Dr. R Shane McGary, Assistant Professor of Physics at TCNJ (and former postdoctoral researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute), along with several colleagues recently published a paper in the prestigious journal Nature.
Professor McGary’s research on the geophysical substructure below the active volcano Mount Rainier provides a detailed understanding of how volcanic magma develops and flows. This ground-breaking study has the potential to help predict volcanic eruptions. Links to the full research paper and several news stories are outlined below.

View the Full Paper in Nature
Sample News Coverage:
- TCNJ Magazine – Thar She Flows
- Los Angeles Times – Scientists follow magma from Earth’s belly to base of Mt. Rainier
- The Christian Science Monitor – Can we predict volcanic eruptions? Scientists map underground magma flows
- Discovery News – Mt. Rainer’s Volcanic Pipes Revealed in Detail
- Nature World News – Scientists Follow Rising Magma Beneath Mount Rainier
- International Business Times – Mount Rainier Will Erupt Again, Say Researchers Studying Volcano’s Magma Flows
- seattle pi – ‘MRI’ of Rainier’s intestines finds massive magma reserve
- ars technica –Detailed imaging of Mount Rainier shows subduction zone in glorious detail
- Sci-News – Geophysicists Crack Secrets of Mount Rainier
- Tech Times – Scientists use ‘metal-detector’ instruments to trace activity of magma under Mount Rainier
- Science Daily – New view of Mount Rainier’s volcanic plumbing: Electrical images show upward flow of fluids to magma chamber
- Live Science – Cracking the Secrets of Deadly Volcanic Eruptions