Past Working Groups: Volcanoes

Cerro Negro, Nicaragua

Cerro Negro, Nicaragua Courtesy by R.DECKER


WG Chair:

Prof. Dr. J.-C. Thouret
Clermont-Ferrand (France)
e-mail

Past Chair:

Jan Nossin (The Netherlands)

Members (colleagues who participate in the last Working group’s meeting in Tokyo, August 2001):
P. Fredi, M. Inbar, Del Monte, F. Lavigne, I. Moriya, C. Ollier, Kumodata, M. Rossi, J.-C. Thouret (leader), S. Yokohama, and A. Zogning.

The IAG Executive Committee has recognized the achievements of our Study Group and considered it as one of the 4 Study Groups which have been and will still be sponsored by the International Association of Geomorphologists. We are entitled to carry on more research for the next term (2001-2005), although we will get no funding from IAG/AIG.

Prof. J.-C. Thouret (leader of the IAG/AIG Working Group on “Volcanic geomorphology and hazards”, Professor at the university Blaise-Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Executive Editor of the IAG/AIG – and CNRS-sponsored Journal “Géomorphologie, relief, processus, environnement”) will held and teach a course on “Volcanic landforms, processes and hazards” in Peru from 10 to 15 August 2004.The course will take place at the Geological Society of Peru in Lima (“theoretical part”, August 10-12) and at the Universidad Catolica in Arequipa (second city in Peru) nearby the active El Misti volcano (“field work”, August 12-15). The IAG/AIG-sponsored course will be organized in the framework of the French-Peruvian academic and research network “Raul Porras Barrenechea”, with the support of IAG/AIG, the French Embassy in Peru, the Geophysical Institute of Peru and several universities in Lima and in Arequipa.For further information on the course, please contact to:
Prof. Jean-Claude Thouret
Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans UMR 6524 CNRS et OPGC
université Blaise-Pascal Clermont II
5 rue Kessler, 63038 Clermont-Ferrand cedex
France
Phone: +33 4 73346773
Fax: +33 4 73346744
e-mail

Achievements of the Study Group during the past 4 years term:Several publications which deal with volcanic geomorphology are the outcome of the investigations carried out by members of our Study Group:

  1. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, 1999, Volcanic Geomorphology (P. Fredi, editor), Suppl. Bd. 114, 112 p. : 6 articles which were presented at the IV Conference on Geomorphology in Bologna, Italy, August 1997 (Session on volcanic landforms and hazards)
  2. GeoJournal 1999, vol. 2, n°49 : special issue on “Urban hazards and risks: consequences of large eruptions and earthquakes”, pp. 131-235.
  3. Ollier, C.D. and Terry, J.P 1999. Volcanic Geomorphology of northern Viti Levu, Fiji. Australian Journal of Earth Science., 46, 515-522.
  4. Géomorphologie: relief, processus, environnement, 2001, N°2 (July 2001) and N°3 (September 2001) : Volcanic landforms, processes, and related hazards and risks”. 12 articles in English and French from 32 authors, pp. 75-152 and pp. 153-204.

One web site at ITC International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences, Enschede, The Netherlands : http://www.itc.nl/ags/volcanic has been created and updated by Dr. Jan J. Nossin, co-leader of our Study Group.

Research projects for the future 4-years term

We have discussed and listed several topics that can be addressed within the next 4 years:

  1. Broad subjects:
    • the morphological evolution of volcanic reliefs,
    • craters and calderas, including “erosion calderas”,
    • tectonics and volcanoes in geomorphology,
    • the use of techniques to date volcanic landforms and volcanic mountains,
    • the use of tephra to date landforms,
    • geoarchaeology on volcanic terrains,
    • effects of historical eruptions on landscapes and humankind.
  2. More specific topics:
    • detailed eruptive history and long-term prediction of eruptions of active volcanoes,
    • erosion control on slopes and in watersheds perturbed by volcanic processes,
    • quantitative sediment budget and erosion rates in watersheds on active volcanoes,
    • repeated patterns in volcano styles,
    • mass flows on volcanoes,
    • suboceanic and oceanic volcanoes.

Meetings to be organized, workshops to be held:

We have decided to organize a workshop and a session at the next Inter-Congress Regional Conference in Mexico (October-November 2003). This workshop will aim at bringing together geomorphologists interested in working on geomorphological problems on volcanoes near Mexico city. We are asking the organizing committee for a special session which would focus on volcanic geomorphology, processes and hazards, in particular on the consequences of recent and ongoing eruptions. Another group of colleagues will participate in a session on “Extreme events…” which will be organized by Dr A. Gupta, leader of the Working Group on Large Rivers.

The special session to be held at the Conference on volcanic landforms, processes, and hazards, will focus on new results acquired during the next two and a half years related to the topics above.

Prof. Paola Fredi is willing to become the new co-leader of the Study Group when Dr J.J. Nossin decides to retire.