The Colima and Popocatepetl volcanoes in Mexico, at great distances from each other, are both erupting. Colima or “Fire Volcano” is the most active in the Colima Volcanic Complex, and it has had continuous episodes of activity since November 2015.
VLAC Roundtable Discussion at the AIA 2016 in San Francisco
Thank you to everyone who participated in the informal roundtable discussion on volcanic landscape archaeology at the Archaeological Institute of America annual meeting in San Francisco. We had many archaeologists working at sites across the Mediterranean, confronting issues with volcanic landscapes and materials from different time periods and cultures. The roundtable was an initial step in building the community of scholars within VLAC; we are also in communication with scholars working outside of the Mediterranean.
We are building the Community pages of Scholars and Projects for this site. If you go to the ‘Community’ tab and drop down to ‘Scholars’ and ‘Projects’, this will take you to forms to include your details that can be directly submitted. These pages will go live in the near future.
Many thanks,
C.A. Murray
Volcanic Landsape Archaeology Roundtable Discussion
Volcanic Landscape Archaeology: There will be an informal roundtable discussion at the AIA Conference on Volcanic Landscape Archaeology on Friday from 12:15 to 1:45 in the Grand Ballroom A&B, however, to avoid clashes with the paper sessions that day (10:45-12:45 and 1:45-4:45), I would like to suggest a time of 1:00-1:30 for the core discussion. Hope to see you there.
C.A. Murray
Pantelleria Project Update- Archaeological Institute of America 2016 Annual Meeting
Carrie Murray and Clive Vella will be presenting the results of the 2015 BUAPP Season at the AIA Annual Meeting in San Francisco– Session 1F on Thursday 7 January at 8:00 am in Plaza Room B, Lobby Level: “The Building Blocks of a Punic and Roman Community: Excavations at the Lago di Venere Site, Pantelleria”. Hope to see you there.
Mount Etna Erupts
One of Mount Etna’s five craters erupted on November 3rd, 2015. The night sky of eastern Sicily lit up when the Voragine crater of Etna was crowned by lightning produced by the ash and smoke emitted by the volcano. Nearby villages have been covered with ash, and the Catania Fontanarossa Airport has closed. 
Please see the articles linked below for further information:
Volcanic Eruption in Japan
Mount Aso, a volcano on Japan’s main southern island, Kyushu, erupted yesterday (September 13, 2015).
Guardian coverage of the eruption is linked here with a video footage.
Marking the anniversary of the eruption of Vesuvius on August 24, 79 CE
The destructive powers of Vesuvius’ eruption on August 24, 79 CE ensured the incredible preservation of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and numerous villas in Campania.
In current news:
A Forbes Tech article marking the anniversary includes a discussion of ancient sources.
The Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto) special exhibition, Pompeii: In the Shadow of the Volcano (open until January 3, 2016), includes an incredible array of artifacts from a number of collections, including the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli and Soprintendenza Speciale Pompei Ercolano Stabia.
The twin eruptions of the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile
The twin eruptions of the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile have led to evacuations of the area. The initial eruption on Wednesday marked the first time the volcano had erupted since 1972.
Sending best wishes to all those affected by the sudden eruption.
New York Times updates:
www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/world/americas/chile-volcano-spews-dangerous-ash.html
www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/04/23/world/americas/ap-lt-chile-volcano-erupts.html
Footage of the eruption:
www.weather.com/news/news/chile-calbuco-volcano-eruption-evacuations-alerts
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Volcanic Landscape Archaeology Collective 