Volcanic Environments

Engineering geologists have valuable contributions to make at the boundary between volcanism and human activity. More specially their expertise may be particularly worthwhile in areas which include: assessing the commercial potential of volcanic products; harnessing geothermal power; general and specific studies of prediction, especially where these involve techniques that include remote sensing and the use of GIS; working to mitigate the effects of an eruption after it has begun, by advising on techniques such as diversion of lava and the trapping of pyroclastic materials in temporary storage sites; furnishing information to the aviation industry about the dangers of ash to aircraft structures and engines and making civil authorities aware that volcanoes are potentially dangerous even when they are not in eruption (e.g. gas flux and the risks presented by gravity-fed mass-movement processes)