Analysis of the change in the stratovolcano's tilt just prior to the explosion suggests that the cracking of a previously intact fluid barrier caused the country's deadliest eruption since 1926.
volcanoes
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Pulses of Rising Magma in Sierra Nevada's Past
A detailed study of layered igneous material at California's Fisher Lake offers a novel approach to identifying the pathways and timescales of individual magma pulses in volcanic arcs.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Significantly Hotter Mantle Beneath Iceland
Estimates of crystallization temperatures from four eruptions in northern Iceland offer improved constraints on the mantle's temperature beneath this anomalous divergent plate boundary.
Posted inScience Updates
How Did Climate and Humans Respond to Past Volcanic Eruptions?
First workshop of the Volcanic Impacts on Climate and Society Working Group; Palisades, New York, 6–8 June 2016
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mapping Water and Heat Deep Under Long Valley Caldera
Researchers use electrical resistivity to find the heat source and reservoir feeding Long Valley Caldera's labyrinthine hydrothermal system.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Gravity of Volcanic Eruptions
New research suggests that continually monitoring gravity changes near active volcanoes could provide insights into volcanic activity.
Posted inOpinions
We Need a New Definition for “Magma”
Confusion over the meaning of "magma" can generate popular misperceptions, including a nonexistent molten sea underneath Yellowstone National Park. We propose a different definition.
Posted inScience Updates
Cameroon's Lake Nyos Gas Burst: 30 Years Later
9th Workshop of the IAVCEI-Commission on Volcanic Lakes (CVL9); Cameroon, 14–24 March 2016
Posted inNews
Eyjafjallajökull Gave Lava and Ice Researchers an Eyeful
New insights from the 2010 eruption may help volcanologists determine how glaciers shaped ancient lava flows.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Japan's Volcanic History, Hidden Under the Sea
Scientists investigate marine tephra layers for clues to Japan's volcanic past.