Volcanic activity encompasses all processes associated with the movement and eruption of magma and volatiles from Earth’s interior to its surface, including effusive lava flows, explosive eruptions, degassing, and the formation of associated edifices and deposits. It is governed by magma generation in the mantle and crust, melt composition, temperature, volatile content, and tectonic setting (e.g., subduction zones, rifts, hotspots). Volcanic activity is studied through petrology, geophysics, gas geochemistry, geodesy, and remote sensing to quantify eruption dynamics, magma ascent rates, and hazard potential, and it exerts major controls on crustal growth, surface morphology, and volatile fluxes to the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
Some 550 million years ago, Earth looked very different than it does today. The Southern Hemisphere was dominated by an enormous single continent known as Gondwana.
Earth Sciences
Sep 10, 2026
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Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau has erupted again this week, sending plumes of volcanic ash high into the sky and disrupting hundreds of flights. More than 300,000 passengers have been affected.
Earth Sciences
Sep 9, 2026
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Mount Sinabung on Indonesia erupted Monday, spewing a column of black ash and smoke 3,500 meters (11,482 feet) from the top of the mountain into the sky over Sumatra island.
Environment
Sep 1, 2026
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Over the past 230,000 years, the growth and retreat of the Icelandic ice sheet have led to major changes in the seawater chemistry of the North Atlantic, caused by the interaction between volcanism and ice in Iceland. Scientists ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 20, 2026
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Volcanoes emit smoke. Beneath a volcano lies a huge chamber filled with liquid magma. A series of earthquakes means an eruption is imminent. And if a "supervolcano" like Yellowstone were to awaken, a global catastrophe would ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 19, 2026
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Spectacular images of lava flowing down the slopes of erupting Mount Etna have drawn flocks of tourists to the Italian volcano—to the worry of local guides.
Environment
Aug 12, 2026
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Activity at Guatemala's Fuego volcano that began Monday morning and caused widespread evacuations is gradually decreasing, authorities said Wednesday.
Environment
Aug 6, 2026
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Guatemala remained on alert Tuesday after evacuating villages during an eruption of the Fuego volcano, one of Central America's most active.
Environment
Aug 5, 2026
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The West Eifel Volcanic Field comprises more than 100 maars—circular lakes formed by explosive eruptions. Until now, little was known about when these volcanic eruptions occurred. A research team from Heidelberg University, ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 4, 2026
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An international team of volcanologists working on Carlingford Mountain has found that liquid "magma chambers" do not always exist beneath volcanoes. The team instead demonstrated that magma "plumbing systems" beneath Earth's ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 31, 2026
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