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Western Washington University’s Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes will host a free community open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the center, located at 1900 Shannon Point Rd.

The open house will feature marine science booths and educational activities led by SPMC staff, �������� faculty, and students from Western, and are designed for interested learners of all ages.

In addition, the open house will feature a keynote speaker, Western Washington University Professor of Geology Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, who will present “The Volcano Beneath:  Insights Into the Structure and Eruptive Behavior of Hawaiian Volcanoes” from 1-2 p.m.

This presentation will focus on two ocean-bottom seismology (OBS) surveys performed off of the coast of Hawai`i Island. In 2010-2011 a network of seismometers was deployed on submarine Lo`ihi volcano, the youngest volcano in the Hawaiian chain. A second OBS network was placed on the submarine flank of Kilauea volcano during its devastating 2018 eruption. Data from these two surveys provide insight into lava-water interactions, the growth and evolution of the undersea portion of these volcanoes, and the connection between Lo`ihi and the Hawaiian plume itself.  The research cruises also served as a training opportunity for dozens of students and early career scientists interested in marine science and geological oceanography.

For more information about the open house or the keynote, contact Coral Gehrke at coral.gehrke@wwu.edu.