Monday, June 13, 2016
Twenty-five years ago, a small team of Philippine and US scientists worked feverishly to forecast what newly-awakened Mount Pinatubo might do, and to alert everyone from indigenous peoples to high tech military about what to expect and the possible need to evacuate. Skepticism was high and had to be overcome with a combination of video, hard facts and numbers, and personal trust. Uncertainties were also high, which required erring on the side of safety and being willing to be wrong. Dr. Chris Newhall, USGS (ret.), will highlight the pre-eruption preparation and introduce the eruption, and Dr. Renato Solidum, Director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, will trace events from the eruption through long-lasting lahars.
Program Partners: The Carnegie Institution for Science, The Embassy of the Philippines in Washington D.C., The United States Geological Survey, and The Smithsonian Institution
