each minute), we suddenly heard some rumbling. Thunder wouldn't have lasted so long and wouldn't have sounded like it was getting louder... "I think there's a lahar!" As soon as we realized there was a chance to observe the event, we dropped the tarp and raced to get a view.

Our first view was of the northern barranca and we pushed through the brush and shrubs to see that, yes, a muddy slurry was racing through the ravine. Parts of the confining walls were becoming undercut as the flow scraped by, but a better view was waiting in the other barranca. The barranca on the opposite side of Monte Grande was deeper and already cut down into the old, dense lava flows. It was here that we saw the lahar flowing, rolling, spitting, and eventually cascading down what was our primary trail back to the parked truck. The photo to the left was taken by Emma as we tried posing in front of the nickpoint where the lahar gushed in an impressive cascade. Yes, we were definitely soaking wet!

The internship at Colima was a very mixed experience. I am sincerely grateful for all of the support from Steve and Gemma and the chance to have some adventures with Flo, Andrew, and the other interns. The birthday trips were fantastic: Flo, I think you had the best plan! Over the course of the summer we trekked out (by bus) to the beach, Guadalajara, Tequila, and Patzcuaro, but the best trip was to Paricutin to celebrate your birthday (and not just the best because we visited another volcano!).

After taking a night bus from Colima, we arrived in a tiny town at 6:30 or so in the morning. We weren't quite sure how to proceed, but a man leading a couple of horses immediately got our attention. He approached us and offered to organize a visit to the summit of Paricutin, the young cinder cone famous for exploding out of someone's cornfield. The offer was to ride horses around the thick lava flows, reach the summit, then return by passing by the inundated church near the volcano's base. Yes! We'll do it!

The trip was a strange adventure: we were weighed down by our backpacks (should've left them behind...), had the trail to ourselves all morning, my horse tripped and rolled us into the road, we galloped at Flo's whim, heard debates whether my horse's name was "Guapo" or "Pinata," photographed each other in the volcano's steam, skied down Paricutin's flank in our sneakers, were caught in an aguacero (sudden rainstorm as we were returning), roamed around the lava-filled church after crossing over the a`a, moaned as we tried to remount the horses because our backsides were so sore, and took some time to enjoy the central plaza of the tiny town.

The city of Colima also provided other adventures: I made several trips to the local ruins, explored the various corners of the old city and saw the still-broken remains of buildings shaken by earthquakes. There was a little time to visit some museums but it was so much more fun to be outside in the city - people watching and absorbing some of the lifestyle was definitely a highlight of my 3 months in Mexico. I had never seen so many people meticulously sweep their gardens and clean their sidewalks with such care. I would visit the yogurt shop just to hear the man tell me: "Si, hay fresa." with his expressive voice and buy bread from the woman who was also the one to explain that estampillas, not timbres can only be bought at the correo.

This was my first visit to Mexio: without a doubt, I will have to return someday. Despite the chance to travel so far north as _ and as far south as Acapulco, my experience was restricted to the west side of the country. A trip to Mexico City, to the famous ruins of the Yucatan, and to the northern canyons will have to wait for another year.