24 September 2015
Volcanologist Dr Hugh Tuffen has helped the BBC make Patagonia: Earth’s Secret Paradise.

Dr Hugh Tuffen, from Lancaster Environment Centre, was a scientific advisor on the first programme in the three-part series, which starts 25 September.

Dr Tuffen's filmed contribution is now featured on the programme’s website, alongside an article he has written on his research.

Dr Tuffen is researching the aftermath of a very unusual volcanic eruption in this spectacular region, spanning southern Chile and Argentina.

“The series is looking at both the people and the natural surroundings of Patagonia, and is examining the relationship between the two. They were interested in how I relate to the Cordón Caulle volcano as a scientist, and what I was discovering there,” explains Dr Tuffen, who has previously worked with the BBC for Volcano Live, which was transmitted in 2012.

“Cordón Caulle is a spectacular and unusual volcano because it has exceptionally thick and fizzy magma. This cools at the surface to create enormous flows of obsidian lava, which is black volcanic glass. Its most recent activity, from 2011 to 2012, created the first obsidian lava flow to be erupted worldwide in the last fifty years, and the only flow to be closely observed as it advanced. It’s therefore a very special place to study.”

Dr Tuffen and his collegues, PhD student Nathan Magnall and Dr Mike James, spent a week filming at Cordón Caulle with the BBC film crew, the same team who made the acclaimed seriesThe Human Planet.

“By climbing in the crater we could examine the smoking gun itself – the cracks from which the ash was blasted at speeds of up to 200 miles an hour. We are very excited about this because we are learning a lot about how ash is explosively discharged into the atmosphere.

“We felt like we became part of the production team. Our PhD student, Nathan, helped guide the crew around the volcano and I took part in discussions about what we should be filming. They allowed us to become part of the creative process. It was a fantastic experience.”

The first programme, Fire and Ice, is transmitted at 9pm on Friday 25 September and repeated at 5.30pm on Sunday 27 September.

Dr Tuffen is the Director of Studies for Lancaster’s MSc Volcanology and Geological Hazards, which offers the opportunity to study amongst one of the largest groups of volcanologists and environmental scientists in the UK.