The Reykjanes Fires, 950-1240 AD

This is a repost of a summary by Hector, of the previous round of Reykjanes eruptions, a millennium ago. (The post is not as old as that, though. It was written during the first Fagradalsfjall eruption, at the very start of the new fire season.) The discussion includes two of the three Svartsengi eruptions of…

Volcanism and the Christianization of Iceland

By Jean-Marie Prival, doctor in volcanology and founder of kīpuka magazine Like other natural disasters, volcanic eruptions can have an impact on civilizations. Of course they can annihilate them, but they can also contribute to their economic development by providing a valuable resource (obsidian, for example). Finally, they can influence their culture, giving rise to…

Chiles-Cerro Negro: The Final Swarm

I’ve been tracking Chiles-Cerro Negro for almost 10 years now and it’s been an interesting ride to say the least, full of great highs and terrible lows. My odd relationship with this volcano is going to be on pause and I will be exploring other volcanoes. As such this will be the final article on…

Iceland is Red Hot...and Pink!

Blue Lagoon discoloured

We hope you have enjoyed this April-1 story. Yes, this was completely made-up and as of this morning the blue lagoon is again blue and normal service has resumed. The story was designed by Lughduniense who also made the tourism poster which we happily donate to Iceland under a CC-by-4.0 license. Join us next year…

Volcanic Armageddon: An Analysis

We owe our existence to our ever-changing and yet passive climate. Unlike other planets in the universe,  here it doesn’t rain molten glass or frozen acid, nor does it have super sonic winds destroying everything in its path. However, the climate isn’t without fault as it is sensitive to very small changes with atmospheric composition.…

Grand Canyon Volcanoes

Republished from https://roseannechambers.com, with kind permission by the author. It is a blog we happily recommend to our readers! In the recent geologic history of the Grand Canyon, volcanoes erupted in the Colorado River channel and on the rim, pouring lava over the canyon walls. Hot lava often flowed down the river channel for tens…

Chile-Cerro Negro: Is this the one?

There are so many volcanoes right now that have the size and history to produce a massive eruption but only one volcano has me worried for the imminent future and you’ve heard it’s name before, Chiles-Cerro Negro. As of late Chile-Cerro Negro has been having a massive swarm with accelerating deformation which has caught some…

Nyiragongo and its ultra alkaline magma – Part III

Introduction  In part one I took a close look at the large scale forces that drive volcanism in Africa, at continental rifting in its different stages and the types of magma chemistry that form because of it. I also discussed the origin of the forces that created Nyiragongo and Virunga in the first place. In…

Nyiragongo and its ultra alkaline magma – Part II

Nyiragongo history of activity and nature of its eruptive activity (See here for Part I) Nyiragongo’s beautiful steep cone, encased in its unsettling night glow, towers over the densely populated Kivu region that is home to millions of people. The volcanic edifice itself measures around 13 kilometers wide and rises to 3470 meters above lake…