In this talk, we will first discuss what causes volcanoes to develop, what drives them and what controls their distribution. They are represented by a huge range of types, size, shapes, age and level of danger to us so we will examine the reasons for this variety and what it tells us about their history.

There will be lots of illustrations from the birthplace of volcanoes to what a super volcano looks like and how far away from it you should be. We will also discuss the importance of volcanoes in human development and as the principal diamond provider for the planet. Finally, we will take a trip to some of the most famous volcanoes (including the Scottish ones) and talk about their geological legacy.

I was one of the lucky few who did A level Geology (at Worthing High School) which gave me a life long addiction to the study of rocks of all kinds and the processes by which they were formed. It also meant that I got to do field work in many parts of the world (starting with the exotic Imperial College in geologically renowned South Kensington).

I did my PhD on ancient reefs in Calgary in Canada, which was very conveniently situated next to the Rockies, and then joined Shell to work in their research laboratory in the Hague. After a few years working for HMG in London as the North Sea oil industry rapidly expanded I then spent the following 30 years working as a consultant for a number of companies around the world including working for BP as an independent advisor for 20 years.

Geologists rarely restrict themselves to one area of specialisation and the extensive business travel allowed me to visit classic examples around the world of the results of plate tectonics and volcanoes and use these to illustrate my Rottingdean lectures.