Exploring the Mount Meager Volcanic Complex

* STAY TUNED: ZOOM DETAILS WILL BE POSTED CLOSER TO THE DATE ON the BCSF and SPELEO CANADA FACEBOOK PAGES* Since the discovery in 2016 of large cave openings melting through the glacier ice, the volcano and its’ activity have been of great interest and concern. Due to toxic levels of Hydrogen Sulfide and other volcanic gasses, exploration of the volcanic caves to take direct measurements was not possible until now. The expedition was completed in late 2022. Explorers Christian Stenner and Kathleen Graham entered the cave system while wearing a specialized hybrid self-contained breathing apparatus. The expedition involved a diverse team of engineers, scientists, and technical specialists. They succeeded in capturing the first fumarole measurements ever taken from a Canadian volcano, while the first samples of ice, snow, and sediment were taken from the subglacial environment and near the caves. The cave system is seen as an analog environment for conditions which might exist on other planetary bodies. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers and microbiology experts accompanied the expedition team, to test the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) robotic mission concept and to assess the volcanic samples for new forms of extreme microbial life. EELS could be used to search for life on ocean worlds such as Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The expedition was one of the first ever supported by the Trebek Initiative, a partnership between the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and National Geographic.