Category Archives: Volcanism

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 →

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Interpreting satellite imagery

Posted on February 1, 2012 by

Sometimes when you see satellite imagery you can be utterly blown away by what you see.  In many of these cases there is no question about what you are looking at. The NASA Earth Observatory has posted a number of … Continue reading →

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The pyroclastic flows of Mount Doom

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

I thought I might take the opportunity to write a few posts about my first love – pyroclastic density currents (PDCs).  These are basically particle-laden flows, rich in ash and pumice, which form from explosive eruption columns or the collapse … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Geology, Physics, Science, Sedimentology, Travel, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

El Hierro 5 – Resurgence?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of my updates on the eruption offshore of El Hierro, and for those of you who aren’t regularly up on your volcano news, you may have been lulled into the belief that … Continue reading →

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Sardinian geology and the art of protest

Posted on December 22, 2011 by

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to post, but as I’ve got everything I need to done before buggering off on a well-earned Christmas break, I thought I should take the opportunity to post some stuff I’ve been … Continue reading →

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Shameless plug – European Geosciences Union session

Posted on December 6, 2011 by

Calling all sedimentologists, physical volcanologists, and flow modellers. Myself, Guilhem Douillet, Gert Lube, and Rich Brown are chairing a session at the EGU conference in Vienna next April, titled “Sedimentation and stratigraphy from pyroclastic gravity-driven flows“ Our hope is to … Continue reading →

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Katla and the pointless scaremongering journalists.

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

Look what popped up on the BBC website today. In fact, a google search for “Katla volcano Ford Cochran” (the guy quoted in that article) turns up 57 new items published in the last 24 hours. Apparently, “there are signs … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Education, Geology, Hazard Assessment, Media & Perception, News, Science, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Canarian comparison

Posted on November 11, 2011 by

My last post mentioned the really interesting bimodal and alkaline nature of the magma system under El Hierro and the submarine vent system, and I promised I would provide some comparison to nearby Tenerife.  Tenerife also shows bimodal alkaline chemistry, … Continue reading →

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El Hierro 4: Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble.

Posted on November 7, 2011 by

UPDATED 16:40 Earthquake-report.com have got their webcam up and running (be patient  - it’s a little flaky at the moment). The eruption at El Hierro has (as of Saturday) become at least partially subaerial.  For the non-scientists amongst you that … Continue reading →

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El Hierro 3 – The Revenge

Posted on October 27, 2011 by

Most news outlets have gone quiet on the eruption at El Hierro over the last couple of weeks.  Indeed, signs were that the eruption was slowing down, which indeed it has done.  That is not to say that the activity … Continue reading →

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