2016 Volcanology Field Course

The 2016 Volcanology Field School of ULB took place last April 21st - May 1st in Napoli and in the Aeolian Islands (Lipari, Stromboli and Vulcano) in Italy. The course is offered every two years under the supervision of Prof. Alain Bernard. The field course was part of the volcanology course offered by ULB for their masters and PhD students. The objective of the field course is to show the students the different processes occurring on volcanoes. The field course focused on volcanic processes and its products. Topics such as eruptive history of a volcano, types of deposits, geologic hazards and risks, and economic impacts of volcanic eruption to societies were discussed extensively during this 10-day field course.

The field course was attended by 18 masters students and 3 PhD students. Class picture taken on the top of Vulcano. The backdrop is actually Stromboli Volcano.

The group also visited INGV in Napoli. INGV in Napoli is responsible for monitoring the Campi Flegrei caldera which is currently in a period of volcanic unrest. INGV in Napoli is also responsible for monitoring Vesuvius volcano which is right at the heart of the city of Napoli. Brief discussion on the seismic network and geophysical monitoring of these volcanoes was given by Luca D'Auria, one of the seismologists in Osservatorio Vesuviano.

The summit crater of La Fossa cone on Vulcano Island (top). A breadcrust bomb (left) and some obsidians lodged in between layers of volcanic deposits (right) on Vulcano Island.