Volcanoes often look deceptively quiet until the moment they unleash towering plumes of ash and gas, yet the precise switch that turns a gentle rumble into a devastating blast has remained stubbornly ...

Volcanologists have long been troubled by two questions: When exactly will a volcano erupt next? And how will that eruption unfold? Will the lava flow down the mountain as a viscous paste, or will the ...

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 ...