Living on a constantly changing and evolving planet, unravelling the past is not an easy task as resurfacing, erosion and continental drift continuously eradicates what has gone before. Even after the last remaining “White Areas” on our maps of the Earth’s land masses had been filled in about a century ago, great discoveries that would…
One of the reasons I do this, is because as I was growing up, having an interest in things Geophysical/Astrophysical, there was always a search for the “wow” factor. Not everyone’s “wow” sense is geared the same… and in some cases, the scale of stuff that people are familiar with has a lot to say…
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…
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…
Of all continents, Australia is the least geologically active. The landscape is ancient, including some of the oldest rocks in the world. The only mountains are on the eastern edge of the continent. The B59 road across the Blue Mountains from Windsor to Lithgow is one of my favourite drives, with spectacular views (a head…
It is interesting to note that not long after we had revealed Aso as #4 in our NDVP series, activity seemed to intensify and cause expectations of a large eruption, possibly even the “Big One”, within the near future. Such excitement is only natural but is Aso really on the verge of a major…
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…
Who’s there? Those are the first spoken words of Hamlet, or more correctly, “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” as written by William Shakespeare. In modern English, that’s 13 letters, including punctuation. Under the “infinite monkey theorem” a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will…
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…
17 per cent of the world’s fresh water is found in a single lake. It is the second largest lake in the world (after Baikal), Africa’s deepest lake at 1.5 kilometer, and it has a shoreline almost 2000 km long. Lake Tanganyika is shared by four countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania…