There are more than 1500 active volcanoes on Earth. Around 50-70 volcanoes erupt every year. There are 82 volcanoes in Europe, 32 of these are in Iceland, one of the UK’s closest ‘volcanic neighbours’. Most of the volcanoes on Earth are not well-monitored or even monitored at all. Some volcanoes erupt almost continuously (e.g. Etna and Stromboli) but some don’t erupt for tens, hundreds or even thousands of years.
Why does the BGS study volcanoes?
The BGS have a team of volcanologists that work on various research projects in locations around the world. This research helps governments and local people to:
- understand the signals that may indicate an eruption will happen soon
- understand different volcanoes personalities and behaviour
- understand the potential hazard posed by volcanoes
- work with communities living near volcanoes, and also further afield, to try and reduce risk from volcanic eruptions
- understand how best to take advantage of volcanic systems; e.g. geothermal energy
The BGS volcanology team work with government agencies to provide support and scientific advice not only during volcanic unrest or ‘changes from a volcano’s normal state’, but also in preparation for potential future activity.
Plymouth, the main town of the Caribbean island of Montserrat, was buried beneath pyroclastic flow material during the eruption of the Soufrière Hills eruption that began in 1995. Source: BGS ©UKRI. All rights reserved.
Find out more about volcanoes:
Types of volcano
When magma erupts at the surface, as lava, it can form different types of volcanoes depending on the viscosity, or stickiness, of the magma, the amount of gas in the magma, and the way in which the magma reached the surface.
Eruption styles
Volcanic eruptions can be explosive, sending ash, gas and magma high up into the atmosphere, or the magma can form lava flows, which we call effusive eruptions. Whether an eruption is explosive or effusive largely depends upon the amount of gas in the magma.
Volcanic hazards
A volcanic hazard refers to any potentially dangerous volcanic process that puts human life, livelihoods and/or infrastructure at risk of harm.
Living with volcanoes
Why do people live alongside active volcanoes? On first thought, it may seem unwise to choose to live with such hazardous neighbours, but all of us live with risk every day, we just weigh the risks up against the benefits.
You may also be interested in:
Volcano models
These free-to-download models help to explain some of the key features of some active volcanoes and for some extinct volcanoes, how volcanic rocks can be important natural resources for construction.
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are among the most deadly natural hazards. They strike without warning and many earthquake zones coincide with areas of high population density.
Understanding sinkholes and karst
Sinkholes are often saucer-shaped hollows that are the result of some kind of collapse, or removal, of an underlying layer of rocks that used to support the layer of material at the surface.
Understanding landslides
What is a landslide? Why do landslides happen? How to classify a landslide. Landslides in the UK and around the world.