Category Archives: Hazard Assessment

Mayon kills 5

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

Mt Mayon is a beautiful volcano.  The only work I’ve done on it was some years ago during my PhD, when I was doing a little analysis on volcano profiles. I was struck by its incredible symmetry.  So I can … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Hazard Assessment, News, Science, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Meteor madness 2 – look at the size of that thing

Posted on February 16, 2013 by

So yesterday was all abuzz with cool videos of the Chelyabinsk meteor, and a whole bunch of questions.  How big was it? Did any of it hit the ground? Did it explode or not? How fast was it going? Today … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Geology, Hazard Assessment, News, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tongariro Fireworks

Posted on November 21, 2012 by

Following the little spike of activity back in August, Tongariro in New Zealand reactivated today with a 5 minute explosive eruption jetting up a small plume and generating some very limited pyroclastic flows. With it being a daytime eruption, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Geology, Hazard Assessment, News, Science, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The insanity of the Italian legal system

Posted on October 22, 2012 by

Well, it’s official. The Italian courts have found half a dozen scientists and a government official guilty of manslaughter over the failure to accurately predict the risks of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake which killed 309 people. This has been rumbling … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Geology, Geophysics, Hazard Assessment, Media & Perception, Not even wrong, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Scaling new horizons

Posted on October 17, 2012 by

It’s fair to say that when most people ask what I do, I simply reply “volcanologist”, “sedimentologist”, or “geologist”, depending on the audience. On the infrequent occasions they ask further what I do, it usually gets summed up as “I see how … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Geology, Hazard Assessment, Physics, Science, Sedimentology, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Zealand volcanoes going for gold

Posted on August 10, 2012 by

While they might be 19th on the medal table, the kiwis are doing a sterling job of heading up this weeks volcano news. Both White Island and Tongaririo have shown activity this week. White Island was last active in 1980, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Hazard Assessment, Science, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Accretionary Wedge #46 – Geology, Life and Civilisation

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

For those of you who may not be aware, there is a fantastic thing in the geobloggosphere known as The Accretionary Wedge.  Every month or so,  someone hosts a specific topic.  Geobloggers are invited to contribute, and the submissions over … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Education, Geology, Hazard Assessment, Science, Travel, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Poking sleeping lions

Posted on May 22, 2012 by

I can only assume that the mass of exam papers in the department has caused a time-dilation.  It’s the only possible reason I can come up with for the fact it’s June next week. After the rush of #gradingjail starting … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Geology, Geophysics, Hazard Assessment, Science, Travel, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Viennese Whirl – EGU 2012

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

Thought it might be time for a little update on how EGU’s been going for those of you who couldn’t make it (and a restaurant tip below for those who could). There’s been some really good science on show, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, General, Geology, Hazard Assessment, News, Palaeontology, Science, Sedimentology, Travel, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What happens when a pyroclastic flow goes out to sea

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

This is just a brief plug-post for anyone at the European Geosciences Union in Vienna this week.  Tomorrow at 9am in Room 4 I’m presenting some recent work I’ve carried out attempting to use a turbidity current model to infer initiation … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Geology, Hazard Assessment, Science, Sedimentology, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment