Professor Chris Caseldine gave a fascinating talk. After a brief illustration of the main area of volcanic activity on the island, he outlined the minimal impact of volcanic activity on the early settlers, and in more modern times the arrival of the first tourists and scientists.
He showed how eruptions build up and can now be predicted by monitoring systems, so that they present very little danger; people are evacuated if necessary, lava flows can be slowed or diverted, and changes to the landscape can sometimes be used to advantage, or even become new tourist attractions.
There followed a section on a variety of types of volcanic activity, including the effect of ash clouds and acid gases over large areas of northern Europe and the Atlantic.
Finally there was a look to the future, with the increasing global importance of a ready supply of sulphur and the exploitation of underground sources of energy.
