Search
Results for " "
Displaying 15 of about 20 resultsCan a volcano erupt after tens of thousands of years of dormancy? If so, how can this be explained and what makes volcanic eruptions more dangerous, i.e. explosive? These are key questions in volcanic hazard assessment and can also draw attention to volcanoes that appear to be inactive. Even in a quiet dormant phase, a volcano can rapidly become active…
[...]One of our planet's large undersea volcanoes, the Hunga Volcano in the South Pacific, astonished scientists when it erupted in January 2022. The blast sent pressure waves around the planet. It blew a whopping 58,000 swimming pools worth of water into the atmosphere — an unprecedented amount. And the explosion's plume of ash and water reached over 3…
Detailed analysis of the January 2022 event shows how underwater blasts generated huge waves that battered coastlines throughout the island nation.The events following last year’s massive eruption of an underwater volcano in the island nation of Tonga have been reconstructed in a simulation that captures how the resulting tsunami spread throughout the r…
2022 was a busy year for volcanic eruptions with Hawaii's Mauna Loa and Kilaeau erupting simultaneously, along with Mount Semeru, Indonesia and the Hunga undersea volcano in Tonga. While the United States Geological Survey is the primary agency that monitors volcanic activity in the United States, the National Oceanic…
The thought of living near an active volcano probably sounds like an unimaginable risk to you – and rightly so. An active volcano is never safe and can turn a forested hillside into a lifeless wasteland in a matter of seconds. From molten avalanches of rock to razor-sharp lung-shredding ash, volcanoes threaten people’s lives and property.Yet 500 million…
An international research team, including researchers from GNS Science, has released a study into the potential threat of fires caused by volcanic eruptions.The study investigated how far fires ignited by hot rock projectiles from a volcanic eruption could spread under certain wind conditions.The study used the Auckland volcanic field as a case study to…
In this study the scientists examined three possible landslide scenarios in Santorini Island with tsunamigenic potential. In the Mediterranean, several tsunamis were generated by landslides associated with volcanic systems in the past.The volcanic unrest experienced in 2011–2012 on the Santorini volcanic island in the Southern Aegean Sea pointed out the…
When you hear news reports about volcanoes spewing lava and ash, you may worry about the people nearby. In fact, almost one in ten people around the world live within 100 kilometres of an active volcano. For those living close to volcanoes, farming on their fertile soils, or visiting their spectacular landscapes, it is crucial to understand the drivers…
What is the risk of a volcano erupting? To answer this question, scientists need information about its underlying internal structure. However, gathering this data can take several years of fieldwork, analyses and monitoring, which explains why only 30% of active volcanoes are currently well documented. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has de…
Lava erupted through a fissure in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula on Dec. 18, 2023, shooting almost 100 feet (30 meters) in the air in its early hours.Icelanders had been anticipating an eruption in the area for weeks, ever since a swarm of thousands of small earthquakes began on Oct. 23 northeast of the fishing town of Grindavík, signaling volcanic activ…
The explosion of the underwater volcano Kolumbo in the Aegean Sea in 1650 triggered a destructive tsunami that was described by historical eye witnesses. A group of researchers led by Dr Jens Karstens from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel has now surveyed Kolumbo’s underwater crater with modern imaging technology and reconstructed the…
Volcano observatories operate in many countries and are responsible for monitoring and communicating the hazards posed by active volcanism. Several organizations help with the transfer of knowledge between scientists and the emergency managers who are responsible for preparedness, response, and mitigation.
To understand why scientists need to better un…
The Campi Flegrei volcano in southern Italy has become weaker and more prone to rupturing, according to a new study by researchers at UCL and Italy’s National Research Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).The volcano, which last erupted in 1538, has been restless for more than 70 years, with two-year spikes of unrest in the 1950s, 1970s and 1…
Volcanic disasters have been studied since Pompeii was buried in 79 A.D., leading the public to believe that scientists already know why, where, when and how long volcanoes will erupt. But Jonathan Fink, volcanologist and director of PSU’s Digital City Testbed Center, said these fundamental questions remain a mystery. Fink and Idowu "Jola" Ajibade, asso…
Future releases of sulfur dioxide from volcanoes will likely be higher than the reconstructed historical levels currently used for climate predictions.When volcanoes erupt, they often spew large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. This toxic, foul-smelling gas may then form tiny sulfate particles that particularly in the stratosphere, can inf…