During the lead-up to recent volcanic eruptions near the city of Grindavík, scientists documented graben formation in real time.
lava & magma
Posted inNews
Lunar Lava Tube Revealed Beneath Collapsed Pit
The Sea of Tranquility is home to at least one lunar lava tube, which could preserve a pristine and unweathered record of lunar volcanism.
Posted inNews
How Liquid Is That Lava?
A new device helps scientists measure lava viscosity during active flows.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Supersharp Images Reveal Scars of Major Eruption on Io
Jupiter’s volcanic moon is captured in exquisite detail by an instrument atop a mountain in Arizona.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Caldera Collapse as a Natural Example of Rock Friction
Recurrent slips on the caldera wall of the Kīlauea Volcano are a natural experiment not only to understand the mechanics of caldera formation but also to gain more insights into fault friction.
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A Magnetic Low May Have Paved the Way for Complex Life
Multicellular life blossomed when Earth’s magnetic field was at an all-time low.
Posted inNews
A Magma Ocean Fuels This Exoplanet’s Atmosphere
The finding is an atmospheric first for astronomers but not for the planet.
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The Moon’s Mantle Did a Flip—and Scientists May Now Have Evidence
For decades, a lunar whodunit has puzzled scientists: Did the Moon’s internal layers flip during its formation? Old data might hold the evidence to solve this cold case.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A Strong Pacific Plate Bends Under the Hawaiian Volcanic Chain
Two seismic studies reveal the volcanic loads and resulting flexure of the Pacific plate at the Hawaiian Ridge and, surprisingly, show no magmatic underplating.
Posted inNews
Iceland’s Recent Eruptions Driven by Tectonic Stress
Magma flow in the magmatic dike near Grindavík was among the fastest recorded. The processes driving that flow could be at play at volcanoes in Hawaii, off the African coast, and anywhere crustal plates split apart.