captured a nice explosion from the volcano (see above). The volcano is slowly steaming away when it suddenly (note: video is sped up) explodes with glowing debris. Some of that debris is likely new ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Bressan is a geologist who covers curiosities about Earth. How and if a volcano explodes depends on how and when bubbles of ...

The explosiveness of a volcanic eruption depends on how many gas bubbles form in the magma—and when. Until now, it was thought that gas bubbles were formed primarily when the ambient pressure dropped ...

In a new study, researchers show that gas bubbles can form in the rising magma not only due to a drop in pressure but also due to shear forces. If these gas bubbles grow in the volcanic vent early on ...

Volcanoes are often framed as nature’s most violent spectacles, yet some of the largest on Earth ooze lava quietly for years without a single dramatic blast. Scientists have now pulled together a ...

Few geologic events capture the imagination like an erupting volcano. We thrill at the image: Hot, molten rock comes bursting out of the ground, destroying most everything in its path. Volcanoes can ...

Scientists have uncovered a long-missing piece of the volcanic puzzle: rising magma doesn’t just form explosive gas bubbles when pressure drops—it can do so simply by being sheared and “kneaded” ...

The explosiveness of a volcanic eruption depends on how many gas bubbles form in the magma – and when. Until now, it was thought that gas bubbles were formed primarily when the ambient pressure ...

Learn how stress inside a volcano can make gas bubbles form early, helping explain why some eruptions stay quiet instead of exploding. One of the most explosive volcanoes in U.S. history began its ...

One of the most explosive volcanoes in U.S. history began its eruption with a trickle, not a blast. Mount St. Helens' gas-laden magma oozed into the cone before the mountain finally erupted in 1980.