Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 21, 2023

Is the Yellowstone supervolcano really 'due' for an eruption?

Beneath Yellowstone National Park, a vast region of spectacular wilderness visited by around 3 million people annually, lurks one of the largest volcanoes in the world. The Yellowstone Caldera — the cauldron-like basin at the summit of the volcano — is so colossal that it is often called a supervolcano,...

Jan 30, 2023

Tonga's massive volcanic eruption wiped out unique, never-before-seen life-forms

An island near Tonga that emerged from the ocean in 2015 was teeming with unique life-forms, but the 21st century's largest volcanic eruption completely obliterated it, a new study has revealed. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai island emerged from the Pacific Ocean due to volcanic activity in 2014 and 2015. Its...

Feb 2, 2023

Massive, volcano-like eruption may explain dead star's mysterious slowdown

The fast-rotating husk of a dead star mysteriously slowed down, and astronomers think it's because of an anti-glitch that caused a gigantic volcano-like explosion from its surface. The dead star, a magnetar classified as SGR 1935+2154 and located 30,000 light-years from Earth, suddenly decelerated in October 2020 before releasing a...

May 16, 2023

Scientists discover giant crater from ice age explosion that has methane-spewing mud volcano inside it

Ocean explorers in the Arctic have discovered an underwater volcano spewing mud and methane from inside another, larger crater that probably formed after a catastrophic blowout at the end of the last ice age. Researchers spotted the unusual feature about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Norway's Bear Island, or...

May 17, 2023

Yellowstone volcano super-eruptions appear to involve multiple explosive events

The last super-eruption at Yellowstone volcano, which occurred 631,000 years ago, was not one huge explosion. Instead, new research suggests it was a series of eruptions or multiple vents spewing volcanic material in rapid succession. According to the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2022 Annual Report, published May...

Jun 9, 2023

Europe's most dangerous 'supervolcano' could be creeping toward eruption, scientists warn

A long-slumbering supervolcano in Italy is getting closer to a potential eruption for the first time since 1538, a new study warns — and the consequences could be catastrophic. The Campi Flegrei volcano, near Naples in southern Italy, has crust that is becoming weaker and more prone to rupturing, making...

Jun 10, 2023

The 12 biggest volcanic eruptions in recorded history

History has seen some monstrous volcanic eruptions, from Mount Pinatubo's weather-cooling burp to the explosion of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai on the island nation of Tonga. The power of such eruptions is measured using the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), a classification system developed in the 1980 that's similar to the magnitude...

Jun 14, 2023

Hawaii's erupting Kilauea volcano is spewing 'vog' and may launch dangerous glass shards

In a fiery and ongoing eruption, Hawaii's Kilauea volcano began spewing lava on June 7, sending molten rock to the surrounding crater and reaching temperatures as high as 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit (1,150 degrees Celsius), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Kilauea, located on Hawaii's Big Island, is one of...

Jun 28, 2023

Yellowstone supervolcano magma chamber has far more melted rock than thought

The amount of melted rock beneath Yellowstone's supervolcano is far higher than previous estimates, a new study has found. While researchers say there is no sign of an imminent eruption, the discovery provides a more detailed view of what's going on in the enormous magma chamber that sits beneath the...

Jun 30, 2023

Ground beneath Italy’s awakening 'supervolcano' rose 66 feet before its last eruption

The ground around Italy’s awakening supervolcano rose by up to 66 feet (20 meters) before its previous eruption, a new study has revealed. In 1538, the ground below Campi Flegrei, near Naples, swelled to a breaking point then burst, burying the Roman-era village of Tripergole beneath a torrent of muddy...

Jul 11, 2023

Were Neanderthals really killed off by Campi Flegrei, Europe's awakening 'supervolcano'?

Deep beneath Earth's surface, the Campi Flegrei supervolcano near the city of Naples might be slowly stirring into life. This epic volcano has a devastating history, and some experts believe an eruption 40,000 years ago could have played a role in the extinction of the Neanderthals. But did it really...

Jul 12, 2023

Earth's newest 'baby' volcano is painting Iceland's Fagradalsfjall region with incandescent lava

Earth's newest volcano has been born via a brand new volcanic fissure that opened up on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula, spewing fountains of molten rock from the ground. The event marks the third year in a row that the underlying Fagradalsfjall lava field has erupted. The latest eruption occurred on Monday...

Jul 18, 2023

Scientists discover ancient, underwater volcano is still active — and covered in up to a million giant eggs

Researchers exploring an ancient, underwater volcano off the Pacific coast of Canada have discovered it is still active — and covered in thousands of giant eggs. Before the expedition, the team thought the volcano was extinct and the waters around it frigid. However, they found the underwater mountain — which...

Jul 20, 2023

Watch as crater collapses in Iceland's new volcano, spewing rivers of lava

(Video credit: Video courtesy of the National Icelandic Broadcasting Service) In Iceland, the world's newest baby volcano is throwing a temper tantrum: It's overflowing and spewing spatter bombs, or blobs of molten lava, into the surrounding crater. The volcano formed on July 10, when an underground eruption opened a 1.7-mile-long...

Jul 24, 2023

Lava outburst 3 times the size of Texas may have triggered Snowball Earth 717 million years ago

Devastating volcanic eruptions may have been so enormous they turned the planet into Snowball Earth 717 million years ago, a study has found. The volcanic outburst — one of the largest in Earth's history — likely triggered a series of chemical reactions that sucked carbon dioxide (CO2) from Earth's ancient...