Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES)

Profile

General Information

I am a volcanologist specialising in hazards from effusive volcanism. I studied Geology at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain and speacialised in volcanic hazards during my PhD at The Spanish National Research Centre. My main interest is the reduction of the impact of Natural Disasters on the population, which led me to obtain the UN Diploma on the Analysis and Management of Natural Risks (University of Geneva & University of the West Indies, 1996). I have had experience on a variety of subjects, from monitoring active volcanoes to evaluating environmental impact of a landfill.

Teaching

I teach both Undergraduates and Masters Students and am lecturer for:

• Level 1: Environmental Hazards (1GS144)
• Level 1: Quantitative Methods (1GS134)
• Level 2: Volcanology & Seismology (BGS278 Unit Co-ordinator)
• Level 3: Geohazard Management and Remediation (BGS369 Unit Co-ordinator)
• Level M: Volcanology (1GS432)
• Level M: Seismology (2GS430)
• Level M: Geohazard Management (2GS431)

Fieldwork

• Fieldtrip leader, organiser and lecturer in the level 2 Tenerife Environmental Hazards Fieldtrip.
• Organiser and Lecturer in the Masters Geohazards Fieldtrip to Naples.
• Organiser and Lecturer on volcanic aspects of the level 3 France Study Tour.
• Lecturer in the level 1 Madrid Mapping fieldtrip.

Career

• 2003-Present: Senior Lecturer, University of Portsmouth. Honorary Research Fellow, University College London.
• 1998-2003: Research Fellow, University College London.
• 1993-1997: PhD thesis researcher, Department of Volcanology, Spanish National Research Centre (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
• 1993: Research Assistant, Department of Petrology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
• 1992-1993: Assistant, Department of Geodynamics, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.

Professional Record

Since 1993 I have participated in four European Projects:

• VOLCALERT (EVG-2001-00009) on forecasting volcanic eruptions
• FLOW (ENV4-CT98-0713) on the dynamics of lava flows
• EU Projects RUNOUT (ENV4-CT97-0527) on the emplacement of rapid, giant landslides, 
• European Laboratory Volcanoes (EV5V-CT93-0283). 

Between 1999-2001 I was responsible for a DFID (British Department for International Development) project on improving volcanic warnings in the Caribbean, developing a handbook on communications during volcanic emergencies (Download it from Benfield Hazard Research Centre under "publications" section).

Dutch Relief Agency / BGHRC: Honduras and Nicaragua field survey on landslide hazard perception and possibilities of recovering after Hurricane Mitch.

Evaluation of the environmental impact of the expansion of the Arico landfill site, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

Eruption surveillance of Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, West Indies (Collaboration with the British Geological Survey).

Recent Publications

More recent publications

Publications Before 2006

• Solana, M.C., Kilburn, C.R.J., Rodriguez-Badiola, E. and Aparicio, A (2004) Fast emplacement of extensive pahoehoe flow fields: the case of the 1736 flows from Montana de las Nueces, Lanzarote. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research.
• Solana, M.C. and Kilburn, C.R.J (2003) Raising public awareness on landslides in the Barranco de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, Spain. Geomorphology 1344: 1-10.
• Solana, M.C. and Aparicio, A. (1999) Reconstruction of the 1706 Montana Negra eruption. Emergency procedures for Garahico and El Tanque, Tenerife, Canary Islands. Geological Society, London Special Publication 161. Volcanoes in the Quaternary: 209-216