2002 Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 61-68
This paper firstly addresses that Quaternary tephrochronology should provide basic guidelines for predicting future explosive volcanism, frequency and magnitude. Secondly, application of such studies to archeology and human occupation of volcanic areas is explored using a case study of prehistoric cataclysmic eruptions and their impacts on human beings and the environment. A large volcanic eruption generated significant change in nature and culture in volcanically active area like Japan. The principal mechanism concerned appears to be that of landscape change, which made large-scale adaptation and readjustment necessary. The paper illustrates the wide range of research tools which may be adopted to determine the relationship between an archeological site and the hazards present in the natural environment.
