When Whakaari (White Island) in New Zealand unexpectedly erupted in December 2019, more than 40 tourists found themselves trapped on a small island that was exploding. The hot gases and water, flying rocks and ash killed 21 people during that eruption. This tragedy was a wake-up call for tour operators who would regularly bring people to this restless volcano in the Bay of Plenty. It is a volcano that produces steam-driven explosions that come with little warning, and it is these types of blasts that have killed dozens of people on volcanoes around the world over the past decade.
Part of the problem is how we think about volcanic danger. What people want is a prediction — when exactly will the volcano erupt? The volcanological community isn't in the game of prediction because we just don't know enough about what exactly triggers an eruption to be that precise.
Instead, volcano ...
