This is a repost of a guest post by volcanologist Dave McGarvie, first published here in 2017. Dave is currently associated with the Lancaster Environment Centre of Lancaster University; at the time of writing this post he was working at the Open University. He studies volcanoes in Iceland and Chile and can be found at…
From Sinuessa to Misenum the coast forms a vast gulf; beyond this is another gulf still larger, which they name the Crater. It is enclosed by the two promontories of Misenum and the Athenæum. It is along the shores of these [two gulfs] that the whole of Campania is situated. This plain is fertile above…
It began 2 April 1991, 35 years ago this month. Hidden targets There are many volcanoes in the world. At any one time, perhaps 20 volcanoes may be erupting. Over a full year, on average around 50 volcanoes erupt. Some of these may erupt several times – as Kilauea has done episodically in spectacular fashion,…
Caldera resurgence is either exceptionally boring or unbearably interesting. The slow crawl of the Lazufre system stands in contrast with the dramatic reawakening of Kita-Ioto. Some systems however straddle these lines, not up there with the scariest volcanoes but it wouldn’t be right to put them in the “boring’ territory. I can’t think of a…
This, of course, is our annual April-1 news story, not all aspects of which are equally reliable. The picture of an unshaped lava mount is a hornito from the Mount Ulu eruption. Indeed, they can form from a crustal crack above a lava tube. Shaping by sound is possible, as explained by Physics Girl, but…
America came late. Humanity had come from Africa, and spread out over Eurasia. This happened mainly during the ice age, when lower sea levels allowed walking migration where previously a significant swim or float had been required. They moved mainly along the coast line, quickly reaching southeast Asia, and from there even Australia, as early…
It is sometimes said to be the highest volcano in Europe. There is an obvious problem with that: El Teide is not in Europe. It may be Spanish, but the location is in the Canary Island which politically are included in Europe but geographically are not. A second problem is that there are much higher…
Albert’s article Volcanoes and rain explores the possible links between volcanic eruptions and subsequent periods of wet weather. But there is another side to this story: rain can, in turn, have an impact on volcanic activity, and maybe even trigger eruptions! The possibility of rainfalls causing eruptions has actually been speculated long ago. Georg Forster,…
It has been wet in the UK. Nothing unusual there, it may seem, although compared to the tropics, the rain is mostly mild. Temperatures are moderate and therefore the air does not contain as much moisture. Major deluges are rare. But not this winter. Especially the south of England has seen widespread flooding. France too…
Who doesn’t love a good mystery? The allure of the unknown captivates all, no matter one’s social, political, religious, or scientific standing. From dark matter to what could lie beyond death to the ending of the Simpsons, these almost incomprehensible ideas steal our thoughts. I would contend that we Volcanic fanatics have some of the…
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to forecast major eruptions? So far, the opportunity has been lacking. VEI-7 eruptions are rare: we have not seen one since Tambora in April 1815. To make a right forecast, the event needs to happen! Part of the forecast is recognising that the mountain is a volcano. Tambora…
Life in paradise can be hard. Paradise is a Greek word of Persian origin made famous by the Jewish bible: it comes from a mix of very different cultures. The word means a walled garden. The garden provides food and the wall provides safety: together it makes the perfect refuge from normal life. And isn’t…
A repost from the archives, with minor updates When the ground starts to rise beneath your feet, it is time to sit up. Fishermen would be the first to notice, being unable to leave their harbours due to lack of sea. Governments would discuss the risk of reduction in tax income from fishing, and would…
Let’s image the simplest, most boring volcano possible. It consists of a magma balloon fed by a straw. The ground is perfectly flat above the balloon. Magma comes up the straw at a constant rate. It would be easy to predict such a volcano. The balloon inflates until it bursts. Eruption happens. Because the supply…
Along the western edge of South America, the Andes Mountains encompass one of the largest concentrations of volcanoes on Earth. Many of these volcanoes are active, and in the historical record of just the past few centuries, eruptions have devastated villages, contaminated rivers and streams, and killed many people and animals. Today, active volcanoes threaten…
