volcanology

Geochronologists say Antrim coastline’s basalt columns developed over 5.5m years – 8m less than thought For centuries, the tale has been passed from generation to generation: how the Irish giant Finn McCool built the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland to fight Benandonner, his Scottish rival, by hurling chunks of the Antrim coastline into the sea. Now, scientists have revealed it was intense vo…

The research has significantly updated the understanding of when specific volcanic events happened in Northern Ireland

Be sure to vote for Group B in the poll at the bottom! Canada - 37/24/1/0 Mount Meager in British Columbia. Credit: David Steers / Wikimedia Commons I think many people don't believe that Canada has volcanoes. Not that it is a conspiracy...

Volcano World Cup - Group A Remember to cast your vote for Group A at the bottom of this post! Pool A Mexico - 76/30/9/5 - Popocatépetl Popocatépetl in Mexico. Image by Russ Bowling / Flickr. Mexico has a lot of volcanoes. Some...

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 11 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02019-9 Magmatism induced by a mantle plume bearing a relatively high proportion of dense fusible mantle material may have formed the Ontong Java Plateau, the largest extant oceanic plateau, according to thermodynamic modelling.

As we start the 2026 Volcano World Cup I wanted to give everyone a primer in how to read the country information you will see across the competition. Think of it like the chyron used when a batter steps to the plate in baseball -- it has all the imp...

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02006-0 Most oceanic intraplate volcanism, including seamounts far from mantle hotspots, originates from deep-rooted mantle plumes, according to a data-constrained numerical simulation of the thermal evolution of the mantle over the past 270 million years.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02007-z Seamount volcanism is more voluminous where seafloor has passed above a large low-shear-velocity province, consistent with mantle plumes being responsible for most oceanic intraplate volcanism, according to an analysis of seamount catalogues.

Scientific Reports, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-56253-7 A network-based approach to model volcanic repose durations

An Earth scientist reviews Julian Charrière’s new exhibition spanning volcanoes, glacial rocks, and humans’ short yet impactful role in geological time.

STEMgineer’s Guide to Problem Solving Workbooks Volcanoes are among the most fascinating features of the natural world. Giant mountains that sprout up from the ground […] The post Where does Lava come from? appeared first on STEM Education Works .

The magnitude-7.8 earthquake that hit the Philippines happened at a subduction zone, places capable of producing the largest earthquakes possible

A volcano that erupted after being asleep for more than 100,000 years is leading more volcanologists to say we must redefine volcano activity to ensure eruptions don't surprise us.

We’re terribly spoiled these days when it comes to footage of lava and volcanic eruptions. Back when I started FYFD, I could find very few decent photos of lava flows to illustrate posts. And now, thanks to drone cameras, we have a glut of absolutely gorgeous footage of flowing lava. This particular example comes from […]

Changes at the surface of a volcanic edifice, such as snow or hydrological loading, ice cap melting, and flank destabilization, can cause significant surface deformation. Understanding the contribution of surface processes to ground deformation is therefore important for monitoring the state of the underlying volcanic system. The Katla Volcano in Iceland lies under Mýrdalsjökull, the fourth large…

Scientific Data, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41597-026-07504-9 Volcanic glass geochemical fingerprints of the Black Sea tephra layers in the last ~60 kyr

The sedimentation of volcanic ash produced by explosive volcanic eruptions is commonly modelled as being governed by particles falling individually. However, collective settling processes, such as settling-driven gravitational instabilities can shorten the atmospheric residence time of ash. These instabilities generate downward-propagating plumes known as fingers that descend faster than the term…

Active volcanoes represent a significant hazard to surrounding communities, requiring continuous and reliable monitoring. While seismic signals constitute the main source of information, each volcano produces massive datasets that are difficult to process and interpret manually. Consequently, automated recognition and localization systems have become essential for the real-time detection and asse…

It's not every day that our planet erupts in a fiery outpouring from the ground...

The South Pacific blast may have consumed its own methane — but using this idea against the greenhouse gas is controversial.