Volcanic Mind Melt

Big Picture Science

The Earth’s surface is dappled with more than a thousand volcanoes. They mark the edges of tectonic plates, spewing hot gas and ash, and boiling over with lava. We can detect the warning signs of an eruption, but why is it still so hard to predict?

Meet a few currently active hot heads: Mauna Loa, Nyiragongo, Fagradalsfjall, and Soufrière – and find out what gives them individual personalities. Plus, what a newly excavated snack bar in Pompeii, buried and preserved when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, can teach us about eruptions.

Guests:

• Christopher Jackson – Chair of Sustainable Geosciences at the University of Manchester
• Thorvaldur Thordarson – Professor in Volcanology and Petrology at the University of Iceland
• Maite Maguregui – Professor, Department of Analytical Chemistry at the University of the Basque Country, Spain
• Silvia Perez-Diez – Researcher in the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the University of the Basque Country, Spain
• Alia Wallace – Archaeologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado with a PhD from University College London
• Jazmin Scarlett – Teaching fellow in physical geology, Newcastle University

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