Sint Eustatius and Saba Islands, Lesser Antilles

Looking to the south along Sint Eustatius Island.  Older volcanics are in the foreground.  The Quill is on the southern end of the island.  Neighboring St Kitts and Mt Liamuiga is visible across the neighboring strait to the south.

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The Vice King of the Caucasus – KAZBEK 🇬🇪

Mt. Kazbek, Gergeti Trinity Church and Gergeti village below. – Says one travel website: “Climb to the Gergeti Trinity Church. This is the number 1 thing to do in Kazbegi – going to Kazbegi and not going to this Church would be… strange”. Quite understandable, looking at this picture postcard view, isn’t it?  (© Jazzanova, via Wikimedia)

I remember, as a teen, I loved rummaging in my mother’s enormous picture postcard collection – what a treasure! There was a photo in it that I never forgot in my life: An old Orthodox church sitting on a ridge high above a village and, behind the church, the humongous

RECLUS the recluse – Patagonia 1

Boat cruising in the Amalia fjord to obtain ground cores in search of tephra from the Reclus volcano, to prove a recent activity which could be related to the dynamics of the Amalia glacier. 07/2014 (© Godiespi, via Wikimedia)

Seeing that SERNAGEOMIN recently has included the Reclus volcano into group III of the assessment of their volcanoes, according to hazards they may pose to the population, I had another go at finding out more about it.

Ongoing Effusive Activity: 🌋 5 Years VH 🌋

Is it really 5 years…? Indeed! Background image: Announcement for our new VH blog in February 2015. Logo pinched from… um… the Indeed Brewing Company)

We find that our blog has been alive, growing and changing for 5 years, which has surprised us, as we didn’t think it was that long. Many, many thanks to you, our readers, for your loyalty, your interest, support and comments.

TUFF.. TUFA?.. IGNIMBRITE – Pyroclastic Deposits

Erosional structures at Göreme, central Cappadocia Region. The tuff is thought to have been deposited by the Mount Erciyes eruption ~2.6 ma, covering an area of about 20,000 km². This was the last of the series of great Cappadocian ignimbrites. (© Claude Valette, via Wikimedia)

In many descriptions of volcanoes and their eruption histories we stumble upon the terms Tuff, Tufa or Ignimbrite. Most every self-respecting volcano has one or all of them. Generally it becomes obvious from the context that they refer to widespread deposits of volcanic materials. But what exactly is an ignimbrite?, is it different to tuff?, and where do they all come from?

Tuff and ignimbrite are clastic rocks composed of volcanic

VOLCANO ARMCHAIR HIKING – A Christmas Special

Fujisan

You may be about 90 and no longer able to travel the volcanoes of the world; you may be a young student lacking the funds as well as the friends willing to climb your favourite volcano with you; you may be an inveterate couch potato, or, you just want to spend some relaxing armchair time during the holiday season – don’t despair!

Sent Ash Around the World – Volcán CEBORUCO, Mexico

View from Los Aguajes in the east of Volcán Ceboruco. (© Juan Castillo Campos, via mapio.net)

As so often, and generally without intention, I have hit upon yet another volcano that has all the trimmings of a beast but seems not really to be recognised as such. Up to a few years ago there have been very few studies to find out about the seismological and structural properties of the volcano. Volcán Ceboruco is considered among the five volcanoes with the highest risk in Mexico, and the second most active after Colima volcano in the western Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Yet, scientists had to point out, in a 2016 study, “that every effort should be made to monitor its seismic activity”.

Volcanoes where we don’t expect them – GARROTXA VOLCANIC FIELD, NE Spain

Castellfollit de la Roca: The confluence of the rivers Fluvià and Toronell created this stunning geological monument between them: a 1 km long and 50 m high basaltic lava crag, consisting of two superimposed lava flows with columnar jointing. (© Nasobema lyricum 2006, via Wikimedia)

View to the north over the northern part of Garrotxa VF, with the town of Olot in the left middleground. In the background the snow covered Pyrenees can be seen. (© turismegarrotxa.com)

Today our fancy takes us to the NE of Spain. Just to the corner where the Pyrenees mountain range meets the Mediterranean Sea, to the province of Girona in Catalonia. For millions of us European tourists the Mediterranean Costa Brava with its golden beaches is a household name. As in so many other touristic spots in the world, one could ask, how many of the sun worshippers would have known that, some 60 km inland, there is a volcanic field to be visited?

NEMRUT DAğI* 🇹🇷 – ANOTHER CANDIDATE FOR A FUTURE “DECADE VOLCANO”?

View over the caldera of Nemrut Dağı. (© Emin Noyan; screengrab from GEarth photo)

The spectacular caldera of Nemrut Dağı: light snow cover enhances all the volcanic features inside. (NASA image ISS001-E-6354 taken on 2001.02.13)

Preliminary note:
I have started work on this post long before the latest unacceptable political developments, so, it is pure coincidence that it’s getting published just now. In the region around Nemrut Dağı live Kurdish, Turkish and Armenian people. I wish peace for them all – and hopefully, my post will inspire interest in this wonderful part of the world.

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Nemrut Dağı* volcano has so many interesting features within and outside its caldera that it would probably take a several-week-long holiday do visit and explore them all. It has produced many colourful layers in ignimbrites during its various, mainly Plinian eruptions, as well as lava domes and obsidian flows, open fissures, steam chimneys, lava caves, what have you. I think this will become my favourite volcano!

Sitting on a Hot Blob – TECUAMBURROW (󠁧🇬🇹)

Tecuamburro volcano: View across Laguna Ixpaco towards the S, with the lava dome Cerro Peña Blanca in the background. (© Oscar Villarreal, via former Panoramio)

About everybody knows that Guatemala has three very active volcanoes: Fuego, Pacaya and Santa Maria’s dome Santiaguito – but did you know that a staggering 324 eruptive centers have been identified in that country?