Debate still swirls around what killed ancient Romans during the 79 CE eruption. A study of wood charred by the event suggests a brief, but searing, flow of volcanic gas and debris.
pyroclastic flows
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Volcanic Creation and Destruction of Temporary Tephra Storage
Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are a major threat during an explosive volcanic eruption. A new study shows that loose tephra accumulations on volcanic slopes tend to re-mobilize rapidly.
Posted inNews
Podcast: Escape from Thera
A colossal volcanic eruption at Santorini, Greece, 3,600 years ago sent the island’s Bronze Age population fleeing for their lives. Where did the people go?
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Ability of Pyroclastic Flows to Generate Tsunamis
Lab experiments of fluidized granular flows entering the water shed light on the dynamics of tsunami generation by fast-moving, pyroclastic density currents at volcanic islands or coastal volcanoes.
Posted inFeatures
Lessons from a Post-Eruption Landscape
Four decades of research into biophysical responses to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens have vastly improved our understanding of how landscapes react to cataclysmic disturbances.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Promising New Tool for Forecasting Volcanic Hazards
A new model that simulates the behavior of surging ash clouds may help scientists to better predict the hazards associated with the deadliest type of volcanic flows.
Posted inScience Updates
New Volcanic Island Unveils Explosive Past
A recent volcanic eruption near Tonga in the southwest Pacific created a new island, giving scientists a rare opportunity to explore the volcanic record of this remote region.
Posted inNews
Pinatubo 25 Years Later: Eight Ways the Eruption Broke Ground
From the first rapid assessment of a volcano's history to insights on geoengineering, the 15 June 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo changed the way we approach and learn from volcanic hazards.
Posted inScience Updates
Visiting the Volcano
Workshops on Volcanoes; Santiaguito, Guatemala, 4–12 January 2016