Over millions of years, the Earth’s upper layers have performed a dance that has created mountains, volcanoes, continents, ridges and ocean trenches. Tectonic plates play a key role in this process.

When you think of the United States, images of sprawling cities and vast landscapes might come to mind, but not the hidden and ever-present geological threat: volcanoes. While you might associate ...

On a single day in November 2025, emergency managers across Washington state were inundated with calls about an eruption at Mount Rainier that was not happening. Viral online posts and sensational ...

Lava is molten rock from a volcano that reaches the Earth’s surface. Liquid rock below the Earth’s surface is referred to as magma. More than 50% of the world’s active volcanoes above sea level ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Since Kilauea's hawt eruption action moved ...

California has seven active volcanoes, each with a unique eruption history, categorized by type and threat level. The USGS monitors these volcanoes, providing information to authorities and the public ...

American Samoa is a United States territory which comprises the easternmost islands of a volcanic island chain formed by the Samoan hotspot in the South Pacific Ocean. Its small islands are the tops ...

Melting glaciers could make volcanic eruptions more explosive and frequent, worsening climate change in the process, scientists have warned. Hundreds of volcanoes in Antarctica, Russia, New Zealand, ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. An unknown volcano ...