Stories by Stephen Self

In the life cycle of many volcanoes a catastrophic collapse is a "normal" event. The details of the process are revealed in the deposits left by the devastating avalanches of debris

This relatively small but sulfur-rich eruption in 1982 injected into the stratosphere a fine mist of sulfuric acid droplets denser than any volcanic cloud since the great 1883 eruption of Krakatau

The explosions that obliterated most of the Indonesian island 100 years ago are only now beginning to be understood. The evidence is largely the volcanic deposits and the timing of air and sea waves