Meet the People Living in the Shadow of Volcanoes
Growing up, Olivares was steeped in legends about the fiery mountains looming around him. That's why he was inspired to travel to many of the countries that host active volcanoes, documenting their natural power and unique influence over the people who thrive around their slopes. In Ecuador, he met Blanca Regina Jarrin, who lives with her husband and son near the volcano known as Cotopaxi. “I feel respect for the volcano,” Jarrin says, “and I’ve learned to adapt and live with it.”
In 2015, Cotopaxi rumbled to life and spread ash into the nearby town of Joseguango Alto. But volcanic threats haven’t deterred many long-time residents. In 1877, destructive mudflows called lahars rolled down the mountain's flanks and buried hundreds of people alive. Today, communities sit atop the remnants of those century-old lahars.
Tungurahua has been erupting since 1999, making it one of Ecuador’s most active volcanoes. Here, the mountain is seen spewing a column of ash six miles into the air in 2014.
In 1783, the Laki volcano erupted for eight months, producing intense lava flows and steam-driven explosions during one of the largest volcanic events in recorded history. At Eldraun, seen here, lava flowed from a large fissure and caused groundwater to evaporate rapidly, leaving behind a landscape of rocky wrinkles and patches of moss.
Also known among Icelandic residents as Hverir, the Namafjall geothermal field just south of the Krafla volcano is populated with boiling mud pots, fumaroles, and sulfur crystals, which give the region a distinctive stench.
A family enjoys a meal in a greenhouse heated by geothermal energy in the Icelandic town of Friðheimar. Iceland has embraced the volcanoes sitting in close proximity to people, running many operations across the country with geothermal power plants.
At Landmannalaugar in Iceland, the landscape bears evidence of sulfurous vapors that escaped from lava flows and corroded the rock, coloring it yellow, blue, and green. For people, gases released from volcanoes can irritate eyes and skin, cause respiratory issues, and even death.
A farmer in Indonesia checks her tomato plants for volcanic ash during an eruption of the Sinabung volcano in 2013.
Although it sat dormant for about 400 years, the Sinabung volcano has been particularly active of late. An eruption in 2014 killed 17 people and forced more than 33,000 people to flee their homes. Sinabung erupted again as recently as February of this year, but no fatal injuries were reported.
The 2014 eruption of the Sinabung volcano was one of the region's most destructive, sending heated ash clouds like this one rolling down the volcano's slopes and threatening nearby towns.
The Fogo volcano is a vital part of the nation of Cape Verde, a volcanic archipelago off Africa’s northwest coast. But life on Fogo can also be hugely disruptive. The small town of Chã das Caldeiras, seen here, sits overrun and abandoned during an eruption in late 2014.
Olivares photographed the Fogo volcano in 2014, when an eruption completely destroyed two towns on the island.
The soil surrounding the Fogo volcano is extremely fertile, as is the case around many of the world’s active peaks. Farmers can grow a variety of foods in the nutrient-rich volcanic plains, such as fruit, beans, coffee, and wine grapes.
Normally, the Volcán de Agua volcano dominates the landscape around Santa María de Jesús, Guatemala, but here, clouds obscure the view. The Kaqchikel people call this volcano Hunahpu, which translates to “place of flowers.”
Volcán de Agua earns its name from its ability to produce devastating mudflows. One flow famously destroyed a conquistador settlement in 1541, which the Kaqchikel saw as an act of volcanic revenge.
Juan Mixtun Cuma (far right) is an indigenous Maya shaman who heals people with plants grown in the fertile soil near Volcán de Agua.
In Italy, eruptions from the Stromboli volcano are such constant events, the volcano has taken on an almost spiritual significance. Many tourists—such as Kerstin Gaecklein, seen here—trek to the top of the 3,000-foot peak to pay their respects.
Constant but mild explosive eruptions have been recorded from Stromboli since 1932, but locals have known the mountain to be active for the past thousand years.
Mario Caccetta, 59, is a fisherman living near Stromboli. The volcano’s jet-like bursts of lava are so distinctive that scientists use the phrase "strombolian" to characterize other active volcanoes around the world.
At night, explosions from Stromboli give off an incandescent glow that can guide sailors back to shore, earning it the nickname “lighthouse of the Mediterranean.”
A man prays at his home in the town of Besakih, which was partially overtaken by an eruption from the nearby Mount Agung volcano.
In 1963, a devastating eruption from Mount Agung created pyroclastic flows and lahars that caused massive structural damage and fatalities. The volcano didn't erupt again until 2017, but that event forced thousands of people to evacuate.
In the town of Besakih, dogs wait for their owners while Mount Agung glows in the distance.
As of June 2018, Mount Agung has simmered down. But given the volcano’s history, those who live in its shadow expect that quiet rumblings will inevitably turn into thunderous eruptions.