Volcanology

Red-Hot ‘Lava Bomb’ Careening Down Volcanic Slope Looks Like It Came Straight From Hell

The 3-foot-wide chunk of molten rock was about 1,650 degrees F when it sped away from Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, Spain.

Earth Science George Dvorsky Oct 29

16th-Century English Mystic’s ‘Magical’ Mirror Confirmed to Be of Aztec Origin

John Dee, an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, claimed the mirror helped him commune with spirits.

Science George Dvorsky Oct 6

New Fissure Opens Up as La Palma Eruption Intensifies

Cumbre Vieja adds another hazard as lava continues to pour into the Atlantic Ocean.

Earth Science Brian Kahn Oct 1

Fears of Deadly Gases as Canary Islands Lava Pours Into the Atlantic

Known as “laze,” these toxic fumes can damage lungs and skin—and even result in death.

Earth Science George Dvorsky Sep 29

Catastrophic Volcanic Eruption Prompted Construction of Ancient Maya Pyramid, Research Suggests

New evidence suggests the ancient Maya recovered faster from the natural disaster than previously thought.

Human History George Dvorsky Sep 20

We’re Worried About the Wrong Volcanoes

Don’t underestimate the potential of small volcanoes to cause global catastrophe, scientists warn in a new paper.

Earth Science George Dvorsky Aug 6

An Ancient Supervolcano May Have Zapped the Ozone Layer, Exposing Early Humans to Intense Sunburns

The Toba super-eruption of some 74,000 years ago has long intrigued scientists, who remain uncertain about how the event affected humans living at the time. Now, a team of researchers suggest that the real damage from Toba came from on high, in the form of a depleted ozone layer induced by a massive release of…

Human History Isaac Schultz Jun 2

Photos Capture the Unfolding Volcano Crisis in St. Vincent

Thousands of people in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have fled their homes as the La Soufrière volcano, located in the northwest of the island of St. Vincent, continues to erupt this week. The volcano, which had been dormant since 1979, shot up a column of ash 20,000 feet into the air on Friday, following…

Earther Molly Taft Apr 16

‘Explosive Eruption’ Rocks St. Vincent as Soufriere Volcano Spews Ash Across the Caribbean

On Friday, the small Caribbean island of St. Vincent became the epicenter of the seismic world when La Soufriere volcano sent a cloud of ash flying 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) into the sky and streaming across the Atlantic. The volcano has been rumbling for months, but authorities raised alert levels to red in the northern…

Earth Science Brian Kahn Apr 9

Scientists Cook Hot Dogs in Lava From Iceland’s Erupting Volcano

Scientists on-site at Iceland’s erupting volcano near the capitol city of Reykjavik cooked up some hot dogs on Sunday. What were these scientists studying with such a wacky experiment? The lava dogs weren’t part of their experiments, sadly enough. The scientists were just hungry. Video of the cookout was captured by the scientists and published…

Science Matt Novak Mar 24

New Zealand Scientists Built a ‘Volcano Bomb’ Cannon to Save Lives

Volcanoes can kill you in many different ways. Are you on their slopes? A volcanic avalanche of superheated ash and gas or a sneaky lava flow would do it. Far across the bay? A tsunami caused by a collapsing flank will be delivered to your door. On the other side of the planet? The aerosols…

Earth Science Robin George Andrews Feb 5

Lava Lake Is Now Water Lake Atop Kilauea Volcano

Satellite images have captured the result of a lake of lava collapsing on Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, revealing an enormous new lake of water. The new lake formed as a result of the caldera, a crater called Halema’uma’u, collapsing at Kilauea’s peak. Now that the crater has filled with water, it’s possible that it may lead…

Earth Science Ryan F. Mandelbaum May 11

Photo: Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory

Gigantic Pumice Raft from Underwater Eruption Is on a Wild Ride Across the Pacific Ocean

In early August, sailors in the southwest Pacific Ocean began to see their environment transmogrify. As far as the eye could see, the ocean turned from an azure delight into a colossal gathering of clinking, floating rocks. And then came the foul, sulfurous odors. These rocks, some as big as a human head, were easy to…

Earth Science Robin George Andrews Aug 26

Volcanoes Make Music That Could Reveal Their Secrets

In 2016, remarkable sounds below the range of human hearing reverberated through the crater of a volcano in Ecuador. Now, scientists think these orogenous beats could be harnessed to figure out what’s happening inside other volcanoes around the world. Volcanoes are noisy things, known for producing cracks, rumbles, roars, and even thunder as they erupt.…

