KAREN FONTIJN

Associate professor

Volcanology & Mineralogy

Phone: +32 2 650 22 37

Email: Karen.Fontijn@ulb.be

 

Research interests

I am a physical volcanologist interested in tephrostratigraphic studies of poorly-known volcanoes, in order to constrain past eruptive behaviour. This allows us to assess how the volcano behaves, and changes over time, and which can contribute to volcanic hazard assessment. This type of work is strongly based on detailed field studies and is complemented with geochronological, petrological, geochemical, textural and sedimentological data. Using these combined datasets, we can obtain constraints on frequency-magnitude relationships, eruptive and pre-eruptive parameters, and understand the factors that control the behaviour of volcanoes and individual eruptions, both at a local and regional scale. By integrating terrestrial with lacustrine sediment records, we can furthermore reconstruct high-resolution age models of volcanic activity at a regional scale, which can be used to fine-tune age models of various palaeoenvironmental archives, and also to investigate interactions of volcanic activity and the environment. 

In our group, we work on volcanoes in different tectonic settings, from continental rift volcanoes in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, to oceanic and continental arc volcanoes in the Philippines, Indonesia and Chile. A better understanding of the volcanic geology and most recent (ca. last 10,000 years) eruptive histories as well as eruptive styles at these volcanoes is a fundamental contribution to volcanic hazard assessment and risk mitigation. We are also interested in understanding the natural resources related to volcanism. Particularly in East Africa many rift volcanoes offer vast geothermal resources that are equally important in the context of sustainable development. 

If you are interested in working with me, please get in touch.

Teaching

 

Bachelor:

  • GEOL-F301: Mineralogy
  • GEOL-F306: Crystallography and Applied Mineralogy
  • CHIM-F207: Crystallochemistry
  • GEOL-F312: Research Project and Science Communication

Master:

  • GEOL-F4002: Volcanology
  • GEOL-F408: Volcanic Terrains – Field trip

Synoptic CV

2020 – Present : Associate professor, Université libre de Bruxelles

2018 – 2020 : Assistant professor, Université libre de Bruxelles

2012 – 2018 : Post-doctoral research associate, University of Oxford

2011 : Research fellow, Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University

2011 : PhD in Sciences: Geology, Ghent University

2006 : Master of Science: Geology, Ghent University

Publications

For a full and up-to-date publication list, see Google Scholar

 

Recent and ongoing projects

Pumice Cones

FNRS PDR 2024-2027

Probabilistic volcanic hazard assessment of restless volcanoes in the Northern Main Ethiopian Rift

Collaboration with CSIC Barcelona (ES), Addis Ababa University (ET)

Geosciences teaching exchange

ARES Amorce 2025-2027

Creation of an international teaching exchange programme in geosciences in Central Africa

Collaboration with University of Bertoua (CM), University of Douala (CM), University Marien Ngouabi (CG), University of Bangui (CF)

Rungwe to Tanganyika

FNRS CDR 2022-2024

Long-term tephrostratigraphy and -chronology of the Rungwe Volcanic Province

Collaboration with University of Dar es Salaam (TZ)

VolKenya

FNRS MIS 2020-2023

Volatile controls and eruption history of dormant volcanoes in the Kenyan Rift

Collaboration with Dedan Kemathi University of Technology (KE) and KenGen

Geothermal Calderas in Ethiopia

Fonds Wiener Anspach 2022-2023

Revisiting ages and compositions of active caldera systems in central Ethiopia

Collaboration with University of Oxford (GB) and Addis Ababa University (ET)

Team members

PhD students

  • Tabegra Disando – Revisiting the 1982-83 eruption of Galunggung Volcano, Indonesia
  • Purity Mwihaki Kamau – Phosphate mineralisation at Mrima Hill Carbonatite, Kenya
  • Faysel Sefa Abdu – Volcanic hazard assessment of Dofan-Fentale volcanoes, Ethiopia

Postdoctoral researchers

  • Lorenzo Cappelli – Reconstructing eruption dynamics using advanced imaging techniques

Past team members

  • Khedoudja Nedjraoui
  • Amdemichael Zafu Tadesse
  • Paul Wallace
  • Robert Constantinescu
  • Sam Poppe