Latest news with #volcanoes
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Massive Underground Blobs May Tell Us Where the Next Mass Extinction Could Start
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Volcanoes are responsible for some of the greatest bouts of biological devastation in Earth's history. A new study aims to determine whether giant volcanic eruptions are related to BLOBS—mobile basal structures related to well-known large low-shear-velocity provinces (LLSVPs). Comparing seismic tomography data with their models, the researchers found evidence of slow-moving blobs that shift at about one centimeter per year. The story of life on Earth is also a story about volcanoes—that is, extinction-level volcanic events capable of nearly wiping the planet's biological slate clean. The Permian-Triassic extinction, for instance—which took place some 252 million years ago—can be attributed to an abnormally volcanic region known as the Siberian Traps, and volcanic eruptions also sped along the end of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago (though a ten-kilometer-wide asteroid deserves most of the credit for that one). So, it makes sense that understanding the deep-Earth origins of these events could help scientists reconstruct Earth's geologic history while also improving our ability to predict where massive volcanic eruptions could occur next. In an attempt to get a better picture of what's happening under our feet, a group of scientists—led by researchers at the University of Wollongong (UOW) in Australia—have reconstructed one billion years of mantle convection and 300 million years of plume conduits to determine the origin of Earth's most intense volcanic events. One of the big questions was: Do big lower-mantle basal structures, known as BLOBS, move or stay fixed in one place? After comparing data from three datasets to their models, they found that BLOBs do likely move, albeit very slowly—roughly one centimeter per year. The results were published last week in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. 'Researching the relationships between volcanic eruptions at the surface with such large-scale dynamic processes occurring 2500 km below our feet puts into perspective how interconnected our planet really is,' Annalise Cucchiaro, UOW Ph.D. candidate and the lead author of the study, said in a press statement. 'This work highlights the importance of mantle plumes in acting as 'magma highways' to the surface, creating these giant eruptions. It also shows that these plumes move along with their source, the BLOBS.' Located 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers under Africa and the Pacific Ocean, the depth at which BLOBS move creates lollipop-shaped mantle plumes—the 'stick' forms the plume's tail and the 'candy' forms the plume's head near the surface. The researchers found that eruptions usually take place above or near these blobs, suggesting that mantle plumes also tilt as they rise up toward the lithosphere. A centimeter per year may not seem like much, but over Earth's geologic history, those centimeters add up to significant changes to the planet's geologic story. Although evidence is strong that BLOBS are dynamic objects, the authors note in an article published in The Conversation that one of the four models also supported the fixed BLOBS theory, so that idea can't be entirely ruled out. But with a greater understanding of how BLOBS move, the scientists are now eager to analyze their chemical composition by tracking their evolution over time. 'This research cracks open one of the questions that has long plagued scientists – are the BLOBS stationary or mobile and how do they relate to giant volcanic explosions,' Nicolas Flament, a co-author of the study from UOW, said in a press statement. 'So it is a thrill to finally begin to unravel these mysteries.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life? Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Experts on high alert as multiple volcanoes in 'Pacific Ring of Fire' suddenly come to life
Several volcanoes in the 'Pacific Ring of Fire' have shown increased activity recently, prompting close monitoring by experts for potential eruptions. Also called the Circum-Pacific Belt, it is a 25,000-mile chain of volcanoes and earthquake zones from South America to Alaska, across Japan, and down to New Zealand. