Only until recently, to those who are not familiar with the Geology or Earth studies and research, volcano activity sounded like the odd piece of news typically generated in an exotic location, a cool school science project or just the subject of a “disaster” movie´s plot.

This April, our perception on volcanoes changed forever thanks to Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano that violently reminded us that not only earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and floods are Earth’s ways of letting us know that she rules; Volcanoes are a natural disaster threat to watch out for too. They may not kill thousands nowadays but they can certainly disrupt lives at a global scale.

But, how many volcanoes are out there posing a major threat?

There are about 600 volcanoes that have had known eruptions during recorded history, while about 50-70 volcanoes are active each year. At any given time, we could say that there is an average of about 20 volcanoes that are erupting.

16 in particular have been identified by the International association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas.

These are located within the following countries:

USA
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Russia
Australia
New Zealand
Indonesia
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Spain
Italy
Iceland

However, there are more than 1,500 potentially active volcanoes and an estimated 500 million people live near these.

It is now that we focus our full attention on the word volcano and questions like the following could begin to form in our minds:

What do we really know about the causes of volcanic activity?
What dangers do ejected gases and ash pose to human and animal health?
Can this activity be predicted with a fair measure of precision?

The principle behind the eruption of a volcano lies in the fact that the magma, accumulated inside the earth's crust, is always building up pressure which is eventually great enough to force open a crack towards the surface. If the magma reaches the surface it is then it takes the name of lava.

The above would be the simplest way to explain this natural phenomenon, however at least three different predominant events are causal for the kind of pressure build up that would make magma erupt through the crack:

1. The magma´s tendency to rise through the crust because of its lower density.
2. The pressure from bubbles growing in the magma.
3. The injection of new magma into an already filled magma chamber.

Whilst number one is inherent to the nature of magma, could number two and three be the result of other causal events? Could a slight shift of the earth´s rotation in one hand and the extreme unpredictable weather patterns of climatic change in another be the triggers of high pressurization of gases and the forced push of magma into already filled chambers?

Are we reaching a phase of increased volcanic activity?

Determining the timing of an eruption in a monitored volcano depends on measuring a number of parameters.

We are honored to interview Dr. Clive Oppenheimer, coordinator of the Cambridge Volcanology Group (University of Cambridge, UK), Leader of the IAVCEI Commission on Volcanism and the Earth´s atmosphere and Expert member of the International Volcanic Health Hazard.

Dr. Oppenheimer´s research has developed broadly around the elaboration and application of novel remote sensing techniques (ground-based, airborne and spaceborne) to volcanology.