1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 From: Armin Freundt <afreundt@xxxxxxxxx> Dear colleagues, It is with great sadness that we communicate the death of Hans-Ulrich Schmincke. After a short illness he passed away in his sleep on August 24 at age 86. After completing his M.A. and PhD studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, Hans-Ulrich quickly became one of the most influential volcanologists word-wide. As professor at the University of Heidelberg (1965-1969) and later the new Ruhr-University Bochum (1969-1989) he inspired many students about the wonders of volcanology and modern approaches to volcanological research. His long-term studies of the Canary Islands, particularly Gran Canaria, and the Eifel volcanic fields yielded milestone achievements in understanding intraplate volcanism, ocean island evolution, ignimbrites, phreatomagmatic eruptions as well as magma evolution from source to eruption. This was a major motivation for his initiation of the IAVCEI International Volcanological Congress 1990 in Germany. His research activities also involved him as co-chief scientist in deep drilling into the Troodos ophiolite on Cyprus, into volcanic successions on Iceland, and ODP-drilling into the volcaniclastic apron around Gran Canaria. Already in the 1990's, he initiated a project to investigate the influence of volcanism on climate (together with Hans Graf). A full professor at GEOMAR, Kiel, since 1990, he created the new department of volcanology and petrology, established a graduate school on the "Dynamics of global cycles within the system Earth", and co-initiated the collaborative research centre SFB 574 on "Volatiles and fluids in subduction zones". His many publications on a wide range of volcanological, petrological and geochemical topics are still widely read and speak for themselves. The book "Pyroclastic rocks" (1984), co-authored with Richard Fisher, was the first comprehensive work on the subject. From 1985 through 2016 he presented his annual short course "pyroclastic rocks" at many locations around the globe, emphasizing the importance of these deposits in understanding volcano-magma systems and their eruptive phenomena. His book "Volcanism" (2004) has appeared in German, English and Japanese and became a standard textbook. These and other publications document his skills in presenting research results to students and scholars alike. They also clearly highlight Hans-Ulrich's emphasis on field studies to understand volcanological systems, a concept he also passed on to the 40 PhD students he guided throughout his career, many of whom developed their own successful careers in science. As general secretary of the IAVCEI (1983-1991) and chief-editor of Bulletin of Volcanology (1985-1995) he helped both bodies transition into the modern scientific organizations which they now are. His achievements have been honored both nationally and internationally by many awards, in particular the Thorarinsson Medal 1993, Honorary Membership 2004 of the IAVCEI and 2012 of the IUGG, the Leibniz award of the German Research Foundation (DFG) 1991, the Hans-Stille-Medal of the German Geological Society 2001 (Geologische Gesellschaft) and Steinmann Medal from the German Geological Union (Geologische Vereinigung) 2012, and most recently also the Medal of Merit from the Prime Minister of the State of Rheinland-Pfalz (2023) for his long-term efforts to communicate volcanology to the public, among other things through Geopark foundation. He also was a founding member and later honorary chairman of the Deutsche Vulkanologische Gesellschaft in Mendig, Eifel. For us, his family, his colleagues, friends and former students, Hans-Ulrich lives on in his great influence on all of us, specifically through his scientific approach and thinking, including his manner of hands-on teaching in the field. He will be greatly missed by us all. Mari Sumita, Colin Devey, Kaj Hoernle, Gerhard Wörner, Cornelia Park, Thor Hansteen, Steffen Kutterolf, Armin Freundt for all colleagues and former students of Hans-Ulrich *Condolences may be directed to his wife Mari Sumita at msumita@xxxxxxxxx <msumita@xxxxxxxxx>* 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 ------------------------------
