Fire and Brimstone
Volcanic rocks from Italian volcanoes
The case:
These rocks have a fiery origin – they were all erupted from Italian volcanoes whilst molten, then quickly cooled and solidified. They are broadly classified as ‘lava’. By collecting and analysing multiple rock samples from a single volcanic eruption, and from older eruptions at the same volcano, geologists at UCL can assess how the behaviour of that volcano varies over time.
Small compositional differences in the lava will inform predictions about the frequency and severity of future eruptions. Additionally, in teaching about rock types, several similar specimens are required – one for each student in the class.
The collection:
These samples are from the Johnston-Lavis Collection - one of the highlights of UCL Geology Collections. The UCL Geology Collections are an extensive teaching and research resource first established in 1855, consisting of over 130,000 individual geological specimens.
Images:
More images of the objects in this case, and how it was put together, can be seen here
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Treasured islanders 
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Small, but perfectly formed 
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Fire and Brimstone
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