What is the scariest volcano you've been by?
Abby and Arika
Abby and Arika - I have been lucky enough to observe a number of mildly
erupting volcanoes, including Stromboli (Italy), Kilauea (Hawaii), Erta
Ale (Ethiopia) and Pacaya (Guatemala), but the scariest time was at a
tiny eruption. In Jan 1993 I was with 60 scientists at a meeting in
Colombia to recommend how Galeras volcano should be monitored. As part of
the meeting we had a field trip into the volcano. Unfortunately, the
volcano had a very small eruption which killed ten people. I was down low
on the side of the volcano when it erupted and did not even know the
eruption occurred until I got down to the bottom and looked backwards to
see a small eruption cloud. The scary part was that night in the hotel. No
one knew if the eruption was over or if it was just the warning of a much
larger and more dangerous one yet to come. People in volcanic areas
probably have a constant background fear that a nearby volcano may erupt
again, but they keep the fear in the background of their minds and go on
with their everyday lives.
Chuck Wood, University of North Dakota
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