Hello Thanushika – welcome to GeoTalk! Before we delve deeper, could you introduce yourself to our readers? Thank you for having me! I’m Thanushika Gunatilake, an Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. My research connects natural and human-induced processes in the Earth’s crust; from earthquake nucleation in the central Apennines, subduction dynamics, and volcanic activity, to geoth ...[Read More]
The spectral shadow of Samalas: When climate models conjure the Earth’s forgotten fury
This Halloween, we turn our gaze from fictional haunts to the chilling, rigorous world of paleoclimatology. The paper by Hartmann et al. (2025), published on Climate of the Past, focuses on the implementation of external forcings in a regional climate model around the 1257 CE Samalas volcanic eruption. This paper can be quite the unsettling investigation, since it treats the Earth itself as a time ...[Read More]
Sarakiniko: A unique geoheritage site under threat
Sarakiniko, a stunning geological landmark on the aegean island of Milos, Greece, is under imminent threat. Known for its breath-taking white tuff formations built by the deposition of submarine volcanic eruptions and sculpted by wind and water over millions of years, this site serves as both a natural laboratory for geoscience and planetary research and a worldwide significant geoheritage site. H ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Meet Alessandro Musu, magma researcher & science communicator!
Hello Alessandro, thanks for joining us today! Before we delve deeper, could you tell us a little about yourself and your research? Hi, thank you for having me today, I am Alessandro Musu, a PhD student in Petrology and Volcanology at the University of Geneva. I have currently just started my third year. The main goal of my research is understanding the link between deep magmatic processes and eru ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Meet Valeria Cigala, the Natural Hazards Division’s Early Career Scientist Representative
Hello Valeria, thank you for talking with us today! Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Hi Simon, I’m delighted to talk with you today; thank you for the opportunity! I originally come from Italy, and I work as a postdoc researcher at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, in Germany, in experimental and physical volcanology. In particular, I’m working on my DFG funded projec ...[Read More]
Imaggeo On Monday: The lost capital of Montserrat
Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat, was evacuated in 1995 after the nearby Soufrière Hills Volcano (background of the image) had reactivated. Later on the town was struck by pyroclastic flows, and its centre was almost completely buried by material relocated from the upper slopes through lahars. The suburb of Town Hill can still be seen in the right centre of the photo. It remains an exclusion zo ...[Read More]
Imaggeo On Monday: Lahar in the jungle, Mexico
Volcán de Colima currently is the most active volcano in Mexico where many rain-induced lahars occur every year. La Lumbre ravine is the ephemeral channel that drains the west-southwestern slopes of the volcano. In 2016, while Volcán de Colima experienced a prolonged explosive phase, several lahars were documented in this channel. One of them is shown in his picture, taken on August 13, 2016, du ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Loowit – the lady of fire.
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the explosive eruption of volcano Mount St Helens, in western Washington State in the USA. So we wanted to feature this iconic volcano in this week, in our weekly feature, Imaggeo On Mondays. If you would like your imaggeo image featured in our blog, please contact the EGU Communications Officer. Mt St Helens, in Washington State USA, is possibly one of t ...[Read More]
#shareEGU20: #shareEGUartKIDS Hall of Fame – Volcanic Paint 2020!
The EGU Kids Art activity normally happens in person in the creche at the conference centre during the general assembly (GA). We decided at the GA last year that the theme would be Volcanic Paint! Maike and I decided to move the activity online to hopefully bring a smile to a few of your faces – I know it has been bringing a smile to my face every day for the last week or so. We wanted to share as ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Azerbaijan Mud Volcano
Azerbaijan one of the best places in the world to find mud volcanoes, because of the number that are in the country. Mud volcanoes are broadly spread across Azerbaijan. About 350 of approximate 800 mud volcanoes in the world are found in the Azerbaijani Republic. This includes both underground and submarine mud volcanoes, which also famed in Azerbaijan. There are more than 140 submarine mud ...[Read More]