Volcanoes: Nature’s Fiery Powerhouses! Explore erupting mountains, lava flows & volcanic wonders. Discover how volcanoes shape Earth’s landscape & affect climate worldwide.
A Closer Look at Kīlauea’s Latest Fury I’ve spent years in Hilo observing Hawaiian volcanic activity from up-close. This Friday, the Kilauea volcano in HONOLULU, Hawaii unleashed its 31st eruption since December, and I felt a familiar thrill in my chest. From the summit crater floor, lava flew in an arc nearly 100 feet (30…
The Ocean’s Restless Giant: A Live Laboratory Imagine a place nearly a mile deep, where the seafloor is constantly shaking. This isn’t a sci-fi scene; it’s real life at Axial Seamount. Located about 300 miles off the coast of Astoria, Oregon, this underwater volcano is putting on a dramatic act. Right now, it’s recording over 1,000 tiny quakes every day—a hidden drumbeat that is louder and faster than we’ve seen in recent memory. Having studied these patterns for years, I can tell you this activity is one of the clearest calm-before-the-storm signals we’ve ever recorded. Decoding the…
The Immediate Surge: Tracking Taal’s Restlessness Standing near the shores of Batangas last Wednesday, I felt the ground hum – a sensation veteran volcanologists recognize instantly. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) confirmed my unease in their morning bulletin: 31 volcanic earthquakes recorded in the past 24 hours, accompanied by 30 volcanic tremors. One tremor lasted precisely one minute – long enough to make my coffee ripple in…
The Hidden Symphony Beneath Tenerife During the dead hours of August 6 and 7, 2025, I watched our seismic monitors flicker like frantic fireflies. Beneath Tenerife’s sleeping landscape, 750 earthquakes rattled the depths of the Teide–Pico Viejo volcanic complex—a phenomenon that unfolded in just 11-hour. As a scientist who’s stood on Pico Viejo’s rim during the 2016 unrest, this extraordinary swarm felt like the volcano’s heart breathes deeply. Two distinct clusters erupted: First, 55 volcano-tectonic quakes between 21:30 LT and 00:10 LT, concentrated at 8–14 km beneath the southwestern flank. Scientists call this fracturing of brittle rock—maximum magnitude 1.5. Then, at 02:00 UTC, a second burst: over 700 hybrid-type events by 07:30 UTC, characterized by very low magnitudes (below 1). These tremors, undetectable to locals, whisper of fluids (magmatic gases or hydrothermal waters) squeezing through cracks. Itahiza Domínguez, director of IGN, later confirmed…
When the Ground Spoke: Decoding Yellowstone’s Seismic Whisper That evening on July 26, 2025, I was monitoring seismic readings when the waveforms spiked—approximately 6:00 p.m. MST (8:00 p.m. EST). Yellowstone had trembled with a magnitude 3.9 quake near Norris Geyser Basin. Having studied this volcanic region for years, I rushed to check station locations. The epicenter, pinpointed at the junction of multiple faults, showed depth between 5–10 km—classic shallow tectonic adjustments. Park-goers described gentle shaking under their feet, like a thriller movie rumble. One visitor near steamy geothermal pools told me:…
Evacuation of Blue Lagoon and Grindavík Early Wednesday, July 16, around 4 a.m., a volcanic eruption shook southwestern Iceland. The famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and nearby campgrounds at Grindavík were quickly evacuated. According to RÚV news, this unexpected incident followed a sudden seismic swarm across the Reykjanes Peninsula. As an expert reporting from disaster…
Ice Retreat Uncovers a Volcanic For decades, scientists suspected melting glaciers might reawaken dormant volcanoes. Now, research in Chile’s southern Andes confirms this threat—with terrifying precision. Pablo Moreno-Yaeger from the University of Wisconsin-Madison presented groundbreaking findings at a geochemistry conference, revealing how ice loss triggers more frequent and explosive eruptions. His team studied six volcanoes, including Mocho-Choshuenco, using argon isotopes to date past activity. They confirmed that during the peak of the last Ice Age (between 26,000 and 18,000 years ago), thick glacial cover suppressed eruptions, allowing magma to build 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 miles) below the surface. When the ice melted, reduced weight eased pressure on the crust, letting trapped gases expand and fueling violent blasts Global Hotspots on the Brink This phenomenon isn’t confined to Chile. Models show Antarctica’s West Antarctic Ice Sheet,…
The Eruption That Shook Japan On Thursday, Mount Shinmoedake in Kyushu Island suddenly erupted with a huge blast at 2:01pm local time. The towering ash plume rose over 5,000 meters into the sky, making it one of the biggest eruptions in recent years. Just the day before, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake had been recorded near the Tokara island chain, making people fear this might be the start of a mega disaster. Warnings and Preparations Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) had been…
Introduction Axial Seamount hugs the Juan de Fuca Ridge, 480 km off Oregon—one of the most active submarine volcanoes.It’s been erupting roughly every 15 years; last in 2015, scientists knew next would come soon.What’s different now: real-time HD cameras and seafloor monitoring—something never seen before.Today, that buried giant is inflating faster than ever recorded.These instruments are…
The Eruption Ignites Living near Kīlauea for decades, I’ve learned to read its whispers. On June 28, precursory low-level activity began at 7:27 a.m. with intermittent lava overflows from the north vent. By June 29, sporadic dome fountains evolved into sustained lava fountaining at 9 a.m.—marking the start of episode 27, Hawaii’s 27th eruptive episode since December 23, 2024. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) confirmed this via Volcanic Activity Notice, noting fountains initially reached 500 feet but soon skyrocketing toward 1,000 feet (305 meters). From my vantage…