NewsCenter

UB Expert

Michael F. Sheridan

Expertise:

• Volcanoes, volcanic explosions, mitigation of volcanic risk and a pioneer in developing computerized simulations of volcanoes that allow researchers to estimate how fast and how far ash and lava flows from an eruption will travel

Sheridan's colorful, 3-D simulations show towns, villages and roads superimposed on an area near a volcano; have been used to develop public-safety plans for villages near Popocatepetl volcano 40 kilometers from Mexico City. In 1991, these simulations accurately predicted course and magnitude of pyroclastic avalanches from Colima volcano in Mexico. Has done extensive field work and simulations of Ksudach, an explosive volcano in remote Siberia. In 1995, was appointed one of only three foreign scientists to Mexican Government advisory panel on volcanic risk.