Patricia Ann Mothes
Patricia Ann Mothes is an American volcanologist who has spent most of her career working in Ecuador. She is best known for her work on volcanic hazards and risk in Ecuador.
Biography and education
Mothes was born in West Virginia, USA, in 1957. She studied geography at University, graduating with a master's degree from University of Texas, Austin. In 1986, she travelled to Ecuador with a grant from the Inter-American Foundation.Career
Mothes has worked for the Instituto Geofísico of the Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN), in Quito, Ecuador, since 1987. The IG-EPN is the responsible institution in Ecuador for the study of seismic and volcanic risk. Mothes was Head of the Volcanology section of IG-EPN for many years, including during the long-term volcanic eruption sequence at volcan Tungurahua, which began suddenly in 1999, and lasted for over 15 years. As well as her national leadership in volcanology, Mothes is well known for her work on the hazards and risks from lahars, in particular those from Cotopaxi volcano. in 2017, IG-EPN adopted a cartoon figure based on Mothes and called "Patty la Vulcanóloga" to represent the institution on their digital and print media.In 1993, Mothes was involved in the rescue of scientists who had been caught up in a fatal explosion on Galeras volcano, Colombia, during an international volcanological workshop.