GMPV
Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology

Societal impacts

Tambora 1815: From eruptive dynamics to the global impact of the eruption – with Jessica Kandlbauer

December 8, 2022
Panorama Mount Tambora caldera
Panorama Mount Tambora caldera

reading time: 10 minutes The Tambora 1815 eruption: a brief introduction On April 10th, 1815, the Tambora volcano, located on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia, was responsible for one of the largest eruptions in the last millennium (Stothers, 1984; Sigurdsson and Carey, 1989; Oppenheimer, 2003; Self et al., 2004; Kandlbauer et al., 2013a; Kandlbauer and Sparks, 2014). The eruption had a devastat ...[Read More]

Can human curiosity affect dynamic risk?

and June 1, 2022
Can human curiosity affect dynamic risk?
The photo shows the ancient beach and the ancient shores of the city of Herculaneum, in which the bodies of the inhabitants of Herculaneum were found trying to take refuge (Photo by Elisabetta Billotta).

In simple words, the volcanic risk (R) can be defined as R = Value × Vulnerability × Hazard. The value is a figure that varies according to the total number of population and / or infrastructures at risk during a volcanic eruption, vulnerability is the percentage of value at risk for a given volcanic event and the hazard is the probability that a certain place may be affected by a determined hazar ...[Read More]

Volcanoes and social media make us (more?) crazy

and April 20, 2022
Volcanoes and social media make us (more?) crazy
South-East Crater of Mount Etna, 13.2.2022. Photo by Daniele Musumeci

Many people are drawn to danger and behaviors that can harm their health or finances. Dangerous activities include the attraction that humans have always had towards natural events, such as volcanic eruptions, or towards gambling, adventure, challenging travels or physical activities without the ability or the necessary preparation. In today’s life many people face risks, however these risks ...[Read More]

Exploring parachute science in analytical geoscience

December 1, 2021
Crater lakes, Kelimutu Volcano, Indonesia.
Crater lakes, Kelimutu Volcano, Indonesia. Credit: Danielle Su (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

During this past October, a team of researchers took part in a “hackathon” organised by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to generate data and new ideas to increase diversity in geoscience. This was an extremely hectic, sometimes stressful but fun and illuminating experience which ultimately culminated in a pilot funding bid (which we learned this week has been successful!). Our i ...[Read More]