All Articles Tagged As: eruptions

Congo receives help from space after volcano eruption (1/25/2010)

On Jan. 2, Mount Nyamulagira in the Democratic Republic of Congo erupted, spewing lava from its southern flank and raising concerns that the 100,000 people in the town of Sake could be under threat. Fears were also triggered in Goma as rumors circulated that an eruption was imminent at the nearby Nyiragongo volcano, which devastated the city in 2002. ...> Full Article

Volcanic hazard map produced for island of Gran Canaria (1/22/2010)

Spanish and French researchers have defined the age, location, size and geochemistry of the volcanoes of Gran Canaria during the Holocene, 11,000 years ago, in order to draw up a map of volcanic hazards for the island. The research shows that the area of greatest volcanic activity is one of the most heavily populated areas in the north east of the island, which has suffered 24 eruptions over the period studied. ...> Full Article

ROV images the discovery of the deepest explosive eruption on the sea floor (12/22/2009)

Oceanographers using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason discovered and recorded the first video and still images of a deep-sea volcano actively erupting molten lava on the seafloor. ...> Full Article

Supervolcano eruption - in Sumatra - deforested India 73,000 years ago (11/25/2009)

A new study provides "incontrovertible evidence" that the volcanic super-eruption of Toba on the island of Sumatra about 73,000 years ago deforested much of central India, some 3,000 miles from the epicenter, researchers report. ...> Full Article

Volcanoes played pivotal role in ancient ice age, mass extinction (10/28/2009)

Researchers here have discovered the pivotal role that volcanoes played in a deadly ice age 450 million years ago. Perhaps ironically, these volcanoes first caused global warming -- by releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When they stopped erupting, Earth's climate was thrown off balance, and the ice age began. ...> Full Article

Scientists measure the rate of ascent of volcanic magma (10/10/2009)

Plinian eruptions are rare but highly explosive volcanic eruptions, which are often preceded by quite short periods of tectonic activity. Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich, Germany, have now been able experimentally to determine the speed at which the molten rock in the magma chamber rises to the surface. ...> Full Article

Coal-mining hazard resembles explosive volcanic eruption, study shows (10/4/2009)

Worldwide, thousands of workers die every year from mining accidents, and instantaneous coal outbursts in underground mines are among the major killers. But although scientists have been investigating coal outbursts for more than 150 years, the precise mechanism is still unknown. ...> Full Article

Hiking, horses and helicopter: Scientists deploy seismic network for study of Sierra Negra, Galapagos (8/17/2009)

An interdisciplinary team of scientists from the University of Miami, University of Rochester, University of Idaho-Moscow and the Instituto Geofisico, Escuela Politecnica Nacional (Quito, Ecuador) have joined to study one the world's most active volcanoes, Sierra Negra in the Galapagos. Using an NSF grant they deployed a seismic network of 16 stations around Isla Isabela, which will record data for the next three years. ...> Full Article

Researchers to study rebirth of an island after volcanic eruption (8/9/2009)

When Alaska's Kasatochi Volcano erupted on Aug. 7, 2008, it virtually sterilized Kasatochi Island, covering the small Aleutian island with a layer of ash and other volcanic material several meters thick. The eruption also provided a rare research opportunity: the chance to see how an ecosystem develops from the very first species to colonize the island. ...> Full Article

Geoscientists back from an expedition to Labrador Sea (7/24/2009)

Indications for volcanic eruptions in the younger geological history found ...> Full Article

Ancient volcanic eruptions caused global mass extinction (5/30/2009)

A previously unknown giant volcanic eruption that led to global mass extinction 260 million years ago has been uncovered by scientists at the University of Leeds. ...> Full Article

Marine scientists return from expedition to erupting undersea volcano (5/7/2009)

Scientists who have just returned from an expedition to an erupting undersea volcano near the Island of Guam report that the volcano appears to be continuously active, has grown considerably in size during the past three years, and its activity supports a unique biological community thriving despite the eruptions. ...> Full Article

Comparing Mars to Earth: Catastrophe and history (5/5/2009)

