The New Decade Volcano Program No. 1 – Ioto, Japan

A recurrent theme throughout this series has been the unknown and understudied which with our current understanding of geology and volcanology could pose a danger to millions of people. From the water-enriched and thus highly explosive magmas of Kelut to Aso, the problems of a giant edifice such as Mayon, the understudied Taal and Bali…

A Recapitulation of the NDVP this far

It has taken a long time, far longer than originally intended, to bring the New Decade Volcano Program to a successful conclusion. Indeed, there was a point during the summer at which it seemed that it would be left unfinished as after writing two of the first four articles Carl found himself in a position…

Interpreting the IMO Tremor Charts

Despite the high-falutin’ title, this is not a complete guide nor is it compiled by a pro. It’s more of an introduction by someone who has made all the mistakes possible and, hopefully, learnt a thing or two in the process which I now try to pass on. As amateur volcanophiles, we are limited to…

Lurking in Plain Sight – Apoyeque, NDVP #2

Few cities around the world can claim a more beautiful setting than Managua (pop 2.223 million, 2012), Nicaragua, on the shores of tranquil Lago Xolotlán, Lake Managua. When the Conquistadores arrived, Masaya volcano 20 km from today’s Managua was in eruption and provided Europeans with their fist view of a lava lake. In a letter…

Devil May Care – Campi Flegrei, NDVP #3

I suppose not many will be surprised by this choice as “googling” Campi Flegrei immediately yields results such as “Campi Flegrei: The Massive Italian Volcano that Will Kill Us All (Or Not)” (Time, Aug 08, 2012) or “Italian Supervolcano Could End Eurozone Crisis the Easy Way” (Smithsonian, Aug 06, 2012). Indeed, both Carl and myself…

What’s Up in Iceland?

This is a question that gets asked regularly and in particular when there is a lot of earthquake activity going on. Surely this must “mean something”! Well, yes, but not necessarily something volcanic. In fact, most of it is not volcanic at all but tectonic as the North American and Eurasian Plates slowly separate, driven…

A Wedge of Worry – Aso Caldera (NDVP #4)

Japan is a major economic power in the modern world. Currently, its economy is the third largest in the entire world and exceeded only by those of the USA and The Peoples Republic of China. But as well as being one of the most economically and technologically advanced countries, Japan is also among the most…