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The massive eruption of the Thera volcano in the Aegean Sea more than 3,000 years ago produced killer waves that raced across hundreds of miles of the Eastern Mediterranean to inundate the area that is now Israel and probably other coastal sites, a team of scientists has found. The team, writing in the October issue of Geology, said the new evidence suggested that giant tsunamis from the catastrophic eruption hit “coastal sites across the Eastern Mediterranean littoral.” Tsunamis are giant waves that can crash into shore, rearrange the seabed, inundate vast areas of land and carry terrestrial material out to...

A vast pool of molten rock in the continental crust that underlies southwestern Washington state could supply magma to three active volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains -- Mount St. Helens , Mount Rainier and Mount Adams... Other scientists dismiss the existence... Rather than magma heated to 1,300 to 1,400 degrees, some think it could be water... Seth Moran , a volcano seismologist with the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash... said the most telling evidence that the theory was wrong was the lack of any surface evidence, such as geothermal vents or hot springs, among the mountains that would...

The site was found by accident when the Suez Canal was being constructed in 1860. Workers quarrying Santorini's volcanic ash discovered the ruins, but serious excavations at the site didn't begin until 1967. An unfortunate collapse of the roof in 2005, which killed a British tourist, caused the site to be closed. It's scheduled to be reopened sometime after 2010. Greek bureaucracy has brought the repairs of the building to a halt, which has caused Santorini's tourist trade to suffer. Akrotiri is referred to by some as the "Minoan Pompeii" because of the similarities of the destruction by volcano and...

Those of you who have gazed on the various images I've posted here will remember that I have a particular fondness for columnar basalt: the geological formation found at Devil's Tower, the Devil's Postpile, Svartifoss waterfall in Iceland, New York's Palisades, Giant's Causeway in Iceland, etc. There's actually a good list here, with some I hadn't known about before (I know, what a surprise!) Basalt Now, this picture and this feature might not constitute actual unusual geology; in fact, itÂ’s probably rather conventional, though it does result from a fortuitous combination of geological processes; and as you might guess, it...

First, not totally exactly geology, but one of the more amazing iceberg pictures I've ever seen: Next, an offering from Patrick Smith Photography (I had one of these before): this one won some awards and was on the cover of a photography magazine: Finally, Marion Island from space: click for full-size

The volcanic explosion that obliterated much of the island that might have inspired the legend of Atlantis apparently triggered a tsunami that traveled hundreds of miles to reach as far as present-day Israel, scientists now suggest. The new findings about this past tsunami could shed light on the destructive potential of future disasters, researchers added. The islands that make up the small circular archipelago of Santorini, roughly 120 miles (200 km) southeast of Greece, are what remain of what once was a single island, before one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human antiquity shattered it in the Bronze Age...

Sydney, September 21 (ANI): A scientist has said that a volcanic eruption is “well overdue” in Australia from the past 3,000 years and there are hundreds of volcanoes that could cause trouble, from South Australia and Victoria through to Queensland. According to a report by Fairfax Digital Network, Melbourne geologist Bernie Joyce has made the warning. He said that there are 400 volcanoes in Victoria and South Australia, and almost as many in Queensland. “A significant eruption seems well overdue,” said Professor Joyce, who has been associated with the University of Melbourne. “We can’t say with 100 per cent certainty...

A popular trail in Yellowstone National Park has been closed because of new geothermal hot spots that could endanger hikers. Park officials said Wednesday that geologists will use thermal imaging, temperature readings and a ground survey to examine hot spots on the Clear Lake Trail.

Erupting Volcano Anak Krakatau Credit & Copyright: Marco Fulle (Stromboli Online) Explanation: A volcano on Krakatoa is still erupting. Perhaps most famous for the powerfully explosive eruption in 1883 that killed tens of thousands of people, ash from a violent eruption might also have temporarily altered Earth's climate as long as 1500 years ago. In 1927, eruptions caused smaller Anak Krakatau to rise from the sea, and the emerging volcanic island continues to grow at an average rate of 2 cm per day. The latest eruption of Anak Krakatau started in 2008 April and continues today. In this picture,...

