Volcanoes News

October 7, 2016

Exhaling Earth: Forecasting Volcanic Eruptions

Growing Threat from Japanese Volcano

Curious Case of Mount Etna's Wandering Craters

Record-Breaking Volcanic Kettle On Iceland

Latest Headlines

updated 2:00am EDT

Volcano Emissions Linked to Increases in Asthma Attacks

Sep. 27, 2016 — A new study from the active volcano K?lauea, which is on the big island of Hawaii, reports that people -- especially children -- with asthma are at greater risk of having serious asthma attacks if ... read more

Magma-Limestone Interaction Can Trigger Explosive Volcanic Eruptions and Affect the Global Carbon Cycle

Aug. 7, 2016 — New research shows what happens when magma meets limestone on its way up to the surface. Magma-limestone interaction might ... read more

Traces of Failed Super-Eruption in the Andes

Aug. 2, 2016 — Geoscientists have discovered accumulations of magma in the Andes sufficient to have set off a super-eruption but which, in fact, did not. Such eruptions, which expel ... read more

Distant Volcanic Eruptions Foster Saguaro Cacti Baby Booms

July 25, 2016 — Volcanic climate perturbations that delivered cold and stormy weather to much of the Northern Hemisphere generated a combination of conditions in the Sonoran Desert that were ... read more

Magma Build-Up May Put Salvadoran Capital at Risk

July 25, 2016 — The build-up of magma six kilometres below El Salvador’s Ilopango caldera means the capital city of San Salvador may be at risk from future eruptions, researchers have ... read more

Gas Causing Ground to Rise Near Bay of Naples Volcano

July 12, 2016 — New work by Italian geochemists seems to indicate that the current ground movement around one of the world's most dangerous volcano systems may be due to gas pressure, and not because of a surge of ... read more

Penguin Colonies at Risk from Erupting Volcano

July 6, 2016 — A volcano erupting on a small island in the Sub Antarctic is depositing ash over one of the world's largest penguin colonies. Zavodovski Island is a small island in the South ... read more

Crystal Movement Under Mount St Helens May Have Indicated 1980 Eruption Was Likely

June 29, 2016 — A study of how crystals moved in magma under the Mount St Helens volcano before the 1980 eruption may have signaled that an ... read more

Asteroid Day Will Draw Eyes to the Stars, but the More Urgent Threat May Be Under Our Feet

June 29, 2016 — Knowing when an asteroid could impact Earth would be nice, but learning more about the impact a super volcano eruption at Yellowstone would have on ... read more

Volcanoes Get Quiet Before They Erupt

June 23, 2016 — Until now, there has not been a way to forecast eruptions of restless volcanoes because of the constant seismic activity and gas and steam emissions. Volcanologists have ... read more

Costa Rica Volcano Continues to Emit Ash

Costa Rica Turrialba Volcano Erupts Twice

Into the Abyss: Exploring Underwater Volcanoes

Erupting Mexico Volcano Fills Blue Sky With Dark Ash

Arc Volcano Releases Mix of Material from Earth's Mantle and Crust

June 13, 2016 — Basalt from a common type of volcano shows a surprising contribution from the descending oceanic plate. Analyses show that magnesium atoms are somehow drawn out of the crust, deep below the ... read more

Satellite Data Could Help Reduce Flights Sidelined by Volcanic Eruptions

May 13, 2016 — A volcano erupting and spewing ash into the sky can cover nearby areas under a thick coating of ash and can also have consequences for aviation safety. Airline traffic changes due to a recent ... read more

Accounting for Volcanoes Using Tools of Economics

Apr. 20, 2016 — Scientists can read old descriptions of eruptions and analyze ash deposits captured in polar ice, but consistently estimating the climate impact of past eruptions has been difficult. A new technique ... read more

Two Volcanoes Trigger Crises of the Late Antiquity

Apr. 19, 2016 — Contemporary chronicles, archaeological studies and physical evidence all point to severe climatic changes and ensuing social crises in the middle of the 6th century. New data from ice cores suggest ... read more

Volcanic Eruptions: How Bubbles Lead to Disaster

Apr. 13, 2016 — Why are volcanologists interested in vapor bubbles? Because they can accumulate in a magma reservoir underneath a volcano, priming it to explode. Researchers have now discovered how bubbles are able ... read more

Shifting Sands on Mars

Apr. 4, 2016 — Researchers are traveling to Iceland to better understand sand dunes found all over the planet Mars. They hope the Iceland site will show how Martian sands have changed, which could yield more clues ... read more

Ancient Super-Eruptions in Yellowstone Hotspot Track 'Significantly Larger' Than Expected

Mar. 24, 2016 — Researchers report 12 giant eruptions around the Snake River Plain in the United States between 8 and 12 million years ... read more

Making Magma Helps Researchers Understand Volcanoes

Mar. 21, 2016 — The best way to figure out how something is made is to take it apart and put it back together again. That is what researchers have focused on in order to understand active volcanoes in ... read more

