ABSTRACT
Today, about 500 million people are at risk from volcanic hazards. In the past 500 years, over 200,000 people have lost their lives due to volcanic eruptions. An average of 845 people died each year between 1900 and 1986 from volcanic hazards and for the next years, these numbers are predicted rising (Tilling, 1991 & 2005). The reason is not due to increased volcanism, but to an increase in the amount of people populating the area surrounding the active volcanoes. In Europe, this is the case of the Neapolitan area (Italy), where Vesuvius and Phlegrean Fields volcanic complexes threaten the safety of about one million of people. Instead, in the rest of the World, metropolitan areas, like Tokyo (Mt. Fuji), Mexico City (Popocatépetl) and Auckland (Auckland Field) are affected by eruptive risk.