Legazpi City (10 July) -- Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has raised today Mayon Volcano's alert status from Level 1 (low level unrest) to Level 2 (moderate unrest) after it manifested increasing volcanic quakes, swelling of its edifice and intense crater glow. Phivolcs said parameters monitored since last month indicated an increase in the current activity of the volcano, manifesting low frequency volcanic earthquakes rising to a higher level signifying possible movement of magma beneath the volcano edifice at shallow depth. The hoisting of Alert Level 2 signifies a state of unrest which could lead to ash explosions...

One fine day about 74,000 years ago, a giant volcano on Sumatra blew its top. The volcano, named Toba, may have ejected 1000 times more rock and other material than Mount St. Helens in Washington state did in 1980. In the process, it cooled the climate by at least 10°C, causing a global famine. But could the aftermath have been even worse? A new study puts to rest questions about whether Toba plunged Earth into a 1000-year deep freeze and whether an equivalent event today could jump-start a new, millennia-long ice age. Giant volcanic eruptions such as Toba briefly cause...

Many people in the United States and Europe are seeing gorgeous lavender sunsets lately thanks to the eruption more than two weeks ago of Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano. The volcano blew its top June 12, generating a remarkable shock wave in the atmosphere seen in a photo taken by astronauts. It also hurled massive plumes of sulfur dioxide into the air, and that material has been circling the globe. Deep purple hues and ripples of white characterize the spectacular views the past few evenings. The phenomenon occurs when the ash and fine particles sprayed high into the atmosphere by the...

Photo from the International Space Station! Full size image here.One giant belch likely emitting more CO2 into the atmosphere than all the cars on earth do in one year!(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net ...

A chance recording by astronauts on the International Space Station has captured the moment a volcano explosively erupted, sending massive shockwaves through the atmosphere. Sarychev Peak, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, had been sitting quietly in the Kuril Island chain near Japan for 20 years, when it suddenly sprang to life on June 12. Fortuitously, the International Space Station was flying overhead at the time, and managed to capture this spectacular image of the ash-cloud tearing through the atmosphere, sending clouds scattering in its wake in a perfect circle.

Amazing volcano photo shows shock wave Image from space shows several phenomena that occur early in eruption [Pic in URL] NASA Astronauts aboard the international space station captured this striking view of Sarychev Peak in the Kuril Island chain, northeast of Japan, on June 12. Volcanologists are excited about the picture because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive eruption. An amazing new picture from space reveals a volcanic eruption in its earliest stage, with a huge plume of ash and steam billowing skyward and creating a shock wave in the atmosphere. Sarychev Peak...

An amazing new picture from space reveals a volcanic eruption in its earliest stage, with a huge plume of ash and steam billowing skyward and creating a shock wave in the atmosphere. Sarychev Peak on Matua Island is one of the most active volcanoes in the Kuril Island chain, northeast of Japan. The new photo was taken June 12 from the International Space Station. NASA says volcano researchers are excited about the picture "because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive volcanic eruption." The main plume appears to be a combination of brown ash...

NASA's Earth Observatory inspires a couple of different views this week. First of all, there's this: Fogo, Cape Verde Islandswhich in part notes that there are villages inside the caldera which holds the volcanic peak of Fogo (actually Pico do Fogo, if you're wondering why it's labeled Pico in the picture). I wouldn't think that's exactly prime real estate! In the picture below you can see the villages as small white dots, and the road to them through the caldera. The other images are a few I found that the two villages from various perspectives. View from the 1995 eruption...

A team of scientists say they have evidence that a "super volcano" may be brewing underneath Mount St. Helens, NewScientist.com reports. Researchers say indicators suggest Mount St. Helens and other northwest volcanoes are plugged into a huge subterranean pool of magma that could one day burst to the surface in a "super" eruption. If what they believe is true, the structure beneath the mountain would be comparable in size to the biggest magma chambers ever discovered, such as the one below Yellowstone National Park.

A team of scientists say they have evidence that a "super volcano" may be brewing underneath Mount St. Helens, NewScientist.com reports. Researchers say indicators suggest Mount St. Helens and other northwest volcanoes are plugged into a huge subterranean pool of magma that could one day burst to the surface in a "super" eruption. If what they believe is true, the structure beneath the mountain would be comparable in size to the biggest magma chambers ever discovered, such as the one below Yellowstone National Park.

