volcanology

Remember to cast your vote for Group F at the bottom of this post! Netherlands - 3/2/0/0 The Quill, a volcano in Lesser Antilles, is technically part of the Netherlands. Credit: Walter Hellebrand / Wikimedia Commons There are a number of ...

Understanding these dynamics can help geologists assess the risk of future eruptions.

Remember to cast your vote for Group E at the bottom of this post! Germany - 3/1/0/0 Laacher See caldera in Germany. Credit: Df1paw / Wikimedia Commons One of the most impressive volcanic deposits I've seen is in Germany. Just south of ...

Researchers found that a magma’s thermal history may be a key factor in determining whether an eruption becomes more vigorous or remains relatively gentle. What happens deep beneath a volcano can determine whether an eruption unfolds as a slow-moving lava flow or explodes into towering fountains of molten rock. New research suggests that one overlooked [...]

Be sure to vote for Group D in the poll at the bottom! USA - 340/165/63/39 - Great Sitkin, K?lauea USGS volcanologists watching the June 15, 2026 eruption of K?lauea in Hawai'i. Credit: HVO/USGS. The US has never been great at intern...

A 2021 astronaut photo shows the surprising similarities between Mount Sundoro and Mount Sumbing, which lie at the heart of Java, Indonesia.

Research into deep-ocean volcanic activity is revealing patterns that don’t fit traditional explanations. What lies beneath may be part of a far more extensive system than once thought.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 16 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02016-y Large igneous province emplacement in the Pacific Ocean through the Cretaceous can be explained by interplay between spreading ridge migration and strong mantle upwelling partly driven by enhanced subduction flux, according to geodynamic simulations.

Eruptions can be ‘stress multipliers’ of any existing civic unrest, researchers warn

The history of an iconic UK landmark could be turned on its head, researchers have revealed. Scientists have uncovered fresh insights into how the Giant's Causeway came to exist. Research from the British Geological Survey shows Northern Ireland's volcanic history unfolded far more rapidly than experts previously believed. The volcanic activity that produced the Causeway's famous columns took pla…

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.