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has found four volcanoes, all in the US, which are rumbling, including the Great Sitkin Volcano in Alaska that has been steadil y erupting lava into its summit crater for nearly four years. Recent satellite imagery confirms the eruption remains slow and non-explosive, with lava continuing to flow southwest. In Hawaii, Kilauea has paused its lava fountains but continues to build pressure. Scientists anticipate a new eruptive phase between July 17 and 20. Although lava fountains have ceased, sulfur dioxide emissions remain elevated, measured between 1,200 and 1,500 tons per day, indicating ongoing volcanic activity. Mount Rainier in Washington experienced its largest recorded earthquake swarm in early July, with 334 quakes detected over two days starting July 8, raising vigilance among volcanologists. Offshore Oregon, the underwater Axial Seamount is under close observation, with researchers forecasting an eruption possibly occurring in 2025. According to the scientists, these volcanoes are unpredictable as they are a result of natural movement in the Earth's crust, especially along the Pacific Ring of Fire. That is because this area is where the Pacific tectonic plate sinks under neighboring plates, creating quakes and eruptions. Even with the flurry of quakes and lava, none of these volcanoes currently threaten the nearby communities. Each of the rumbling volcanoes has its own history and behavior pattern. The Great Sitkin Volcano, located in Alaska's Aleutian Islands, began erupting in 2021 after decades of inactivity. In April, USGS volcanologist reported that lava has slowly filled the crater over the years, building a thick dome, but it has not triggered ash clouds or air travel disruptions, a key concern for aviation in the region. Lava is still pushing out of the summit crater at Great Sitkin Volcano in Alaska. It is not explosive, but steady. Small quakes continue, and there is no sign the eruption is ending anytime soon. Mount Spurr, roughly 80 miles west of Anchorage, had its last explosive eruption in 1992, sending ash clouds 40,000 feet into the sky. The recent shallow earthquake swarms echo early warning signs from that event, though experts say there is no magma movement yet. Nearby, Mount Spurr has had shallow earthquake swarms since February. As of now, it is quiet, no gas, no lava, and no expected eruption, but USGS has kept it under an advisory level. However, Kilauea, on Hawaii's Big Island, is being monitored around the clock because of its proximity to residential areas. In 2018, lava flows from the volcano destroyed over 700 homes in the Leilani Estates subdivision. Scientists are now tracking surface deformation, quake movement, and gas emissions to anticipate another potential hazard phase. Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world but is not part of the Ring of Fire. It sits above a hot spot in the Earth's mantle, a fixed plume of heat and magma that stays in place while the Pacific Plate moves slowly over it. Seismologists are now concerned that Kilauea is swelling again and showing more quakes, signs it could erupt soon. A vent on the undersea volcano Axial Seamount. Scientists expect an eruption next year, but it will likely go unnoticed by anyone except the seafloor monitoring teams The activity could mark the start of what is known as Episode 29, the latest phase in the volcano's ongoing eruption cycle that began in 1983. The volcano, containing gas, ash, and threads, poses a threat to humans due to its confined nature and potential for eruptions. Mount Rainier, despite not erupting in centuries, remains one of the most hazardous volcanoes in North America because of its massive glacial coverage. A 2023 USGS risk assessment found that even small eruptions or earthquakes could trigger deadly mudflows, known as lahars, capable of reaching communities like Orting and Puyallup within minutes. Earlier this month, the volcano experienced its largest earthquake swarm since 2009, with hundreds of small tremors rattling the area. According to USGS, each quake was under magnitude 1.7 and originated just a few miles beneath the summit, deep enough to raise concern among scientists. While the volcano's alert level remains at 'normal' and no ground deformation has been detected, this swarm adds to approximately thousands, of quakes recorded at Rainier since 2020. Although an eruption is not expected in the immediate future, experts still rank Mount Rainier among the most dangerous volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest due to its potential to unleash lahars, ash fall, and pyroclastic flows. Scientists emphasize that it is not lava that poses the greatest threat, but the lahars. These violent mudflows can form during an eruption or even without one, triggered by intense rainfall, melting snow, or weakened slopes. Off Oregon's coast, Axial Seamount continues to slowly inflate. Scientists expect an eruption next year, but it will likely go unnoticed by anyone except the seafloor monitoring teams. Volcano experts say there is no cause for panic. The activity fits into long-term patterns in the Ring of Fire and Hawaii's hot spot as the scientists are watching them closely.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Volcanoes in multiple states have been rumbling. What's going on?