The picture isn't that spectacular; the video (in Quicktime) is. When I saw this I knew it had to be a Geopic of the week (sorry I'm late). The movie is in real-time. Turn up the sound. If you're wondering what this is, it's a view down the throat of the Hale'maumau vent. I wonder if this will eventually rise and fill the crater floor, even if only briefly -- that would be a sight. http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/archive/2009/Jun/HMMvent_03June2009web3.mov

The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) recommended Friday five regental administrations in Central Java distribute facemasks in anticipation of the spewing of thick ash from rumbling Mt. Slamet. The recommendation to the five regencies — Banyumas, Purbalingga, Pemalang, Tegal and Brebes — was made after seismic activity of the mount, which has begun spewing thick ash and molten lava from its crater, increased intensively. The recommendation was made after the alert status was raised to level three (of four) on Thursday evening, just two days after the status was raised to level two. "The local administrations should disseminate...

AL-EIS – Local residents have become increasingly alarmed after experiencing the biggest tremor thus far registering 4.15 on the Richter scale early Thursday following ten successive tremors, some of which were felt for the first time as far as Yanbu located 150 km from Al-Eis. MADINAH: Rumblings from the direction of extinct volcanoes in Al-Ais, which was hit by a series of tremors over the last couple of weeks, sent villagers in the area into a state of near panic in the early hours of yesterday. After the tremor, a voluntary evacuation operation began in which three families from Al-Qarrassah...

The reason that these colorful shrimp are important: is because they are living next to this: NW-Rota in Eruption Video (suggest turning down computer sound/speakers, volume level is set on high for this video) More info: Submarine Ring of Fire 2006 Expedition to NW Rota 2009

Volcanoes that erupted in India about 65 million years ago were instrumental in the extinction of dinosaurs, according to new research. For the last thirty years scientists have believed a giant meteorite that struck Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula was responsible for the mass extinction of dinosaurs, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday. But now Gerta Keller, a geologist at Princeton University, New Jersey, says fossilised traces of plants and animals dug out of low lying hills at El Penon in northeast Mexico show this event happened 300,000 years after the dinosaurs disappeared. Keller suggests that the massive volcanic eruptions at the...

<p>The Galapagos National Park says La Cumbre volcano began spewing lava, gas and smoke on uninhabited Fernandina Island on Saturday after four years of inactivity....</p>

OK, most of us have heard that Alaska's Redoubt volcano has been erupting. The redoubtable crew behind Stromboli On-line, who have an enviable travel budget, took some remarkable pictures of some phases of the eruption. Two examples are below; try the link underneath the picture for more. Lahar on the Drift River Alaska (in case you can't figure it out, click the image links dated either "4 April 2009" or "4-7 April 2009". Next............................ La Cumbre volcano, which is basically the entire island of Fernandina in the Galapagos, had a class "curtain of fire" fissure eruption over the past few...

The mingling of lightning and ash seen below may be a "dirty thunderstorm." The little-understood storms may be sparked when rock fragments, ash, and ice particles in the plume collide to produce static charges just as ice particles collide to create charge in regular thunderstorms. -National Geographic Two of nature’s most spectacular forces produced an incredible brew in the skies of Chile as a volcanic eruption met a lightning storm. Tonnes of dust and ash from the eruption of the Chaitén volcano poured into the night sky just as an electric storm passed overhead. The resulting collision created a spectacular...

Selected shots from recently acquired shots of Redoubt. Click for full-size. Image courtesy of Bretwood Higman. Image Creator: Sadler, Tricia Joy Redoubt eruption column, as seen on the way to Kenai from Nikiski. (Image shown full-size.) Picture Date: March 28, 2009 Image Creator: Hagstrom-Sanger, Leigh; Image Creator: Waythomas, Chris Backscattered electron image of amphibole grain in AT-1610 with a thick reaction rim surrounding it. Amphibole is a volcanic mineral that crystallizes in magma that contains some amount of water. As magma moves up toward the surface, it loses water and the amphibole reacts, forming a rim containing plagioclase, pyroxene, and...

Redoubt Volcano has been erupting all day. I am in south Anchorage where ash is falling. 1/8th inch in the last 20 minutes. visibility less than 500 feet. Heavy smell of sulfur in the air. Hunkering down!

Redoubt volcano erupted for the second time this morning with a huge explosion at 9:24 that sent a cloud of ash to 65,000 feet above sea level. It looks like the plume is going to drift kind of over Prince William Sound and then into the Copper River, Cordova area, and then into the Panhandle," said Alaska Volcano Observatory geologist Chris Waythomas in Anchorage. "It could cause some real serious issues for aviation throughout the day, and I wouldn't be surprised if some flights are going to be canceled here," he said. Alaska Airlines officials said they are still evaluating...

