Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology

Imaggeo on Mondays: Double strombolian explosions at Mt. Yasur volcano

Jean-Guillaume Feignon April 1, 2019

Double strombolian explosions at Mt. Yasur volcano, Vanuatu (2011). Credit: Jean-Guillaume Feignon (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

The Yasur volcano located in Vanuatu archipelago is permanently active since its discovery in 1774 by Cpt. James Cook. Its activity consists mainly in moderate regular strombolian explosions within the crater. But sometimes, more powerful explosions throw ash and bombs beyond the crater rim and may represent a hazard for tourists and people living next to the volcano. Otherwise, the Mt Yasur displ ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: A slice of fossil life

Bernardo Cesare February 11, 2019

Dinosaur Bone in Yellow. Credit: Bernardo Cesare (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

I am a petrographer at the University of Padova, Italy, studying the metamorphic rocks that form the deep Earth’s crust beneath our feet, and what happens when they get so hot to start to melt. I’ve spent (enjoyed I should say) more than 30 years looking at rocks with an optical microscope. This simple, cheap tool, and more importantly, its skilled use, remain key ingredients for good research in ...[Read More]

Iceland’s rootless volcanoes

Keri McNamara February 7, 2019

Rootless cones in Lake Mývatn, NE Iceland. These cones were formed when the Younger Laxá Lava inundated the lake approx. 2000 years ago. In total, there are over 1400 rootless cones around Mývatn, ranging in size from <2 m crater. Credit: Frances Boreham

Picture a volcano, like the one you learned about in primary school. Can you see it? Is it a big rocky mountain, perhaps with a bubbling pool of lava at the top? Is it perched above a chasm of subterranean molten rock? I bet you didn’t picture this: You’d be forgiven for mistaking these small volcanoes for a scene from the Lord of the Rings, or maybe a grassy version of the surface of Mars (in fac ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Sunset on the Giant’s Causeway

Osip Kokin January 14, 2019

Sunset on The Giant's Causeway. Credit: Osip Kokin (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Pictured here is the Giant’s Causeway – a region of basalt columns, created 50-60 million years ago during the Paleogene. The typical polygonal form of the bedrocks, a product of active volcanic processes from the past, is well underlined by the sunset’s light; that’s why I took the photo in the late evening. The separate cracks are extended by weathering over time and are filled eluvi ...[Read More]