Aviation and Volcanic Ash: Don't Build Model on Sand

Mar. 14, 2016 — Volcanic ash can damage jet engines, and volcanologists have developed a new empirical model for assessment of the risk. Their results show that tests using sand do not reflect the behavior of ash in ... read more

How Rivers of Hot Ash and Gas Move When a Supervolcano Erupts

Mar. 7, 2016 — A new study sheds light on what happens when a supervolcano erupts, providing insight on how rivers of hot ash and gas called pyroclastic flows manage to travel huge distances of over 100 miles ... read more

How to Make a Tiny Volcanic Island

Feb. 26, 2016 — On Nov. 20 2013, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force discovered a small islet near Nishinoshima volcano, Ogasawara Islands, Japan. The exact date of the initial eruption that spawned the islet is ... read more

New Cause of Strong Earthquakes Found

Feb. 10, 2016 — A geologic event known as diking can cause strong earthquakes -- with a magnitude between 6 and 7, according to an international research team. Diking can occur all over the world but most often ... read more

Study Challenges Widely Accepted Theory of Yellowstone Formation

Feb. 10, 2016 — Understanding the complex geological processes that form supervolcanoes could ultimately help geologists determine what triggers their eruptions. A new study using an advanced computer model casts ... read more

Water Plus Magma Equals Increased Explosivity

Feb. 10, 2016 — When water interacts with magma, it can dramatically increase the explosivity of the eruption. However, water in the eruption cloud can also increase the rate at which the particles aggregate into ... read more

Unrest and Eruptions With Monogenetic Volcanoes

Feb. 9, 2016 — Seismic, deformation, and gas activity (unrest) typically precedes volcanic eruptions. Tracking the changes of this activity with monitoring data makes it increasingly possible to successfully ... read more

New Cause of Strong Earthquakes Discovered

Feb. 8, 2016 — A geologic event known as diking can cause strong earthquakes -- with a magnitude between 6 and 7, according to an international research ... read more

Lava Flow Crisis Averted (for Now)

Feb. 2, 2016 — Lava flow crises are nothing new on Hawai'i, where their destructive forces have been demonstrated repeatedly. The 2014-2015 Pahoa lava flow crisis, however, was unique in terms of its societal ... read more

Increase in Volcanic Eruptions at the End of the Ice Age Caused by Melting Ice Caps and Erosion

Feb. 1, 2016 — Researchers have found that glacial erosion and melting ice caps both played a key role in driving the observed global increase in volcanic activity at the end of the last ice ... read more

Rapid Formation of Bubbles in Magma May Trigger Sudden Volcanic Eruptions

Feb. 1, 2016 — It has long been observed that some volcanoes erupt with little prior warning. Now, scientists have come up with an explanation behind these sudden eruptions that could change the way observers ... read more

Scientists Detect Deep Carbon Emissions Associated With Continental Rifting

Jan. 19, 2016 — Scientists are studying carbon emissions through fault systems in the East African Rift (EAR) in an effort to understand carbon emissions from Earth's interior and how it affects the ... read more

Monday, June 13, 2016

Arc volcano releases mix of material from Earth's mantle and crust

Friday, May 13, 2016

Satellite data could help reduce flights sidelined by volcanic eruptions

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Accounting for volcanoes using tools of economics

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Two volcanoes trigger crises of the late antiquity

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Volcanic eruptions: How bubbles lead to disaster

Monday, April 4, 2016

Shifting sands on Mars

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Ancient super-eruptions in Yellowstone Hotspot track 'significantly larger' than expected

Monday, March 21, 2016

Making magma helps researchers understand volcanoes

Monday, March 14, 2016

Aviation and volcanic ash: Don't build model on sand

Monday, March 7, 2016

How rivers of hot ash and gas move when a supervolcano erupts

Friday, February 26, 2016

How to make a tiny volcanic island

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Unrest and eruptions with monogenetic volcanoes

Monday, February 8, 2016

New cause of strong earthquakes discovered

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Lava flow crisis averted (for now)

Monday, February 1, 2016

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Scientists detect deep carbon emissions associated with continental rifting

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Evidence of large volcanic activity in the Caribbean uncovered

Monday, January 11, 2016

Expedition probes undersea magma system

Monday, January 4, 2016

Saturday, December 19, 2015

10,000-year record shows dramatic uplift at Andean volcano

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Iceland volcano's eruption shows how sulfur particles influence clouds

Friday, November 20, 2015

Expedition explores remote Galapagos home of rare tortoises

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Computer model developed for predicting the dispersion of vog

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Supervolcanoes likely triggered externally

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Scientists develop a new method for predicting volcanic eruptions

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

New 'geospeedometer' confirms super-eruptions have short fuses

Monday, October 5, 2015

Volcanic eruptions affect flow of world's major rivers

Friday, October 2, 2015

Signs of ancient mega-tsunami could portend modern hazard

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Icelandic volcano's toxic gas is triple that of Europe's industry