As first noticed by WUWT commenter Crosspatch last night, from seismic data, it appears Mt. Redoubt has erupted: "Looking at this Redoubt webcorder it looks like an eruption of some sort might have started at around 2045UTC. It’s dark there now, so we won’t know until morning." National Weather Service radar, Kenai, Alaska: capture at 02:42 Alaska local time, March 23rd 2009. Click for latest radar image. Because the eruptions happened at night, so far we don’t have any current photography. Hopefully soon. The radar image above shows the plume clearly though. Here is a 40 frame loop showing the...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupted five times overnight, sending an ash plume more than 9 miles into the air in the volcano's first emissions in nearly 20 years. Residents in the state's largest city were spared from falling ash, though fine gray dust was falling Monday morning on small communities north of Anchorage. "It's coming down," Rita Jackson, 56, said early Monday morning at a 24-hour grocery store in Willow, about 50 miles north of Anchorage. She slid her fingers across the hood of her car, through a dusting of ash.

Mt. Redoubt Volcano has finally erupted. At about 10:30 pm, local time. Not much of a blowout, and it's too dark to see anything, but it has finally occurred.

FAIRBANKS — After months of rumbling, Alaska’s Mount Redoubt volcano erupted three times late Sunday and early Monday.

If you haven't seen 'em (there's a link in the Science forum already), then you should. Spectacular underwater eruption pictures from Tonga. One is below; go to this link for more. Click the one below for full-size. This made me remember Surtsey. There were probably hundreds of pictures taken of Surtsey, but back then it was all about print, and very few have been scanned into display on the Web. Have to check the National Geographic archives for more. I remember Surtsey from when I was in 4th grade. Below is what I could find. This is probably the canonical...

Pictured: The spectacular eruption of an underwater volcano in the South Pacific By DAILY MAIL REPORTER 19th March 2009 Spewing clouds of smoke, ash and steam thousands of feet into the sky, these dramatic images and video (below) show the raw power of an undersea volcano erupting. The spectacular columns blasted out of the South Pacific yesterday six miles off the coast of Tonga's main island Tongatapu. The eruption can be seen clearly from the capital, Nuku'alofa, although residents only reported seeing smoke rising from the sea on Wednesday, two days after it is believed to have begun 'It's a...

Pictured: The spectacular eruption of an underwater volcano in the South Pacific ...The spectacular columns blasted out of the South Pacific yesterday six miles off the coast of Tonga's main island Tongatapu. The eruption can be seen clearly from the capital, Nuku'alofa... Towering above, the sheer power of the underwater volcano could be seen for many miles ...No warnings have been issued to the coastal villages...The situation...helped by trade winds which...blow gas and steam away from the island. The roiling seas beneath the full fury of the undersea volcano which is part of a cluster of 36 in the area...

The Pacific nation of Tonga is waiting to see if it has a new island, after an underwater volcanic eruption forced a column of smoke and ash into the skies near the country's capital, Nuku'alofa. The eruption began on Monday after an earth tremor and is still sending clouds of smoke, steam and ash up to 100 metres into the air. Seismologists say the tremor was between the low-lying twin volcanic islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai, an area where around 36 undersea volcanoes are situated. Kelepi Mafi from Tonga's Ministry of Lands says a marine survey will begin...

Here is video of the Volcanic eruption of Mt. Sakurajima in Japan at dawn today. A fixed cam captured the moment of the eruption. . . . . . . . (Watch Video)

Follow the continual reports of increased activity on Alaska's tallest active volcano - Mt. ReDoubt located 103 miles southwest of Anchorage Restless activity at Redoubt Volcano is continuing. The volcano has not erupted. Volcanic tremor reduced in amplitude 2 days ago. Seismicity is dominated by small discrete earthquakes. There have not been any significant earthquake swarms in the past 24 hours. The web cams showed clear views of the volcano yesterday. The dark area on the north flank of Redoubt in the HUT web cam image appeared during a brief episode of strong seismicity late in the afternoon of the...

