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Volcano Monitoring and Scientific Collaboration along the Pacific Ring of Fire: Japan, Philippines, and Netherlands Indies 1900–1920
Conference paper

Volcano Monitoring and Scientific Collaboration along the Pacific Ring of Fire: Japan, Philippines, and Netherlands Indies 1900–1920

Ghamal Satya Mohammad
The Geological Turn in Asia: Empires, Geological Knowledge, and Geological Agencies (Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore , 04/09/2025–05/09/2025)
04/09/2025
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https://share.google/epVwV42zRIEAPq2PKView
Presentation Volcano Monitoring and Scientific Collaboration along the Pacific Ring of Fire: Japan, Philippines, and Netherlands Indies 1900–1920

Abstract

This paper examines the emergence of volcanological institutions and the exchange of scientific knowledge among Japan, the Philippines, and the Netherlands Indies (Colonial Indonesia) along the Pacific Ring of Fire between 1900 and 1920. Although volcanology was still an emerging science during this period, the urgency to comprehend the nature of numerous active volcanoes intensified following several significant eruptions at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, notably Mount Taal (1911), Mount Sakurajima (1914), and Mount Kelud (1919). In each country, scientists’ initiatives were pivotal in advancing systematic volcanological research and observation. These efforts were strengthened by the governments’ increasingly humanitarian and technocratic responses to catastrophic natural disasters. In 1900-1920, Japan emerged as the leading country in developing an integrated volcano monitoring system, establishing the first permanent observatory in the region, and advancing instrumental volcano seismology through the work of its scientists. Japan’s model of integrating scientific expertise with state-supported institutions influenced developments in other country, particularly the Netherlands Indies, which led to the establishment of the Volcano Monitoring Service. In contrast, institutional constraints hindered the progress of the Philippine Weather Bureau. Drawing on a range of historical sources, this paper demonstrates that the development of volcanological research and monitoring in these three countries relied heavily on the transmission and exchange of information about volcanism among scientists across colonial and imperial boundaries.

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