As we move inexorably towards the end of yet another year, it is inevitable that we think back on what the old year has brought. One of my favourite memories of 2015 is the visit we; Carl, Shérine and myself, paid to a couple of volcanic monuments in southern Sweden; Rallate and Jällabjär, at the…
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…
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…
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…