February 3, 2009—Volcanic smoke and gas from two new holes eat through snow and ice high on Alaska's Redoubt Volcano on Saturday—one of them (left) about the size of a football field. "Things are shifting" on, and in, the 10,197-foot (3,108-meter) volcano—considered the ninth most dangerous in the U.S.—said geologist Kristi Wallace of the Alaska Volcano Observatory, who was on a survey flight over the two big fumaroles yesterday (Redoubt Volcano satellite map). Surrounding ice is melting rapidly, and the gases have now been confirmed to include carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide—adding to evidence that a magma chamber...

Alaska's Mount Redoubt continued to rumble and emit steam Sunday but showed no dramatic burst of energy from the previous day, geologists monitoring the volcano said, but a Japanese volcano did erupt. A snowcapped volcano northwest of Tokyo erupted early Monday, sending up a huge plume of smoke and gas and raining fine, powdery ash on parts of Japan's capital.

A volcano near Tokyo erupted early Monday, with white smoke billowing and ash falling on the capital, the Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage following the minor eruption of the 2,568-metre (8,425 feet) Mount Asama, 150 kilometres (95 miles) northwest of Tokyo. The volcano last erupted in August last year. Live television footage showed smoke coming from the snow-covered mountain seven hours after the eruption, shortly before 2:00 am (1700 GMT Sunday).

Tens of thousands of people living near Japan's volatile Mount Asama have been told to brace themselves for a major volcanic eruption within 48 hours. The volcano is one of Japan's most active and last erupted in September 2004 when molten rock and ash blanketed areas more than 125 miles from the crater. Even by Japanese standards, Mount Asama is an active volcano, with frequent bouts of activity over recent years. The most famous eruption came in 1783 and caused the deaths of more than 1,500 people and widespread damage. Japan's Meteorological Agency yesterday raised the alert level for the...

In case you haven't heard, Mt. Redoubt in Alaska is in a state of imminent eruption (which means it could happen tomorrow or two months from now, or it might not erupt at all. Odds are it will, though.) So I thought I'd put up a picture from the last eruption, which produced some of the most impressive eruption cloud pictures I've ever seen. The linked page has some Quicktime videos of other eruptions; some of the pyroclastic flow videos are from Unzen and Montserrat.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Hardware stores and auto parts shops scored a post-holiday run of business this week as Anchorage-area residents stocked up on protective eyewear and masks ahead of a possible eruption of Mount Redoubt.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Mount Redoubt continues to rumble and simmer, prompting geologists to say this Alaska volcano could erupt "within days." Scientists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory have been monitoring activity round-the-clock since the weekend. If Mount Redoubt does erupt, it would be the first time this occurred in nearly 20 years. And if won't likely be pretty. History shows that volcanoes in Alaska, including Redoubt, typically erupt explosively, shooting ash almost eight miles high.

Over the past 48 hours, seismic activity at Redoubt Volcano has increased markedly. This has taken the form of periodic tremor bursts that are most visible on the two seismic stations closest to the summit. Beginning at 00:58 AKT (9:58 UTC) this morning, tremor became sustained and its amplitude increased markedly. AVO raised the Aviation Color Code to ORANGE and the Alert Level to WATCH this morning at 2:09 AKT (11:09 UTC). This activity could be precursory to an eruption, perhaps within hours to days. A further increase in seismicity is expected to accompany an eruption. There is no indication...

So Yellowstone, the super volcano, is again rumbling? Mercury has been detected throughout the national park (not a good sign) for quite sometime and along with it the ground under Yellowstone Lake is rising. More than 250 earthquakes reported during a 24-hour period ... Scientists monitoring Yellowstone have stated that it has entered into what they have described as a "red zone." Remember Mount St. Helens? The feds warned folks in the region around the mountain to vacate, and most did. Some (a few) didn't. It's been reported that the feds will issue a vacate order to the inhabitants of...

More on the Yellowstone earthquake swarm at the supervolcano caldera. First, this piece of database analysis from an IT guy at Splunk puts the swarm into scary perspective: I'm sending you this email with some information I've gleaned from the USGS archives. I'm analyzing the ANSS data (http://www.ncedc.org/cnss/) in an install of Splunk, which is a timeline based search and reporting engine. I have 30 years of data in the system, with about 2M quakes total. It makes doing graphs and adhoc investigations faster than dealing with the USGS limited search forms. Disclaimer: I work for Splunk as their evangelist,...