Research profile: Mattia Pistone

Much like lava flows, Mattia Pistone began his interest in volcanology and petrology via an energetic and wandering path.

It started in Pistone’s hometown of Pescara, Italy, when he began studying Latin literature and noting how the Romans used nature as a model for technology. The Romans are known as excellent engineers, but they were also early geologists. They knew that choosing the right rock for the right purpose could lead to longstanding engineering, architectural and artistic masterpieces: limestone for aqueducts, marbles for monumental buildings and statues, and cement made of volcanic material for roads and walls across the empire.

Pistone’s attraction to this aspect of his heritage led him to delve deeper into Roman and Greek perceptions of nature. Geology, he found, allowed his mind to combine both nature and history.

“Geology occurs in deep time, having much longer time scales than human history,” said Pistone, assistant professor of geology in the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences. “Volcanoes span all geological histories because they stretch from a long time ago to some that are so new that they are younger than my students.”

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