The U.S. Geological Survey defines a volcano as a vent in Earth's surface, either on land or on the seafloor, from which molten rock called magma, as well as ash and gases, can erupt or ooze. Different types of volcanoes erupt in different ways, with some erupting spectacularly and others, most notably Hawaii's shield volcanoes, steadily oozing lava. There are different types of volcanoes, including stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes and cinder cones, and different types of lava and other volcanic flows. Volcanoes can be active, dormant or extinct. Most of Earth's volcanoes are located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where many of Earth's tectonic plates subduct beneath another plate. Currently volcanic eruptions cannot be predicted, though most of the big, active volcanoes are routinely monitored and authorizes warn when they think an eruption is likely. Read below for the latest news on volcano monitoring and research, current volcanic eruptions and to see amazing pictures of volcanoes.
Latest about Volcanos
400-mile-long chain of fossilized volcanoes discovered beneath China
Researchers recently discovered a huge chain of extinct volcanoes buried deep below South China that formed when two tectonic plates collided during the breakup of Rodinia, around 800 million years ago.
'Ghost island' appears after underwater eruption, then vanishes into the Caspian Sea
Earth from space A series of photos taken between 2022 and 2024 shows the emergence and rapid disappearance of a volcanic "ghost island" off the coast of Azerbaijan.
What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
The Pacific Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes known for explosive eruptions and intense earthquakes.
Enormous blobs deep beneath Earth's surface appear to drive giant volcanic eruptions
Opinion Pillars of hot rock appear to connect continental-size moving blobs at the bottom of Earth's mantle to giant volcanic eruptions at its surface.
Lava erupts from gigantic fissure in Iceland following earthquake swarm — and the photos are epic
A lava-spewing fissure has opened up along Iceland's Sundhnúkur crater row as the Reykjanes peninsula experiences another volcanic eruption.
Russian volcano grows 'devil horns' and spits out 1,000-mile-long river of smoke
Earth from space A false-color satellite photo from 2023 shows a devilish pair of lava flows and an enormous plume of smoke spewing from Klyuchevskoy, the tallest volcano in Europe and Asia.
Melting glaciers could trigger volcanic eruptions around the globe, study finds
Glacial melt could increase volcanic activity in North America, New Zealand and Russia, spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Indonesia's Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupts twice in 2 days, unleashing 6-mile-high ash cloud
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted on Tuesday and Wednesday, unleashing gigantic ash plumes and showering villages with volcanic debris.
'River of fire' flows from Mount Etna during 'crazy' explosive outburst
Earth from space A recent satellite image captured a glowing river of lava flowing down the flank of Europe's largest active volcano as it spectacularly blew its top and unleashed a towering plume of ash, smoke and toxic gases into the skies over Sicily.
