In the Company of Volcanoes

- Dr. Janine Krippner I am excited about an upcoming set of Google Hangout sessions with 6th graders talking all about volcanoes, why they erupt, why some erupt more violently than others, what their hazards are, and what we, as volcanologists, are doing to try and help people that live near them. So I sent out a request to the world of Twitter and volcanologists (links to their twitter feeds included, also full of information and resources - many more twitter volcanologists can be found) from around the world got back to me with great ideas and resources, and here they are! This is an open blog, I will add more resources as they come to my attention, so if there is something missing please contact me and I will add it for everyone to enjoy. Volcanologist @kenhrubin has put together a list of Twitter volcanologists, volcano watchers, and volcano-related organizations so you can keep an eye on the latest activity and volcano news. You can watch the list Here . This looks like a...

-Alison It seems obvious to say volcanoes are big, but as with anything in geology size is not immediately obvious. Volcanoes can loom over a landscape, spread ash over large chunks of the planet and even influence our climate- that all sounds big. On the scale of an individual human any eruption is big. They are frequently faster than, slower than (yes both), hotter than and physically larger than a human being. One of the exercises I use when teaching volcanology is focused on understanding just how big, "big" is. We go about this by finding things that we already understand the size and compare them to volcanoes. Like many natural processes (and humans), volcanoes and volcanic eruptions come in all shapes and sizes. If volcanoes only had one size and style of eruption our job studying them and anticipating future eruptions would be much easier. The only human-sized volcano I have ever seen. It was a volcano costume in Kagoshima Japan in 2013. We need to be able...

- Dr. Janine Krippner I have been a little obsessed with Mount St Helens for the majority of my life. The volcano, the precursory activity, the eruption, the science, and the stories of the people whose lives were affected. The May 18, 1980 (and onwards) eruption is a major part of volcanology history and the 35th anniversary is a day to remember the events and the people whose lives ended or were changed that day. I have included a list of resources below that show different aspects of the eruption. I finally visited the volcano in 2013. Driving up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory I stopped to look at deposits along the way, impressed by the protruding trees that were blown down and transported by pyroclastic density currents. Trees removed during the 18 May 1980 eruption sticking out of the eruption deposits. Instead of jumping around excited like I thought I would, when I came face to face with the volcano, with her collapse scar, dome, and deposits I just sto...