Rapidly Erupting Volcanoes Pose Major Risk

A huge cloud of ash spewed from the Chaiten volcano, some 1,300 km south of Santiago when it erupted in 2008. Credit: AFP

From Cosmos:

PARIS: Magma from a Chilean volcano shot through Earth's crust at around a metre per second, a speed highlighting the perils from so-called rhyolitic volcanoes, says a new study.

Volcanoes in this category provide some of Earth's most explosive events. They are characterised by a dome of hardened magma which covers their central vent and can blow with catastrophic force, often with scant warning.

They include Vesuvius, Krakatoa and Mount St. Helens - names that have gone down in history for inflicting loss of life and massive damage.

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