Those Kraffty Kraffts!

Introduction

For those of you who are unaware of the Krafft legacy: Maurice and Katia Krafft were perhaps the two most famous volcanologists of all time. Together, they were able to capture incredible footage of some of the most active volcanoes on earth. They also wrote many books, which contributed heavily to the field of volcanology. The main thing that distinguished the Kraffts from many other volcanologists was the fact that when it came to volcanoes, they had no fear. The Kraffts were willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of getting upclose footage of a basaltic lava flow, or a pyroclastic cloud. Unfortunately, their fearlessness eventually lead to their untimely death in 1991, when the couple were filming an eruption of Mt. Unzen in Japan. Nevertheless, the Kraffts were able to obtain visuals that were thought to be unattainable. Although many of their colleagues thought them the be crazy, Maurice and Katia Krafft have become household names in the world of geology.

Kraffty Or Krazy?

Maurice Krafft and Katia Conrad were both natives to the town of Alsace in France. Being literally surrounded by numerous aspects of nature, they both developed an interest in the geological world at an early age. Maurice's interest in volcanoes came into being when he was ten years old. His parents took him to see the famous Stromboli volcano, and his life was forever changed. At age 14, he became a member of the French Geological Society. Katia developed her interest in volcanoes through geological films. Her enthusiasm convinced her parents to allow her to see volcanoes up close, and so they went and observed them on the island of Sicily. Both Maurice and Katia attended the University of Strasbourg, where they recieved Master's Degrees in the area of volconology. They spent their years at the university voyaging to some of the most volcanically active sites on earth. In 1970, Maurice and Katia got married, but that certainly didn't affect their passion for volcanoes. The Kraffts visited every volcanic site on every continent, being sure to get as much documentation of their sites as possible. It certainly seemed as if the Kraffts were unstoppable in their quest for the research of volcanoes, and it's quite possible that that was the case. Their quest had an incredible 25 year run. Sadly, it came to a grinding halt on June 3, 1991. The Kraffts were eager to film an eruption of Mt. Unzen on the island of Kyushu. Even Maurice Krafft admitted that Mt. Unzen was probably one of the most dangerous volcanoes on earth. While the Kraffts were filming the pyroclastic flow which was emerging rapidy from the mountain, it took an unexpected turn. The flow headed directly towards the site where the Kraffts were shooting, and they were instantly vaporized. Although the Kraffts perished in the deadly flow, fellow Japanese geologists were able to recover a good amount of their footage. The Kraffts were no more, but their legacy remained intact.

What They Brought Back

Known among their American colleagues as the "volcano devils", the Kraffts were able to collect an incredible amount of documentation of volcanic activities. Of course, quantity does not equal quality. The aspect which made the Kraffts' footage extremely valuable was it's chilling accuracy, as well as it's abilty to shock and amaze viewers. Over the 25 years that the couple recorded volcanic material, they obtained over 300,000 photographes and 300 hours of footage. Using the footage, the Kraffts made five of their major films: "Volcanoes of Europe", "Volcanoes of Africa", "Volcanoes of Asia", "The World's Most Beautiful Volcanoes", and "Volcanoes and Humans". Following their success, the Kraffts were subjects of numerous interviews and television specials. Perhaps the most well known quote made by Maurice Krafft was one in which he expressed his desire to be able to build a canoe and paddle it down a lava flow, and being able to make volcanic measurements. Several American institutions became interested in the Kraffts work. The Smithsonian Institution and the Jaggar Museum in Hawaii were able to obtain some of the Kraffts' work and make it available for the general public. Maurice Kraffts was known for writing books related to volcanoes. The subject matter of most of his books was related to volcanic hazards and how we can work to prevent them.

You can find some of the videos and images that were recorded by Maurice and Katia at this site:

http://www.imagesdevolcans.fr/video.aspx

How They Changed the World of Geosciences

The impact that the Kraffts had on the scientific community was truly revolutionary. The most important contribution that the Kraffts made to the world of geology was the in-your-face footage that was documented by them. The videos of basaltic lava flows, pyroclastic debris, and especially interior activity spawned an entirely new approach to creating volcano documentaries. Whenever one watches a special on volcanoes on channels such as PBS or the Discovery Channel, almost all of the images and videos used in the documentary are the ones taken by the Kraffts. Because of the couples numerous travels, scientists have been able to use the data that the Kraffts collected to enhance their research. The books written by Maurice Kraffts about volcanic hazards have helped communities who live near volcanoes, and have given them a general understanding of how volcanoes can be destructive and which measures they can take to try and avoid volcanic wrath. In a way, the Kraffts have made volcanology much more exciting. People who watch the videos made by the Kraffts can experience the awesome power of active volcanoes without having to worry about being caught in it's destructive path. Maurice and Katia Krafft

Literature Cited

Krafft, Maurice. Volcanoes: Fire from the Earth. Henry M. Abrahams. New York: 1991.

Sigurdsson, Haraldur. Melting the Earth: The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions.

Oxford University Press. New York: 1999.

Thompson, Richard. Volcano Cowboys: The Rocky Evolution of a Dangerous Science. Thomas Dunne Books.

New York: 2000.

http://archives.arte-tv.com/science/volcans/ftext/bio.htm

http://www.soultz68.fr/F/choisir/soultziens/krafft.html

http://www.alsapresse.com/jdj/05/03/27/IRF/article_19.html

http://www.lave-volcans.com/gdesfig_krafft_hommage.html

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vw_news/krafft.html

Link to other Student Webpages for 2005 Earlham Physical Geology

Copyright © 2004 Earlham College. Revised April 10, 2005 . Send corrections or comments to parkero@earlham.edu