Engaging with the Public on Volcanic Risk through Hands-on Interaction with the London Volcano.

Abstract:

London Volcano is a major public engagement and outreach effort that emerged from a large-scale interdisciplinary research project on Strengthening Resilience in Volcanic Areas (STREVA). The activity was created for a 5-day public exhibition in London, in 2014, and brought together 3 elements to illustrate the timeline of a volcanic crisis: a 5m x 3m scale model of Soufrière St Vincent, an interactive ‘monitoring station’ to explore technology used in monitoring and an engaging ‘bin bang’ sequence to simulate a volcanic explosion. Having a large hands-on volcano as a centrepiece to the exhibit enabled interaction with primary-age school children through the use of creativity and imagination. They looked at seismic traces of ‘bin bang’ explosions; measured dispersal of projectile ducks; and decided where to place a model house on the island, on which the model volcano sat. Over the 5-days we evolved the activity of the volcano to re-create the 1902 eruption. During the first 3 days, 94 houses were placed around the volcano, but after the cataclysmic eruption mid-week, 12 of these houses were destroyed by simulated pyroclastic flows and lahars down the flanks of the volcano model. Light and sound were key parts of the London Volcano simulation. A sound track was created to mimic the sounds reported by eyewitnesses. Between eruptions, the volcano would intermittently rumble, adding excitement and unpredictability to the eruptions. Explosions were simulated with compressed-CO₂ jets, and a G-flame; but these events were rare. Creative arts are an effective mechanism for transfer of knowledge from communities living with volcanic activity, so artwork from school children living near Tungurahua, Ecuador and poems from school children on Montserrat were on display. The London Volcano was a unique opportunity to engage with over 2,000 people on volcanic risk and what it means to live near a volcano. Encouraging school children to be creative and to use their imagination allowed the volcano to come alive in ways that would have otherwise been impossible.