News

There are a couple of ways to make a volcano shorter: it could have an eruption or a debris avalanche, or it could simply erode over time. Or, it...

Measuring the temperature of lava erupting on the Earth’s surface is possible with the right equipment. But how do you figure out the temperature of...

While California has plenty of active volcanoes, it also has a rich history of volcanism preserved in its Franciscan Complex rocks.

We recently received a question about how mud volcanoes form and why they're distinct from "real" volcanoes (the kind involving magma), so we're here...

In the early days of volcanology in California, scientists were still working out the timelines of recent volcanic activity. Without today's...

Have you ever played a game of Telephone? If so, you know the message that you start with might not always be what you hear in the end. News coverage...

All's quiet on the volcano front in California for the New Year. But what does it mean when we say a volcano is 'quiet' or at 'background levels of...

Though volcanoes like Mount Shasta or Lassen Peak may dominate their skylines, California also has shield volcanoes, named because their shape is...

Before there was a California Volcano Observatory or even a Long Valley Observatory, a tiny cabin in northern California housed the first full-time...

Talking about calderas means venturing into superlatives - huge volumes of magma and topographic changes on a regional, even state-sized scale. But...