Volcanology

Volcanology is the study of the generation and movement of molten rock on Earth and other planetary bodies, primarily through volcanoes and volcanic eruptions. This encompasses the generation of magma, its geochemistry and movement through the Earth’s crust, the physics of volcanic eruptions and hazards including ash clouds and pyroclastic flows

Latest Research and Reviews

Research
24 June 2022 | Open Access

Structure of the magma plumbing system beneath Semisopochnoi Island (Aleutian Arc) inferred from seismic tomography
- Galina Yaroshenko
- , Ivan Koulakov
- & Sami El Khrepy
Scientific Reports 12, 10771
Research
24 June 2022 | Open Access

Physical and morphological characterization of the 19 May 2021 ash cloud deposit at Stromboli (Italy)
- Giuseppe Re
- , Massimo Pompilio
- & Alessio Di Roberto
Scientific Reports 12, 10777
Research | 23 June 2022

Eruption at basaltic calderas forecast by magma flow rate

Using magma inflow rate improves eruption forecasting on timescales of weeks to months for basaltic caldera systems, compared with using surface deformation alone, according to analysis of 45 unrest case studies and viscoelastic modelling.
- Federico Galetto
- , Valerio Acocella
- & Marco Bagnardi
Nature Geoscience, 1-5
Research | 23 June 2022

Transient mobilization of subcrustal carbon coincident with Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

A change in the style of rifting in the North Atlantic led to carbon fluxes from subcrustal melting that helped trigger the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, according to geochemical analyses of volcanic sequences as well as melting and tectonic modelling.
- Thomas M. Gernon
- , Ryan Barr
- & Martin R. Palmer
Nature Geoscience, 1-7
Research
15 June 2022 | Open Access

Aging in magma rheology
- Aika K. Kurokawa
- , Takahiro Miwa
- & Hidemi Ishibashi
Scientific Reports 12, 10015
Research
13 June 2022 | Open Access

Insights for crystal mush storage utilizing mafic enclaves from the 2011–12 Cordón Caulle eruption
- Heather Winslow
- , Philipp Ruprecht
- & Alvaro Amigo
Scientific Reports 12, 9734

All Research & Reviews

News and Comment

News & Views | 09 May 2022

Flood basalt buildup warms climate

Flood basalts are connected to Earth’s most extreme environmental crises, yet warming is sometimes observed before surface eruptions. Modelling reveals that a complex buildup of basalt intrusions into the crust releases enough CO₂ to cause this pre-eruptive warming.
- Jennifer Kasbohm
Nature Geoscience 15, 342-343
News & Views | 03 May 2022

From the archive: the link between mosquitoes and disease, and Mount Vesuvius erupts

Snippets from Nature’s past.

Nature 605, 38
News & Views | 30 March 2022

Mobile mantle could explain volcanic hotspot locations

Ancient records of Earth’s magnetic field seem to contradict a conceptual picture of how regions of volcanic activity form. Statistical modelling now reconciles these data with our understanding of mantle fluid dynamics.
- Allen K. McNamara
Nature 603, 796-797
News & Views | 23 March 2022

Imaging Yellowstone’s plumbing system from the sky

Despite decades of research, the plumbing system that links deep thermal fluids to the well-known surface features of Yellowstone National Park remains mostly unexplored. The first views of this system are revealed through the gathering of airborne geophysical data, which are used to generate electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility models.

Nature
News | 16 February 2022

Tongan volcano eruption leaves scientists with unanswered questions

Scientists scramble to understand the devastating Tongan volcano eruption, and modelling how societal changes might alter carbon emissions.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
Nature
News | 09 February 2022

Why the Tongan eruption will go down in the history of volcanology

The 15 January blast sent shock waves around the globe and defied scientific expectations. Researchers are now scrambling to work out why.
- Alexandra Witze
Nature 602, 376-378

All News & Comment

Volcanology

Latest Research and Reviews

Structure of the magma plumbing system beneath Semisopochnoi Island (Aleutian Arc) inferred from seismic tomography

Physical and morphological characterization of the 19 May 2021 ash cloud deposit at Stromboli (Italy)

Eruption at basaltic calderas forecast by magma flow rate

Transient mobilization of subcrustal carbon coincident with Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

Aging in magma rheology

Insights for crystal mush storage utilizing mafic enclaves from the 2011–12 Cordón Caulle eruption

News and Comment

Flood basalt buildup warms climate

From the archive: the link between mosquitoes and disease, and Mount Vesuvius erupts

Mobile mantle could explain volcanic hotspot locations

Imaging Yellowstone’s plumbing system from the sky

Tongan volcano eruption leaves scientists with unanswered questions

Why the Tongan eruption will go down in the history of volcanology

Quick links

Discover content

Publishing policies

Author & Researcher services

Libraries & institutions

Advertising & partnerships

Career development

Regional websites

Legal & Privacy

Volcanology

Latest Research and Reviews

News and Comment

Search

Quick links