Geoff Wadge, a pioneering volcanologist who revolutionized the use of remote sensing to monitor active volcanoes, has died aged 76. He was renowned for applying radar to detect ground movements before eruptions begin, reducing the need for scientists to visit dangerous areas near volcanoes.
Early life and education
Born in Burnley, Lancashire, to John Wadge and Doris (nee Owen), who ran a corner shop, Geoff attended Burnley grammar school. Inspired by teenage interests in pot-holing and the outdoors, he pursued a geology degree at Imperial College London in 1968, followed by a PhD studying Mount Etna in Sicily.
Career in volcanology
In 1975, he became a lecturer in geology at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. After four years, he moved to the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, to research Caribbean tectonics and begin his work on remote sensing for active volcanoes. In 1982, he joined the Seismic Research Unit at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, monitoring eastern Caribbean volcanoes, before returning to the UK as a senior research fellow in meteorology at the University of Reading.
Montserrat prediction
In 1985, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, he assessed the Soufrière Hills volcano in Montserrat with the Seismic Research Unit. Their 1987 report warned the government that the volcano could soon become active; it erupted from 1995 to 2010. Geoff later chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee for Montserrat from 2003 to 2014, assessing hazard and risk.
Later career and legacy
He worked at Reading University until 2020, serving as director of its Environmental Systems Science Centre for the last eight years, focusing on environmental data and Earth observation. In 2015, he received the Murchison Medal from the Geological Society of London. Outside work, he was passionate about Morris dancing, teaching it to staff at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, and loved Caribbean music, once performing with singer Arrow at a conference. He married Linda Grace, a bookkeeper, in 1982. She survives him, along with their children Hester and Sam, and grandson Alfred.
