Some natural phenomena, like volcanic eruptions or tornado formation, don’t lend themselves to fieldwork — at least not at the height of the action. The danger, unpredictability, and destructiveness of Keep reading
Tag: volcano
Anak Krakatoa Landslide
Last December, the collapsing flank of the Anak Krakatoa volcano caused a deadly tsunami in Indonesia. Using satellite imagery, scientists have now constructed a timeline of the island’s dramatic restructuring. In the Keep reading
Blowing Smoke
It’s unusual – but not entirely unheard of – to see volcanoes blowing smoke rings during inactive periods. But given their unpredictability, scientists had not studied this phenomenon in much depth. In a Keep reading
Volcanic Plume
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured this dramatic image of Raikoke Volcano’s eruption in late June. This uninhabited Pacific Island is part of the Kuril Islands off mainland Russia. The Keep reading
Anak Krakatoa Tsunami
In late December 2018, a landslide on the island Anak Krakatoa triggered a deadly tsunami in Indonesia. The island (upper left, pre-landslide) lost an estimated 300 meters of height in Keep reading
Recreating Pyroclastic Flow
One of the deadliest features of some volcanic eruptions is the pyroclastic flow, a current of hot gas and volcanic ash capable of moving hundreds of kilometers an hour and Keep reading
Even Mountains Flow
Over about 5 months of 2018, the summit of Mount Kilauea slowly collapsed as the volcano erupted. Seen in timelapse, it’s a remarkable reminder of the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus’s Keep reading
Lava Balls
View this post on Instagram #LeilaniEstatesEruption #KilaueaVolcano LATEST (June 27 at 8:15 PM): New unbelievable video from @IkaikaMarzo captures the phenomena that USGS has named a “lava boat”. Watch as Keep reading
Kilauea’s Lava Lake
Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano continues to erupt, sending magma flowing through multiple fissures. The U.S. Geological Survey has sounded a warning, however, that the volcano could erupt more explosively. Hot spot Keep reading
Turbulent Volcanic Plumes
Volcanic eruptions produce some of the largest flows on Earth. These towering ash clouds were imaged from orbit in May 2017 as an eruption began on Alaska’s Bogoslof Island. The Keep reading