class participation
eklemetti | March 17, 2010Cast your ballot for the next Volcano Profile!
Which volcano should be the next Volcano Profile?opinion
eklemetti | March 16, 2010It has been a while since I've posted a Mystery Volcano Photo, but here is a new one. Just a refresher on the current standings:
The Bobs - 3
Don Crain - 3
gijs - 2
Boris Behncke - 2
volcanista - 1
Lockwood - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
Damon Hynes - 1
Marco - 1
Doug C. - 1
Diane - 1
So, here is the new one ... take your best guess (but I'm sure someone will get it much faster than I would imagine) ... Good luck!
eklemetti | March 14, 2010Big volcano news while I'm away in Death Valley? Post it here - or just discuss all the volcanic bits that you run across ...
Moonrise over Ubehebe Crater, California.
eklemetti | March 4, 2010As many Eruptions readers read, the headlines produced by MSNBC for their coverage of the recent Chilean earthquake raised my ire. To me, it represented the sensationalism of the events - but as with all things media-related, there is a lot of opinions on the matter.
We were lucky to have Alan Boyle, science editor for MSNBC.com, comment on the fray and he has very kindly offered to take your questions about the coverage of science in the mainstream media. This is a unique opportunity for us to discuss how science is portrayed, the rationale for headlines and generally find out about how the…
eklemetti | February 8, 2010
This is a request more related to my teaching, but I thought I'd ask here. I'm trying to find copies of the UNESCO videos "Understanding Volcanic Hazards" and "Reducing Volcanic Risk". They were made by the Kraffts to help educate people on volcanic hazards, especially in developing countries. I've seen them both and they are great for introductory geology classes. However, the one source I knew of - the NW Interpretive Assoc. - doesn't seem to carry them anymore - and even if they did, the only format I know of is VHS, which is getting woefully obsolete.
So, do any of you know where I might…
eklemetti | February 2, 2010
I've been seeing a lot of questions popping up in the comments - and for me, I find it difficult to answer them in the confines of post comments. Many of them are quite good and would probably be of interest to lots of Eruptions readers, so I thought maybe it is time for another Eruptions mailbag post.
So, without further ado, email me your burning volcano-related questions! Send them to by February 15, and I'll try to answer as many as I can in a mailbag post.
Looking forward to your questions!
eklemetti | December 28, 2009I'm back from my Christmas Eruptions break ... time to play a little catch up!
Popocatepetl in Mexico.
Thanks to everyone for voting/commenting for the Volcanic Event of the Year - The Pliny. It sounds like I have my work cut out for me in determining the winner, but there is still time to vote! Leave your choice for the the Pliny here or email me at
. Look for my year-end review of volcanic events coming in the next few days.
As for the Christmas Day Mystery Volcano Photo, Eruptions reader Don Crain did get it on the first try - they are, in fact, Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl from the…
eklemetti | December 24, 2009Here is your Christmas Day MVP ... points for identifying both of the volcanoes in the photo and why is this a good Christmas Day shot.
Current MVP Standings:
The Bobs - 3
Don Crain - 2
gijs - 2
Boris Behncke - 2
volcanista - 1
Lockwood - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
Damon Hynes - 1
Marco - 1
Doug C. - 1
Good luck!
eklemetti | December 21, 2009Chaiten in Chile erupting in May 2008 - likely the Volcanic Event of 2008.
2009 is almost over and it has been quite a busy year, volcanically speaking. This is not to say that is was anomalously volcanic - more that many of the volcanic events captured the media's attention. I'll be putting together a "Volcanic Year in Review" for 2009 and at the end I'll award the 2009 "Volcanic Event of the Year" (a Pliny?) ... but now its your turn to nominate events for the award. The event could be an eruptions, signs of an eruption, a big research article, a media debacle/success when it comes to…
eklemetti | December 20, 2009Hard to believe that the 2009 holidays are upon us and 2010 is around the corner. Eruptions will be going on a short break until the 28th of December - you likjley won't see any new posts here until then unless something big happens. However, there will be a special Christmas-themed MVP coming out on Christmas Day and the nominations for the "Volcanic Event of the Year". What is that, you ask? Well, for 2009, Eruptions will have a 2009 volcanic summary coming out sometime around New Years and at the end I'll name the 2009 Volcanic Event of the Year - some eruption or events leading to an…
eklemetti | December 7, 2009First snow of the season here in Granville. Huzzah!
