Maurice Krafft

Maurice Krafft was born on March 26, 1946 in the city of Mulhouse, located in the Alsace region. Maurice Krafft discovered his interest in volcanoes at the age of 7, during a family trip to Naples and the island of Stromboli. He joined the Geological Society of France at the age of 15. He then studied geology at the University of Franche-Comté and then at the University of Strasbourg. During a study trip to Etna in 1966, he met Haroun Tazieff who integrated him into his team, but the two men with strong characters separated. In 1968 he created the Vulcain Team with Roland Haas, then the Cernay Volcanology Center. In 1966, he met Katia at the University of Besançon and they married in 1970. With little money, the Kraffts saved up to pay for a trip to Stromboli and photographed its almost continuous volcanic eruptions. Realizing that people were interested in this documentation of eruptions, they quickly made a career out of filming volcanic eruptions, which allowed them to travel all over the world. For 25 years, they traveled the world together, he favoring the camera, she the camera; Katia and Maurice Krafft were nicknamed the volcano devils by American scientists, thus reflecting a feeling of admiration and recognition for the enthusiasm and passion for the profession expressed by the couple of French volcanologists6.