Monday, September 14, 2015

Upslope migration of tropical plants due to climate change

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

American volcanoes: Complacency, uncertainty contribute to risks

Monday, August 31, 2015

Volcanic eruptions: Properties of magma influence forecasts

Friday, August 21, 2015

Identifying the factors that contribute to flood fatalities

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Helium anomaly preceded Mount Ontake eruption

Monday, August 10, 2015

Carbon dioxide-spewing volcano drives reef from coral to algae

Friday, August 7, 2015

NASA simulation indicates ancient flood volcanoes could have altered climate

Monday, July 27, 2015

Twin volcanic chains above a single hotspot with distinct roots

Monday, July 20, 2015

Eruption of Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland spread SO2 pollutants over Europe

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Carbon dioxide pools discovered in Aegean Sea

Monday, July 13, 2015

Submerged volcano cluster discovered off coast of Sydney

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Creating a stopwatch for volcanic eruptions

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Monitoring volcanoes with ground-based atomic clocks

Monday, June 29, 2015

Indonesian mud volcano likely human-caused, study suggests

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Scientists persuade volcanoes to tell their stories

Monday, June 1, 2015

Highly explosive volcanism at Galapagos

Thursday, May 14, 2015

New trigger for volcanic eruptions discovered using jelly and lasers

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Study attributes varying explosivity to gaseous state within volcanic conduits

Monday, May 11, 2015

Noise produces volcanic seismicity, akin to a drumbeat

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Explosive volcanoes fueled by water

Monday, May 4, 2015

Undersea volcano: Axial Seamount off Northwest coast is erupting

Friday, May 1, 2015

Seafloor sensors record possible eruption of underwater volcano

Friday, April 24, 2015

Geothermal energy, aluto volcano, and Ethiopia's rift valley

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Magma intrusion is likely source of Columbia-Ecuador border quake swarms

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

200th anniversary of Tambora eruption a reminder of volcanic perils

Monday, March 30, 2015

Volcanic eruptions found to durably impact climate through alterations to North Atlantic Ocean circulation

Monday, March 16, 2015

Scientists fly kites on Earth to study Mars

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Ancient Caribbean tsunami caused by volcano collapse smaller than thought

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Lightning plus volcanic ash make glass

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Yellowstone: Geysers erupt periodically because they have loops in their plumbing

Monday, February 16, 2015

Ancient rocks show life could have flourished on Earth 3.2 billion years ago

Monday, February 9, 2015

Understanding the copper heart of volcanoes: Scientists find link between volcanism and the formation of copper ore

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Role of gravitational instabilities in volcanic ash deposition: The example of Eyjafjallajökull

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Fossils survive volcanic eruption to tell us about the origin of the Canary Islands

Friday, January 16, 2015

Volcanic eruption on Cape Verde Island

Monday, December 15, 2014

Scientists observe the Earth grow a new layer under an Icelandic volcano

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Source of volcanoes may be much closer than thought: Geophysicists challenge traditional theory underlying origin of mid-plate volcanoes

Monday, December 1, 2014

Exploring a large, restless volcanic field in Chile

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Volcanic ash clouds can cross Atlantic Ocean

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Small volcanic eruptions could be slowing global warming

Monday, November 10, 2014

Kilauea, 1790 and today

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Magma pancakes beneath Indonesia's Lake Toba: Subsurface sources of mega-eruptions

Friday, October 24, 2014

Icelandic volcano sits on massive magma hot spot

Friday, October 17, 2014

Australian volcanic mystery explained

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Journey to the center of the Earth: Geochemist uses helium and lead isotopes to gain insight into makeup of planet’s deep interior

Friday, September 26, 2014

Suomi NPP satellite data used for mitigating aviation-related volcanic hazards

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Mysterious volcanic eruption of 1808 described

Monday, September 15, 2014

How a change in slope affects lava flows

Friday, September 12, 2014

Iberian Peninsula endured tropical storms in the 18th century and severe droughts in Islamic times

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Yellowstone supereruption would send ash across North America

Friday, August 22, 2014

Citizen scientists saving lives around deadly 'Throat of Fire' volcano

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Gasses from Kilauea volcano affected tropical storm Flossie formation

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Jeju Island, Korea is a live volcano

Friday, July 18, 2014

Catastrophic debris avalanches: A second volcanic hazard

Thursday, July 17, 2014

New view of Mount Rainier's volcanic plumbing: Electrical images show upward flow of fluids to magma chamber

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Giant earthquakes help predict volcanic eruptions

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Studying magma formation beneath Mount St. Helens

Friday, June 6, 2014

Friday, May 30, 2014

Australia's deadly eruptions were reason for the first mass extinction

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Shattering past of the 'island of glass': Pantelleria, a little-known island near Sicily, was once covered in a searing-hot layer of green glass

Friday, May 16, 2014

On the shoulder of a giant: Precursor volcano to the island of O'ahu discovered