Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

The Life Scientific

BBC Radio 4 FM

The Life Scientific: Episode 147: Tamsin Mather on what volcanic plumes reveal about our planet

Discussion & Talk

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Tamsin Mather on what volcanic plumes reveal about our planet

Episode 147

Episode 147: Tamsin Mather on what volcanic plumes reveal about our planet

BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Tamsin Mather on what volcanic plumes reveal about our planet

Tamsin Mather explains what volcanic plumes tell us about our planet, past and present.

Tamsin Mather explains to Jim Al-Khalili how volcanic plumes have helped shape our planet's history, from the origins of life on earth to mass extinctions.

To volcanologist Tamsin Mather, volcanoes are more than a natural hazard. 

They are 'nature's factories', belching out a rich chemical cocktail of gases. It's these gases or 'plumes' that fascinate her the most. She likes nothing more than crouching on a crater's edge collecting a smouldering mix of ash and gases, a clue to what's brewing deep inside.

As Professor of Earth Sciences at Oxford University, her work is helping to not only predict when a volcano may erupt, but to understand how volcanoes shape our planet both now and over geological time.

Producer: Beth Eastwood.

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Life Scientific

Episode 147: Tamsin Mather on what volcanic plumes reveal about our planet

Genres

Formats

Series

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4