The heat rising from the ground near the top of Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala was intense enough to melt the soles of Aaron Barnes’s boots. He was on a spontaneous mission trip after tenth grade, surrounded by stunning scenery, igneous deposits, and the sheer power of the earth. Roasting marshmallows over lava was cool, but looking out from the summit was profound. “I was like, oh my goodness,” he remembers thinking. “I’m walking on something that formed hundreds of millions of years ago… The combination of the scenery and the intense physical experience really hooked me. And then when you’re at the top, you look out and you can see the entire world.”

Despite that powerful connection to the earth sciences, Aaron initially aimed for a career in law enforcement, seeking a job that would keep

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