Earth Science Maddie Stone Jun 15

Authorities Warn Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Could Explosively Erupt, With 17 Fissures Now Reported

The eruption at Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has technically been going on for over 30 years, but became a problem in recent weeks when a collapse on its eastern flank started draining its lava lake into surrounding parts of the island. It’s continued to get worse since then, and as of Sunday, CBS…

Tech News Tom McKay May 13

At Least 10 Volcanic Fissures Have Now Opened Up Near Hawaii’s Mt. Kilauea, Destroying 21 Homes [Updated]

The eruption of the Mount Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has continued to progress, with massive lava flows pouring out of what is now believed to be at least 10 fissures in the nearby residential neighborhood of Leilani Estates, the Washington Post reported. At least two of the volcanic fissures are believed to have…

Tech News Tom McKay May 6

What Bali’s Volcanic Eruptions Could Mean for the Climate

Indonesia’s Mount Agung has played a game of will it/won’t it erupt for months with swarms of earthquakes and occasional ash plumes. That game ratcheted up a notch this weekend when much larger ash cloud shot into the atmosphere and lava made its way to the surface. The dual-colored plume of ash rose up to…

Earther Brian Kahn Nov 27

Two Looming Volcanic Eruptions Could Slow Climate Change, But They Aren’t Going to Stop It

Following a pattern of everything being terrible in 2017, two volcanoes are primed to erupt along the western edge of the Ring of Fire. Mt. Agung in Bali, Indonesia has forced 144,000 into shelters beyond the 7.5 mile exclusion zone, while the volcano on Ambae Island in Vanuatu has forced all 11,000 residents to evacuate,…

Earther Brian Kahn Oct 3

Drone Footage Shows the Earthquake in Italy Was Far Worse Than Anyone Thought

Yesterday, a massive 6.1 magnitude earthquake rocked central Italy. It was followed by nearly 200 aftershocks, devastating whole towns and burying residents under rubble. Over 4,000 rescuers have been dispatched and the death toll has jumped to 247, the BBC reports. Entire towns have been leveled, with Amatrice, Accumoli, and Pescara del Tronto suffering the…

Tech News Avery Ellis Aug 25

Guatemala’s “Volcano of Fire” Lives Up to Its Name, Spectacularly

While not as dramatic as its eruption in February, which necessitated evacuations and the closure of a nearby airport, the “Volcan de Fuego” in San Juan Altotenago, Guatemala, rumbled anew on Wednesday, July 1, when this photo was taken. It is one of Central America’s most active peaks. AP Photo by Moises Castillo

io9 Cheryl Eddy Jul 2

Red-Hot ‘Lava Bomb’ Careening Down Volcanic Slope Looks Like It Came Straight From Hell

16th-Century English Mystic’s ‘Magical’ Mirror Confirmed to Be of Aztec Origin

New Fissure Opens Up as La Palma Eruption Intensifies

Fears of Deadly Gases as Canary Islands Lava Pours Into the Atlantic

Catastrophic Volcanic Eruption Prompted Construction of Ancient Maya Pyramid, Research Suggests

We’re Worried About the Wrong Volcanoes

An Ancient Supervolcano May Have Zapped the Ozone Layer, Exposing Early Humans to Intense Sunburns

Photos Capture the Unfolding Volcano Crisis in St. Vincent

‘Explosive Eruption’ Rocks St. Vincent as Soufriere Volcano Spews Ash Across the Caribbean

Scientists Cook Hot Dogs in Lava From Iceland’s Erupting Volcano

New Zealand Scientists Built a ‘Volcano Bomb’ Cannon to Save Lives

Lava Lake Is Now Water Lake Atop Kilauea Volcano

Gigantic Pumice Raft from Underwater Eruption Is on a Wild Ride Across the Pacific Ocean

Volcanoes Make Music That Could Reveal Their Secrets

Authorities Warn Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Could Explosively Erupt, With 17 Fissures Now Reported

At Least 10 Volcanic Fissures Have Now Opened Up Near Hawaii’s Mt. Kilauea, Destroying 21 Homes [Updated]

What Bali’s Volcanic Eruptions Could Mean for the Climate

Two Looming Volcanic Eruptions Could Slow Climate Change, But They Aren’t Going to Stop It

Drone Footage Shows the Earthquake in Italy Was Far Worse Than Anyone Thought

Guatemala’s “Volcano of Fire” Lives Up to Its Name, Spectacularly

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