Events & Courses

Event details

Volcanic eruptions are spectacular displays of nature's incredible power, but they put local communities at risk. Approximately 800 million people worldwide live within 100 km of a volcano that is currently erupting or has the potential to erupt in the future. Our ability to mitigate their hazard relies on empirical analyses of monitoring data, with large uncertainties in estimating the probability of an eruption and its impact.

Forecasting the size, duration and hazards of eruptions requires a deeper understanding of magma transport and storage and quantifying the timescales of the processes occurring beneath the surface. The relationship between these sub-surficial processes and geophysical and geochemical observations made at the surface is key to understand volcanoes behaviour.

The minerals within the rocks erupted during volcanic eruptions are an incredible archive of information. They act like a probe into the volcano's interior, allowing us to decode its behaviour and inform volcanic hazards assessment. Drawing from examples of some of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world – such as Popocatepetl and Colima in Mexico, and Stromboli and Etna in Italy - this talk will take you on a journey inside the volcano factory, exploring the hidden processes that drive eruptions.

Speaker

Dr Chiara Maria Petrone (Natural History Museum)

Dr Petrone is head of Volcano Petrology at the Natural History Museum, UK. Her research focuses on volcanoes, particularly those that are currently active. Her major research goal is to make robust estimates of the timescales of volcanic eruptions and thereby improve forecasting of future eruptions and their impact on society. 

She leads development in analytical techniques that push the boundaries of extracting time-related information from single minerals at the micron-scale. She uses the rocks erupted during volcanic eruptions to unravel the hidden processes inside the volcano, as a psychologist explores the human mind.

Dr Petrone has a degree in geological science and a PhD in igneous petrology from the University of Florence (Italy). She is co-editor-in-chief of the international journal Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters and sits on the Geological Society Council. She was awarded the Individual Merit Promotion (IMP) from the research Council UK in 2022. She is passionate in communicating her research trough hand-on activity and public engagement.

Programme

17:45–18:00: Guests arrive for the Public Lecture

18:00–19:00: Talk takes place (including Q&A)

19:00–20:00: Drinks reception

20:00: Event ends

Date, time and location

This Public Lecture will take place on Tuesday 15 April 2025 at 18:00 (GMT).

This is a hybrid event, which can be attended in person at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, or online via Zoom.

Registration

This lecture is free to attend. However, we are a registered charity (number: 210161) and we would welcome donations. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

You can register for both in-person and virtual attendance here.

If you wish to join our mailing list, please email conference@geolsoc.org.uk