This article was taken from the September 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by https://www.magazineboutique.co.uk/store/custompage.asp?customid=349.
Bill McGuire is professor of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL. In 1996, he was senior scientist at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory at the time of the first recorded explosive eruption of the Caribbean island's Soufrière Hills volcano. Thirty-five years of fieldwork around the world has taught him the golden rules of surviving an eruption, which he shares here.
Take a guide
"Never climb to the summit of an active volcano without an experienced guide -- and even then think twice about getting too close. More than a dozen of my volcanologist colleagues have lost their lives 'in action' over the last 20 years, so even the experts make mistakes."
Don't run instantly
"If you hear a rumbling noise or an explosion when you are at the summit, don't run straight away. If the volcano has ejected blocks of solidified rock, running blindly is not the safest option. Look up. If anything is falling, try to work out its trajectory to avoid being hit. If the explosion is sustained, there is no option but to leg it and hope for the best."
Take the high road
"If you are caught in a major eruption anywhere within 10km of the summit, keep to high ground and away from valleys and canyons. If the eruption generates deadly mud-flows or lethal surges of burning ash and gas, they will travel down valleys and spread out across low ground."
Avoid ashy buildings
"When ash is falling heavily and accumulating rapidly, do not shelter in a building. Ash is very heavy and just 30cm of wet ash can cause a roof to collapse, killing or trapping anybody within."
Get out of the way
"If the hurtling, churning masses of gas and ash with temperatures of several hundred degrees Centigrade are heading your way, ignore tip
#4 and seek shelter. One breath of the superheated toxic mixture can bring instant death. Keep away from windows, curl into a ball and protect your head and face."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
