LPL Evening Lecture
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
7:00p.m. (Arizona)
Lecture is free and open to the public.
From Lava to Life:
Microbial Colonization in Volcanic Environments
Dr. Solange Duhamel
Associate Professor
Volcanic eruptions create some of the most extreme and seemingly lifeless places on Earth. Yet, our research shows that life can take hold far more quickly than we might imagine. Studies of Icelandic lava fields, analogs to those on Mars, reveal how molten rock—initially sterile at eruption—rapidly transforms into a habitat for microorganisms.
During the 2014-2015 Holuhraun volcanic eruption, we revealed that lava interacting with glacial river water can create warm, nutrient-rich hydrothermal zones where microbial abundance and diversity rapidly flourish. Studying the 2021-2023 Fagradalsfjall eruptions, we discovered that lava that has just cooled can support hardy colonizers capable of surviving intense heat, drought, and nutrient scarcity. Over time, these early colonizers are replaced by more stable and specialized communities, a pattern observed repeatedly across three eruptions from the same system. This natural “experiment” demonstrates that microbial life not only survives in harsh volcanic environments but also forms in surprisingly orderly and repeatable ways. These microbial communities are influenced by changes in temperature, water availability, and the arrival of microbes from air, soil, and rain.
By studying how life emerges on fresh lava here on Earth, we are uncovering clues to
how life might have once existed on Mars, where ancient lava flows may have created similar hydrothermal oases, and where we should prioritize our sampling. Volcanic
terrains, once symbols of destruction, are now recognized as potential cradles for life—
on our planet and beyond.
Kuiper Space Sciences room 308 | 1629 E. University Blvd. | Tucson
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