THE IMPACT OF HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

Explosive volcanic eruptions have a large impact on communities and the environment, as they release gas, ash and metals into the atmosphere. Therefore, to reduce the risk from active volcanoes, it is important to understand their eruptive behaviour. The ash erupted during a volcanic event can be analysed to investigate the processes which occur during magma’s ascent to the surface. Synchrotron based techniques, such as high-resolution 3D X-ray imaging, can analyse the eruption products to reconstruct volcanic processes below the surface and provide greater insight into the causes of explosive activity.