Volcanoes in Alaska, Washington state, Oregon and Hawaii have recently been rumbling and even spewing lava, enough to spark a swarm of news stories. But despite the jolts and temblors, geologists say there's no cause for alarm. "Volcanoes can be unpredictable and there's always chance that something bad will happen, but these recent seismic events along the Pacific Ring of Fire from Alaska to Washington to offshore Oregon are probably not directly related to each other," said Natalia Ruppert, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Science Center in Seattle. "This is what volcanoes do," she said. "They come to life for a while, sometimes the earthquake activity leads to an eruption and sometimes it doesn't." Most of the U.S. volcanoes that have been making themselves known since spring woke up a bit, shook themselves off and then fell back into slumber. Two, one in Hawaii and one in Alaska, are in the midst of active and ongoing – but relatively small and non-threatening – eruptions. While it all might seem ominous, it isn't. It's simply part of life on a dynamic, seismically active planet. There's no direct connection between any of these, said Ruppert. "The distance between these (seismic) activity centers is thousands of miles." While volcanoes have always been a part of the West Coast's geography, it might seem that this is an especially busy time for these mountains caused by fissures in the Earth's crust that go down to the below. But seismologists and volcanologists are keeping a careful eye on them, said Ruppert. "This is why the federal government funds earthquake and volcano monitoring efforts through the Department of the Interior and USGS." Consider these recent events: More than 300 earthquakes occurred at Washington's Mount Rainier in early July, the largest earthquake swarm ever recorded at the volcano. The swarm, a cluster of earthquakes in the same area in rapid succession, began July 8. Within two days a total of 334 earthquakes had been identified by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. But it's not hugely unusual for the majestic volcano about 70 miles southeast of Seattle, which registered a similar swarm of quakes in 2009. Rainier's last eruption, however, was about 1,000 years ago, said Ruppert. North of Washington state, Alaska has three volcanoes that are making themselves felt just now. As of July 10, Alaska's Great Sitkin volcano was on a Watch alert level, with lava continuing to erupt in the summit crater. Located at in the Aleutian Islands, the volcano's seismicity levels remain low with occasional small earthquakes, USGS reports. That eruption began in May 2021. There has been an ongoing eruption of lava at the summit since in July 2021. On Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, a flurry of small earthquakes shook the Iliamna volcano on June 15. However no surface activity was observed and on July 1 the volcano was set at a Normal alert code. North of Iliamna, another Alaskan volcano, Mount Spurr, has been experiencing swarms of shallow earthquakes since February. It is currently on a Normal advisory level. For now, there's little concern, Ruppert said. Heading south down the West Coast, seismologists are also monitoring the Axial Seamount, a massive undersea volcano located 300 miles off the Oregon coast. It's been attracting attention for months as scientists prepare for an eruption they expect sometime in 2025. Because it's so far underwater, only scientists using an array of instruments will know about the eruption. The volcanoes are located along what's known as the Ring of Fire, a 25,000-mile long, horseshoe-shaped string of volcanoes and seismically active areas that stretches from the southern tip of South America, up along the West coast of the United States, across the coast of Alaska, down through Japan all the way to New Zealand. It's created by the Pacific plate sinking below the North American plate and is the most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Far to the west in Hawaii, Mt. Kilauea continues to erupt, though as of July 11 it has not been exhibiting the massive fountains of lava that had been taking place earlier in the month. On July 9, USGS said the most recent eruption had ended. Hawaii's volcanoes are not part of the Ring of Fire. The island chain was (and is still being) formed by a volcanic hot spot that has so far created 15 different volcanoes that stretch 3,800 miles across the Pacific. In Hawaii's case, the volcanoes are the result of a heat source deep within the Earth's mantle. The plume of magma coming from that hot spot in the ocean floor remains stationary as the Pacific Plate slowly – 2 to 4 inches a year – moves over top of it. This is why Hawaii's oldest volcanoes, on Kauai, are 5.5 million years old while the newest, on the Big Island, are only 700,000 years old and still growing. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Volcanoes rumbling in Alaska, Washington state, Oregon and Hawaii
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Melting Glaciers Could Reawaken Hundreds of Earth's Volcanoes
The effects of climate change could awaken hundreds of volcanoes worldwide – which in turn could worsen the effects of climate change. According to recent models predicting changes in the magma beneath Patagonia's glaciers, the retreat of ice has the power to shake subglacial volcanoes out of their slumber. The world isn't at imminent risk of volcanic bombardment, but the findings suggest that today's rapid melting of glaciers could raise the risk of eruptions in the future. This will likely occur over hundreds, if not thousands, of years, but it's always good to be prepared, especially for places like Antarctica, where more than 100 hidden volcanoes are currently trapped under ice. Related: The study is based on the deep history of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, which once used to cover the southern tip of South America. More than 18,000 years ago, when the ice sheet was at its heaviest, magma pooled and crystallized some 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) beneath the surface. As the climate warmed and glaciers melted, however, the pressure was off. Scientists think Earth's crust bounced upward without the weight of ice pressing down on it, and the gases in underground magma were allowed to expand – a key factor for volcanic eruptions. Researchers analyzed samples from six volcanoes