Pliny
2009 is over! If you missed the Volcanic Year in Review, check out my summary of the volcanic events that captivated many of us over the past year. However, only one event will get the coveted 2009 Pliny for Volcanic Event of the Year. A lot of you wrote in with votes and comments - I thank you - and a number of events stood out in your mind. Here we go:
Honorable mention
A few volcanic events got multiple votes:
- Soufriere Hills on Montserrat.
- Mando Hararo in Ethiopia.
- Chaiten, Chile and the new research on the eruption.
- The earthquakes in western Saudi Arabia under the Harrat…
Here it is, my attempt to recap a year's worth of volcanic events. By no means is this supposed to capture every event, but rather the highlight/lowlights and what most captivated me during 2009. I'll be announcing the winner of the 2009 Pliny for Volcanic Event of the Year tomorrow.
Waimangu Geothermal Valley in New Zealand, taken in January 2009 by Erik Klemetti.
January
The year started out with a trip to New Zealand (well, for me at least) and vistas of the Waimangu Valley, formed in the 1886 eruption of Tarawera on the North Island. We were also still thinking about the late 2008…
I'm back from my Christmas Eruptions break ... time to play a little catch up!
Popocatepetl in Mexico.
Thanks to everyone for voting/commenting for the Volcanic Event of the Year - The Pliny. It sounds like I have my work cut out for me in determining the winner, but there is still time to vote! Leave your choice for the the Pliny here or email me at
. Look for my year-end review of volcanic events coming in the next few days.
As for the Christmas Day Mystery Volcano Photo, Eruptions reader Don Crain did get it on the first try - they are, in fact, Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl from the…
Chaiten in Chile erupting in May 2008 - likely the Volcanic Event of 2008.
2009 is almost over and it has been quite a busy year, volcanically speaking. This is not to say that is was anomalously volcanic - more that many of the volcanic events captured the media's attention. I'll be putting together a "Volcanic Year in Review" for 2009 and at the end I'll award the 2009 "Volcanic Event of the Year" (a Pliny?) ... but now its your turn to nominate events for the award. The event could be an eruptions, signs of an eruption, a big research article, a media debacle/success when it comes to…