And another reader-submitted photo for MVP. The last was submitted by VolcanoMan and was of the Ecuadorian volcano Chimborazo - the Bobs got yet another photo!
The current standings:
The Bobs - 3
Don Crain - 2
gijs - 2
Boris Behncke - 2
volcanista - 1
Lockwood - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
Damon Hynes - 1
Marco - 1
Here's the new one. Good luck!
eklemetti | December 3, 2009Thank you to all the Eruptions readers who have submitted photos for the Mystery Volcano Photo column! I'll start using them, well, now, so keep them coming. Remember, you can't guess on your own photo!
Current Standings:
Don Crain - 2
gijs - 2
The Bobs - 2
Boris Behncke - 2
volcanista - 1
Lockwood - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
Damon Hynes - 1
Marco - 1
Here's the next MVP ... Good luck!
eklemetti | December 1, 2009So I was browsing around for a new MVP and I stumbled across the following image:
It is a stunning image, capturing this stratocone filling in what might be an old caldera. The problem is, well, I have no idea what volcano this is and the page I found it on (some random wallpaper site) had no information on the image whatsoever. I'm guessing it might be somewhere in Alaska or Kamchatka ... but not sure at all?
So, now, all you volcano-image experts can use your powers for good. Any idea where this image was taken and what volcano(es) are in it? Ideally, if you can find a corroborating image…
eklemetti | November 25, 2009Happy Thanksgiving (for my US readers) ... otherwise happy Thursday to the rest of the world. I've got another Mystery Volcano Photo for you all. Good luck!
Current Standings:
Don Crain - 2
gijs - 2
The Bobs - 2
volcanista - 1
Lockwood - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
Boris Behncke - 1
Damon Hynes - 1
eklemetti | November 19, 2009
I'll be busy for a couple days when I'm off at University of Iowa, so I thought I'd leave this thread available for you to talk. Specifically, I'm interested in what you might be interested in seeing (or not seeing) on Eruptions. I've tried a number of features (Mystery Volcano Photo, Q&A, Volcano Profiles) - do you want to see more/see less of these features with the usual volcano news? More/less coverage of volcano research from the literature? Let me know what you think and how things might be better.
See you next week!
eklemetti | November 18, 2009It has been a slow week for volcano news (and a busy week for me), so I apologize for the abundance of MVPs this week. I've tried to find a good one in the many images submitted to me by Eruptions readers, and #15 is just one of those photos. If you have images you'd like to share with me for MVP or other uses, please email them to me at
. (However, I should note that you can't win by identifying your own volcano photo!)
MVP #13 was Lava Butte near Newberry volcano in Oregon. It is a lovely small scoria cone that you can walk/drive to the summit. From there, you get a spectacular view of the…
eklemetti | November 16, 2009Well, now that Lockwood got #13 on the first try, I will have to reach back into my vault to attempt to find a stumper ...
Current Standings:
Don Crain - 2
gijs - 2
volcanista - 1
Lockwood - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
The Bobs - 1
Boris Behncke - 1
Good luck.
eklemetti | November 16, 2009Busy week leading up to Thanksgiving for me, with a talk to give later in the week and quizzes a plenty!
The Mystery Volcano Photo series has a couple clear frontrunners now, with both Don Crain and Gijs with multiple points.
Current Standings:
Don Crain - 2
gijs - 2
volcanista - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
The Bobs - 1
Boris Behncke - 1
Here's #13 ... good luck!
eklemetti | November 8, 2009Alright, there has been some complaints that the last few MVPs have been too easy, so I tried to reach back and find one that might be more of a challenge for you all. Maybe this photo will do the trick ...
Current standings:
Don Crain - 2
volcanista - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
gijs - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
The Bobs - 1
Boris Behncke - 1
Good luck!
eklemetti | November 4, 2009You know, we haven't had an MVP in a couple weeks. Let's remedy that!
Current standings:
volcanista - 1
Elizabeth - 1
Ralph - 1
gijs - 1
Anne - 1
Cam - 1
gg - 1
The Bobs - 1
Boris Behncke - 1
Don Crain - 1
Here's MVP #11 ... good luck!