NATO Collaborative Linkage Grant – Project CLG 978989

Project Coordinator:
Alessandro Tibaldi – University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy.

Other Principal Investigators:
Ponomareva Vera – Institute of Volcanic Geology and Geochemistry; Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences;
Kyle Philip Raymond – New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, USA;
Lees Jonathan M. – Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina, USA;
Kozhurin Andrei Ivan – Geological Institute, Moscow, Russia.

This multidisciplinary joint Russian-US-Italian effort was aimed at understanding the relationship of eruptive activity with major tectonic earthquakes and climate change in subduction-related volcanic arcs, identifying patterns in volcano dynamics and forecasting future significant eruptions with examples from the Kamchatka (Russia) and Aeolian (Italy) arcs. Long-term field experience, extensive data sets, and knowledge on surveillance systems were shared among the participants. We tested hypotheses on the correlation of major tectonic events with volcanism and climate, on their clustering in time and space and the implications these have for volcanic hazard assessment in subduction zones at the global level. We compared our data of Holocene paleo-volcanic and paleoseismic records obtained through field stratigraphic, structural, volcanological and geomorphological surveys and laboratory dating of buried paleosoils. Historical data focused on eruptions, volcanic collapses, and seismicity from international and local networks. Comparison was also made with other records: sea level changes, climate and vegetation changes, non-volcanic landslides, and tsunami occurrence, with the purpose of looking into correlations between major events. Our work had major impacts in terms of the volcanic, seismic, landslide and tsunami hazard assessment, providing a framework for similar studies in a variety of subduction-related areas around the world.