Researchers working to assess eruption risk of B.C.'s Mt. Meager

A team of scientists from B.C. and beyond are ramping up research on what's believed to be the province's only active volcano, Mt. Meager.

A team of scientists from B.C. and beyond are ramping up research on what's believed to be the province's only active volcano, Mt. Meager.

"The main thing the public needs to know about volcanoes is that we have them," said Glyn Williams-Jones, SFU professor of earth sciences.

Williams-Jones says there's more research being done on volcanoes in B.C. than ever before.

Sarah Aufrere, a PHD candidate working under Williams-Jones, refers to herself as a volcano detective. She's working on a project that examines microscopic crystal samples from Mt. Meager.

One sample dates back to an eruption nearly 15,000 years ago.

She's analyzing how long the crystals sat in magma prior to the eruption, and claims there are signs on the crystals that help provide a timeline for when an eruption could occur. She says it's one of many ways a volcano reveals its personality.

"They show us some signals such as an increase in seismicity, so the ground shaking," said Aufrere. "There's some warning signs."