This GSA Special Paper focuses on the catastrophic events that have influenced both Mars and Earth and is part of the ongoing search for the correct balance between catastrophic and uniformitarian processes. The book aims to "expand the geoscience horizons" of a wide range of readers by examining evidence for various geologic catastrophes on both Earth and Mars, their preservation on Earth as compared to Mars, and how these events may have influenced Earth's evolution. ...> Full Article

Study compares sound from exploding volcanoes with jet engines (4/12/2009)

New Scripps study of low-frequency sound from Mount St. Helens and Tungurahua volcanoes provides explanation for how the large-amplitude signals from eruptions are produced ...> Full Article

Scientists pierce veil of clouds to 'see' lightning inside a volcanic plume (4/9/2009)

Researchers hit the jackpot in late March, when, for the first time, they began recording data on lightning in a volcanic eruption -- right from the start of the eruption. ...> Full Article

Rotation is key to understanding volcanic plumes, scientists say (3/28/2009)

A 200-year-old report by a sea captain and a stunning photograph of the 2008 eruption of Mount Chaiten are helping scientists at the University of Illinois better understand strong volcanic plumes. ...> Full Article

Off the shelf maps help mitigate volcanic hazards (1/23/2009)

When volcanoes erupt, pinpointing the regions at high risk for lethal hazards and deciding whether or not to evacuate a resistant population comprise the most difficult problems faced by hazards managers. Now a team of volcanologists has a program that maps potential problem areas quickly, taking much of the guesswork out of decision making and evacuations. ...> Full Article

Volcanoes cool the tropics, say researchers (1/7/2009)

Climate researchers have shown that big volcanic eruptions over the past 450 years have temporarily cooled weather in the tropics but suggest that such effects may have been masked in the 20th century by rising global temperatures. ...> Full Article

Volcanic eruption signals simulated in lab for first time (10/11/2008)

For the first time, seismic signals that precede a volcanic eruption have been simulated and visualized in 3-D under controlled pressure conditions in a laboratory. ...> Full Article

Meteorites 'behind volcanic eruptions' say scientists (9/13/2008)

Gases that cause volcanoes to erupt may have spewed from meteorites that smashed into the earth billions of years ago ...> Full Article

Crystals improve understanding of volcanic eruptions (8/30/2008)

Scientists have exploited crystals from lavas to unravel the records of volcanic eruptions ...> Full Article

Icelandic Volcanoes Help Researchers Understand Potential Effects Of Eruptions (7/15/2008)

For the first time, researchers have taken a detailed look at what lies beneath all of Iceland's volcanoes – and found a world far more complex than they ever imagined. ...> Full Article

Volcano taming (6/8/2008)

Could geochemistry save lives during volcanic eruptions? ...> Full Article

Researchers Uncover 'Stirring' Secrets of Deadly Supervolcanoes (6/2/2008)

Researchers have simulated in the lab the process that can turn ordinary volcanic eruptions into so-called "supervolcanoes." ...> Full Article

Dramatic developments at Kilauea Volcano: Scientists work to keep public safe and informed (3/30/2008)

Explosive eruptions and noxious gas emissions at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii this week have prompted scientists to work around the clock to understand what will happen next and how to keep the public out of harm's way. ...> Full Article

Volcanic Eruptions, Not Meteor, May Have Killed The Dinosaurs (10/31/2007)

A series of monumental volcanic eruptions in India may have killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, not a meteor impact in the Gulf of Mexico. The eruptions, which created the gigantic Deccan Traps lava beds of India, are now the prime suspect in the most famous and persistent paleontological murder mystery, say scientists who have conducted a slew of new investigations honing down eruption timing. ...> Full Article

Seismologists See Earth's Dynamic Interior as Interplay of Temperature, Pressure, Chemistry (10/26/2007)

Seismologists have recast their understanding of the inner workings of Earth from a relatively homogeneous environment to one that is highly dynamic and chemically diverse. ...> Full Article

Eruption debris may extend snow seasons (10/6/2007)

Skiers and snowboarders in New Zealand may have the recent eruption to thank for an extended ski season. ...> Full Article