Natural Geographic describes Ol Donyo Lengai (pronounced ol doyn-yo len-guy), a mountain in northern Tanzania, as the ‘strangest volcano on Earth’. It is the planet’s only volcano known to produce lava made of natrocarbonatite, chemically similar to laundry soap, which hardens and decays almost immediately upon exposure to the atmosphere. It is very rare for natrocarbonatite, a type of igneous roc ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Cueva de los Verdes
The volcanic Lanzarote is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa. One of its most famous attractions is the system of caves known as La Cueva de los Verdes (Greens’ Cave), created around 3,000-4,500 years ago by lava from the now extinct Monte Corona volcano. La Cueva de los Verdes extends for 6 km above sea level and for a ...[Read More]
Hunting Laki
Journalist Alexandra Witze was one of two winners of the EGU’s first Geosciences Communications Fellowship. We asked her to report back from a recent trip to Iceland, where she and her husband, science writer Jeff Kanipe, were gathering material on the 1783 eruption of the volcano Laki. They are working on a popular book about Laki for Profile Books. When you’re hot on the trail of a particular Ic ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Kerlingarfjöll
Iceland, with its stunning volcanic landscapes, is one of the world’s most geologically rich countries. Kerlingarfjöll, featured in this week’s image, is a prime example of that. This Icelandic mountain range, covering an area of 150 square kilometres, formed during a volcanic eruption in the Late Pleistocene – some 100 thousand years ago. “Kerlingarfjöll is very different to the environment aroun ...[Read More]