NH
Natural Hazards

Volcanic hazard

Living with a restless giant: The challenge of multi-risk management and communication at Campi Flegrei Volcano

December 8, 2025
Living with a restless giant: The challenge of multi-risk management and communication at Campi Flegrei Volcano

Nestled within one of Europe’s most densely populated regions, the Campi Flegrei caldera is a volcanic system whose secular unrest shapes the daily life of its inhabitants. Here, during the last decade and still ongoing crisis, ground uplift, frequent earthquakes, and persistent gas emissions interact to create a complex, evolving multi-risk environment. These natural hazards rarely follow simple ...[Read More]

If a Resilient City Had a Face: It Might Look Like Kagoshima

August 4, 2025
If a Resilient City Had a Face: It Might Look Like Kagoshima

As natural hazard scientists, we often emphasise the concept of exposure – how much people, infrastructure, and ecosystems are in harm’s way when close to natural hazard sources (e.g., floodplains, volcanoes, or fault lines). The closer you are, the higher the risk. Therefore, one of the main goals in natural risk assessment is to reduce exposure whenever possible. We advocate for informed plannin ...[Read More]

Modern Solutions for Ancient Hazards: Speaking with Jacopo Selva, the 2024 EGU Plinius Medalist

July 23, 2024
Modern Solutions for Ancient Hazards: Speaking with Jacopo Selva, the 2024 EGU Plinius Medalist

Jacopo Selva is an associate professor at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and a former researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Italy. His research on seismic, volcanic, and tsunami hazards has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of these natural phenomena, particularly by developing probabilistic methods for hazard assessment and forecasti ...[Read More]

“My teacher is a volcanologist”- Valeria Cigala tells us about her journey from academia to middle school teaching

July 24, 2023
“My teacher is a volcanologist”- Valeria Cigala tells us about her journey from academia to middle school teaching

Valeria Cigala (Ph.D.) is a geoscientist by education and an expert in explosive volcanism and related hazards. She has been the Early Career Scientists Representative for the Natural Hazards Division of EGU from 2019 to 2022 and Editor-in-chief of our blog. Valeria is currently employed as a maths and science teacher at the middle school level in Italy. In this inspiring interview, she is sharing ...[Read More]

A look into the life of a volcanologist in Japan, one of the most hazardous countries for volcanoes

December 7, 2020
A look into the life of a volcanologist in Japan, one of the most hazardous countries for volcanoes

In this interview, I talk with Chris Conway about his experience as a volcanologist in Japan, which is one of the countries with the highest volcanic threat in the world. You will read how studying crystals found within erupted lava flows can help hazard mitigation at active volcanoes and how volcanic hazard is managed in Japan.   Hi Chris!! Thank you for accepting this interview, first and foremo ...[Read More]

DE BELLO VULCANICO 40-year scientific effort of ‘predicting the unpredictable’ since the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens

July 6, 2020
DE BELLO VULCANICO 40-year scientific effort of ‘predicting the unpredictable’ since the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens

Volcanoes arouse emotions in the soul of men: at the same time, they are fascinating and frighten the population that lives on their slopes when they erupt (Fig. 1). Volcanoes can strike without warning and wreak horrific destruction and death. As such, in the ancient time, volcanoes discharging explosive eruptions have been interpreted as the wrath of gods that destroys and annihilates all around ...[Read More]

Mount Saint Helens 40 years later – May 18, 1980: for everything to stay the same, everything must change

June 22, 2020
Mount Saint Helens 40 years later – May 18, 1980: for everything to stay the same, everything must change

Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it! Just a few words radioed by volcanologist David ‘Dave’ Johnston on May 18, 1980, to USGS headquarter in Vancouver, Washington State. It was 8:32 a.m., and a few hours later he lost his life during the (in)famous Mount Saint Helens eruption. That day, exactly forty years ago, the eruption of Mount St. Helen upset the world. It all started with a collapse on the nor ...[Read More]

NH Medallists episode III – Claire Horwell and her interdisciplinary work on volcanic emission hazards for human health

June 8, 2020
NH Medallists episode III – Claire Horwell and her interdisciplinary work on volcanic emission hazards for human health

In today’s interview, we talk with Prof. Claire J. Horwell. Claire has been awarded the 2020 Plinius Medal for her outstanding interdisciplinary research on the respiratory health implications of inhaling volcanic emissions, and other particulates.  my research focuses on protecting communities from exposures to potentially harmful airborne particulates Hi Claire, can you please briefly introduce ...[Read More]

The bad, the good and the unpredictable: living with volcanoes / part 2

November 11, 2019
The bad, the good and the unpredictable: living with volcanoes / part 2

Before continuing, if you haven’t read it yet, catch up with the first part of this blog article by clicking on this link. The good Living with volcanoes is not all bad. Volcanoes provide a wealth of natural resources in the form of building materials, hot springs, freshwater and fertile soil. However, there are more hidden aspects, which was the focus of a recent collaboration with an archa ...[Read More]

The bad, the good and the unpredictable: living with volcanoes / part 1

October 28, 2019
The bad, the good and the unpredictable: living with volcanoes / part 1

Introduction Humans have existed and lived alongside volcanoes for as long as we have been on the planet. For some, this has been beneficial and often, in fact, we can see how indigenous knowledge finds a sustainable approach living with them. However, in some cases, societies cannot cope and are overwhelmed with volcanic eruptions.  There are many examples from archaeological studies dealing with ...[Read More]