in Chile to learn more about their eruptive past. One of them, the Mocho-Choshuenco volcano, is now dormant, but according to recent data, its eruptive activity in the past was impacted by the advance and retreat of Patagonia's ice. It took roughly 3,000 to 5,000 years before the region's ice 'unloading' led to explosive eruptions, so we probably have plenty of time to prepare. As modern Patagonia loses more of its ice, however, parts of the land are rebounding at unexpectedly rapid rates, and that is worrying some scientists. "Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them," explains volcanologist Pablo Moreno-Yaeger from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who presented the research at the Goldschmidt Conference. "But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively." Scientists studying volcanoes and glaciers in Iceland have noticed a similar phenomenon, but this is one of the first studies to show the same forces at play on a continental scale. "Our study suggests this phenomenon isn't limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica," says Moreno-Yaeger. "Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand, and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention." In Antarctica, for instance, scientists have conducted simulations that show if too much ice melts, it could increase future eruptions. Even if the magma doesn't break through the ice sheet completely, it could melt the structure from within. "Over time the cumulative effect of multiple eruptions can contribute to long-term global warming because of a buildup of greenhouse gases," explains Moreno-Yaeger. "This creates a positive feedback loop, where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, and the eruptions in turn could contribute to further warming and melting." That's the sort of catastrophic future scientists want to see coming from a long way off. Otherwise, there may be no way to stop it. The findings were presented at the 2025 Goldschmidt Conference in Prague. Blue Sharks May Be Secret Chameleons, Scientists Discover Scientists Just Debunked 'Earth's Oldest Impact Crater' 'Chimpfluencers' Are Sticking Grass in Their Ears And Butts in Latest Viral Trend
Fast Company
09-07-2025
- Science
- Fast Company
More great news about climate change: It's also causing more volcanic eruptions
As global temperatures increase because of climate change, glaciers around the world are melting —contributing to rising sea levels, more extreme weather events, and habitat loss for all sorts of species. But scientists have recently identified another explosive consequence from this disappearing ice: Melting glaciers may lead to more frequent, and more damaging, volcanic eruptions. Those volcanic eruptions could then cause even more climate impacts by spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which will then melt more glaciers. Though individual volcanic eruptions may temporarily cool global temperatures (by releasing aerosols that reflect the sun away from the Earth's surface), multiple, consecutive volcanic eruptions can actually contribute to global warming. 'This creates a positive feedback loop, where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, and the eruptions in turn could contribute to further warming and melting,' Pablo Moreno-Yaeger, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher, said in a statement. Moreno-Yaeger presented his team's findings at the geochemistry Goldschmidt Conference in Prague this week; a peer-reviewed paper on the research is forthcoming. Melting glaciers increase volcanic activity because of the way they sit over stores of magma underground. When ice sheets melt and glaciers retreat, it releases the pressure on those magma chambers, making it easier for the magma to break through the surface in a volcanic eruption. That process has already been observed in Iceland, but the new study looking at volcanoes in Chile is one of the first to show how the phenomenon played out at the end of the last ice age. The last ice age peaked around 26,000 to 18,000 years ago, and the thick layer of ice over the planet then suppressed volcanic eruptions. That led a reservoir of magma to build up below the surface. When the ice sheets melted, the loss of all that heavy ice released the pressure over the magma, making the gases in the magma expand so that they erupted from the Earth's surface—like popping the top of a soda can. For the study, the researchers, with funding from the National Science Foundation, looked at rocks around six volcanoes in the Chilean Andes. They were able to date previous volcanic eruptions and analyze the chemistry of these rocks to track how volcanic explosions increased as glacial ice melted. 'The key requirement for increased explosivity is initially having a very thick glacial coverage over a magma chamber, and the trigger point is when these glaciers start to retreat, releasing pressure,' Moreno-Yaeger explains. This activity is currently happening in places like Antarctica, where more than 100 volcanoes sit below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The entire Antarctic Ice Sheet covers an area larger than the U.S. and Mexico combined. Climate change, fueled by the burning of fossil fuels, is already causing Antarctic ice to melt more quickly than it can be replaced—and at a rate six times faster than it was melting in the 1990s. The West Antarctic Ice sheet specifically is the 'frontier of dramatic ice loss in Antarctica,' and one of the most rapidly changing ice sheets on the planet, according to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. It's not just Antarctica that could see more volcanic eruptions because of melting ice. The researchers say scientists should monitor parts of North America, New Zealand, and Russia for this risk as well. The impact isn't immediate, though; in the Chilean Andes, the volcanic eruptions lagged a few thousand years behind the melting glaciers. But the researchers warn that different volcanoes, made up of different minerals, could respond to this change over a different amount of time. And it's not the only climate impact that could be increasing volcanic activity. Previous research has found that more extreme, heavy rain—which is also increasing because of climate change —could trigger eruptions. And once those eruptions increase, they create a feedback loop that causes even more warming and rain.
