Six-year-old Miles Dimick has likely read every single book on volcanoes, kids’ and adults’, available through the King County Library System. So, when he found out that his Christmas present would be a visit to the University of Washington’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences (ESS), his response was pure joy and excitement.
“He was so excited to see actual labs where he hopes and dreams of studying and working someday,” his mom Monica shared. “He was very excited to envision himself there.”
In February, Miles, his four-year-old sister Nora, and Monica visited ESS to meet with volcanologists Emeritus Professor George Bergantz and Assistant Professor Michelle Muth. 
During the visit, Miles and Nora looked at thin sections of volcanic rocks in Bergantz’s lab. “My favorite thing about the visit was the microscope in George’s office,” Miles said during a follow-up interview. “It was cool how the thin section changed colors” when rotated under polarized light.
Miles and Nora learned a lot, including what rocks and minerals come out of a volcano during an eruption. The visit included hands-on time with rock samples and both kids were gifted hand lenses and a piece of 1868 Mauna Loa picrite with large green olivine crystals. Miles exclaimed that this was the most exciting part of the visit. While Nora, 4, hadn’t decided her favorite part about visiting ESS, she said she “really liked the olivine and ESS stickers,” which are now all over the family’s water bottles.
The professors were impressed, too. “We were very impressed by Miles’s knowledge of volcanoes,” Bergantz reflected. Muth added “it is always inspiring to see kids get inspired by the world around them. It’s great when we as a department can be a resource to local communities in ways that go beyond the traditional classroom.”
The excitement didn’t end after leaving campus. In an email to Professor Bergantz, Monica shared that “Miles spent the entire car ride home writing down every single detail he could remember. Meanwhile, Nora proudly Face-Timed all her grandparents to show them her olivine sample and spent the rest of the afternoon hunting for rocks around the property. According to Monica, their enthusiasm hasn’t waned. Miles and Nora now have a family watch party for the Kilauea crater livestream.
Ask a six-year-old volcanologist
Miles first got interested in volcanoes after watching a movie about Mt. Vesuvius. When asked what he loves most about studying them, he admitted it’s hard to choose. “There are so many cool things about volcanoes, it’s hard to pick.”
His favorite volcano changes frequently. He tends to dive deep into one, learning everything he can before moving on to a new favorite. “My favorite one right now is Mount Merapi in Indonesia,” he said. Before that, he liked “Mount St. Helens, then Tambora in Indonesia, then Krakatoa, which is also in Indonesia, then Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania, and finally Wah Wah Springs in Utah.”
One of the reasons Mount Merapi is currently at the top of his list is because of an active crater and a growing crack. “I’ve known about Mount Merapi for a while. Once I started liking Tambora, I started knowing about all the volcanoes in Indonesia because there’s a lot!”
Mile’s interest in volcanoes isn’t limited to reading and videos; he’s also explored them in person! Miles has hiked on the slopes of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier with his family, and most recently hiked Lava Butte Cinder Cone in Oregon. “If it were up to Miles, he’d be on his way to Ol Doinyo Lengai or Tambora right now,” Monica said during planning for their visit.
When asked if he could invent something to help study volcanoes, Miles had some good ideas. He’d like to create an x-ray-like tool that “lets people see volcanic activity in infrared colors, so you can watch how things are changing inside and maybe even predict what’s coming.”
Miles is also already spreading his passion to others. “I’m helping [my friends] learn more about my favorite volcanoes, that’s what I’m teaching people about,” he said. And if someone wanted to start their own volcano journey? Miles has a simple answer: “Start at the library!”
Back for Open House
A couple of months later, Miles and his family returned to campus for the ESS Open House. “We had the most wonderful time,” Monica Shared. “All the volunteers were so great with the kids, and the activities were incredible!”
According to Miles and Nora, highlights included touching a real moon rock and creating their own icy alien worlds. Miles chose Enceladus, while Nora chose Ceres. They also loved breaking open big rocks with hammers and hunting for garnets, which are now treasured and kept in Nora’s “special rock box.”
Beyond a watch party, the Dimick family now has tickets to the Big Island in November and plans to visit the Kilauea crater!
