In the Company of Volcanoes

- Volcanologist Dr Janine Krippner The photo above was taken by Santorini volcanologist Sandy Drymoni. Last updated: 25 Feb 2025 (New Zealand time) 24 February Greece time. The Greek version of this page is here , where updates may be staggered as this is a joint effort with Sandy Drymoni. With the ongoing crisis in the area around Santorini in Greece, here are links to websites and information that we will update as we see it. I am working behind the scenes with scientists around the world to watch out for questions, misinformation, and concerns, and provide information where we can. There is high uncertainty involved.  This is a very complex and evolving situation and we do not know where this will lead. Our thoughts are with the local communities experiencing the activity, and the local scientists working tirelessly to figure out what is happening. We are not forecasting what might happen next, we are not an observatory. This is simply to try to help with providing information...

- Janine Krippner I am in the Canary Islands working on the 2021 La Palma eruption, specifically how it impacted the local communities and thinking about how we can help during these events in the future. While on the island of Tenerife between field work in La Palma, there has been some deep seismic activity pretty much below our feet. Learning from the experiences of La Palma, and communication efforts during eruptions in the past, my colleagues and I are getting information out immediately to help people to understand what is going on now, increase awareness and understanding for future eruptions, and help identify the official sources of information. We want to drive the open flow of information to empower people with knowledge moving forward. The release below is being shared across platforms and will be updated on social media and the GeoTenerife website as we move forward. This deep, small magnitude seismicity might not lead to anything this week or month, but this volcanic isla...

- Dr. Janine Krippner This is a scary blog post to write. Why? Because even if you follow every bit of advice here you could still get hurt on a volcano. No one wants to give inadequate advice but I do not want to see any of you get hurt. The only way to eliminate the risk of getting injured or killed on a volcano is to not be there. I repeat: The only way to eliminate the risk of getting hurt or killed on a volcano is to not be there. But you can take some safety steps to reduce that risk. Keep in mind that this is not a complete list, and above all else, ALWAYS follow advice from local agencies who know the volcano and work to keep people safe. Last week a young man lost his life at Stromboli. He wasn't doing anything wrong. There was a large explosion that gave no warning and he never went home to his friends and family. This is what we face when we visit volcanoes. It is a calculated risk just like getting into your car. I love volcanoes and I intend to keep visiting the...

- Dr. Janine Krippner YELLOWSTONE is gonna BLOW... is something you see in tabloid headlines in some form or another far too often. Let me start off with saying how sick I am of seeing all of you being lied to about this volcano. Let's chat about the facts, where to find the facts, and how to spot the junk 'news' on Yellowstone. So what is actually happening with this volcano, or "supervolcano" to use the recently popular term? My colleague Dr. Erik Klemetti got in touch about starting a volcano podcast and we have jumped right in, tackling the big problem-child volcano to kick things off. Why make a volcano podcast? Because I want YOU to be able to find and understand all the good stuff about volcanoes. You don't deserve to search for volcano information only to find tabloid junk. I am trying to fix this, step-by-step. Our brand new podcast is Popular Volcanics ( you can head over to our new website here ) where Erik and I are your hosts and we wi...

- Dr. Janine Krippner David Johnston in the summit crater of Mount St. Helens  to collect samples. Photo by rick Hobblitt, USGS . People around the world know that David Johnston was a volcanologist at Mount St. Helens in 1980, and that he was killed when the volcano erupted. His last words are repeated over and over. His last photo shared all over the internet. What isn't widely discussed is who he really was as a person. Author Melanie Holmes has dedicated the last four years to talking to his friends, colleagues, and family. Her journey began as a result of a conversation between friends—Melanie has known Dave’s sister more than three decades. Since she began, Melanie has read reams of clippings and letters that his parents kept, as well as Dave’s teenage diary. And she spoke to those of us who carry on his scientific legacy today. It is time that his story is told, 39 years later, to clear up misconceptions and to fill in the gaps about who he was – a genuinely nice ...