A volcanically heated Costa Rican lake hosts only one type of organism, suggesting that its Mars-like environment is just barely capable of supporting life.
volcanoes
Posted inNews
Faster Lava Flows, Explosive Eruptions Begin at Kīlauea
Scientists say the dramatic increase in flows is likely due to the arrival of younger, hotter magma in the system.
Posted inScience Updates
Radon Tells Unexpected Tales of Mount Etna’s Unrest
Readings from a sensor for the radioactive gas near summit craters of the Italian volcano reveal signatures of such processes as seismic rock fracturing and sloshing of groundwater and other fluids.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Novel Way to Track Magma Flow
Sparse seismic data can accurately predict volcanic eruptions.
Posted inScience Updates
Working Together Toward Better Volcanic Forecasting
A National Academies report highlights challenges and opportunities in volcano science.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Using Radar to Understand How Volcanic Eruptions Evolve
Radar satellite imagery can be used to measure constructional changes in the topography of long-lived volcanoes, according to a new study of Ecuador’s El Reventador volcano.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Feeds Indonesia’s Destructive Mud Eruption?
New advances in seismic investigations suggest links in plumbing between nearby magma volcanoes and a mud-erupting system that has been spewing for more than a decade.
Posted inNews
Ice Caves atop a Volcano Give Taste of Otherworldly Science
Researchers brave perils and tumbling trash to probe glacial caves on Mount Rainier, improving their understanding of its extraordinary environment and helping to advance space exploration.
Posted inNews
Volcanic Woes May Have Contributed to Ancient Egypt’s Fall
Ice cores and ancient river records suggest that volcanic eruptions may have reduced the flow of the Nile River. Failures of the Nile floods that usually irrigated Egypt’s farms could have fed social unrest.
Posted inFeatures
Probing Magma Reservoirs to Improve Volcano Forecasts
The roots of volcanoes remain enigmatic, largely because geophysical and petrological models remain rudimentary. Scientific drilling and exploration can help.