Analysis of the change in the stratovolcano's tilt just prior to the explosion suggests that the cracking of a previously intact fluid barrier caused the country's deadliest eruption since 1926.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
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Water Quality Database Offers New Tools to Study Aquatic Systems
Researchers assess the federal Water Quality Portal, a Web portal that unites disparate water quality data sets and resources.
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Modeling Permafrost's Role in the Global Carbon Cycle
A team of international scientists surveyed an array of Earth ecosystem models, recommending several ways to reduce uncertainties.
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How Lightning Creates "Killer Electrons" in Earth's Radiation Belts
New calculations show that lightning-triggered plasma waves in Earth's magnetosphere absorb energy from slow particles and energize electrons to levels that can damage satellites severely.
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Tracking Volcanic Bombs in Three Dimensions
A new method allows researchers to precisely track in three dimensions bits of fragmented magma as they are expelled in explosive volcanic eruptions.
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Exploring Ancient Ocean Acidification in the Rock Record
Scientists studying Earth's ancient oceans use a new method to measure ocean acidification and its effect on extinction events.
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Polar Interlopers in the Aurora
A new study suggests that poleward boundary intensifications in the aurora are caused by fast flows of plasma from the poles into the auroral oval.
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On the Origin of Low-Angle Detachment Faults
Data from California's Whipple Mountains suggest this complex was formed by a succession of steep normal faults, challenging the paradigm that detachments are different types of faults.
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Alteration Along the Alpine Fault Helps Build Seismic Strain
Detailed analysis of cores drilled through New Zealand's most dangerous on-land fault indicates that its permeability and strength are altered by mineral precipitation between seismic events.
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Arctic Permafrost Thaw Would Amplify Climate Change
An international team probed Arctic permafrost samples to better understand the carbon feedback loop that could be set off by future thawing.