A study published in Nature Geoscience on August 26, 2025 shows that major tropical volcanic eruptions alter global flood patterns, reducing floods in the hemisphere of eruption and increasing them across the equator, depending on stratospheric aerosol distribution.
Veniaminof volcano in Alaska frequently erupts with little to no detectable precursory ground movement or seismic activity. A new study analyzing the 2018 eruption with thermomechanical models demonstrates that eruptions can occur with minimal warning when deep, low-flux magma systems are surrounded by thermally softened rock.
A Chinese research team tracked sulfur dioxide (SO2) from Iceland’s Sundhnukagigar volcano, which traveled over 2 000 km (1 243 miles) to the Svalbard Islands in the Arctic in 2023, causing significant smog. The findings, published in The Innovation Geoscience, documented the long-distance environmental impact of the eruption.
Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption released volcanic ash that contributed to a large phytoplankton bloom 1 930 km (1 200 miles) away in the North Pacific. The bloom, spanning 1.5 million km², was one of the largest recorded in the region.
Breakthrough research led by a University of Canterbury team has resulted in a new tool, developed using artificial intelligence (AI), to improve the prediction of volcanic eruptions worldwide. This innovative system, designed to recognize seismic patterns, could become part of early warning systems for predicting future eruptions. To maximize its impact, the team plans to release the forecasting models as open-access resources, enabling volcano observatories worldwide to apply them in real-time monitoring and prediction.
New research has found magma reservoirs beneath dormant volcanoes in the Cascade Range remain intact for thousands of years, challenging the long-standing belief that magma bodies dissipate over time after eruptions and reshaping understanding of volcanic activity. Previously, large magma bodies were thought to indicate an increased likelihood of eruption, but the study suggests they are a persistent feature of volcanic systems rather than a sign of imminent activity.
Volcanologists reporting in Oxford’s Academic Journal of Petrology have confirmed that the Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes share a deep magma source within the Hawaiian plume.
A new study observed significant ground deformation around Ol Doinyo Lengai’s summit crater in Tanzania. The research suggests that the steady subsidence is due to a deflating magma reservoir less than 1 km (0.6 miles) below the surface.
Researchers at the University of Granada have developed an innovative system demonstrating a very accurate machine-learning algorithm developed to predict volcanic eruptions. The study with important implications for global volcanic hazard forecasting and disaster preparedness.
New research reveals that deep magma buoyancy, rather than the proportion of solid and molten rock, drives volcanic eruptions. The study, conducted by researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Bristol, highlights the importance of searching for clues much deeper in the Earth’s crust, where rocks are first melted into magma before rising to chambers closer to the surface.
