--- title: "Wave of Volcanoes Erupting Around the World is Totally Normal, Experts Assure" description: "Despite appearances, the amount of recent eruptions we're seeing from volcanoes is not unusual. We're just finally paying attention." date: "2023-11-18" modified: "2023-11-18" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/volcanoes-totally-normal" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "the digest" - "volcanic activity" - "volcanic eruption" - "volcanoes" --- # Wave of Volcanoes Erupting Around the World is Totally Normal, Experts Assure ![Despite appearances, the amount of recent eruptions we're seeing from volcanoes is not unusual. We're just finally paying attention.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Hot Topic A seeming barrage of volcanoes have erupted across the world this past week. Scenes hitting the news of a volcano in Mexico [billowing smoke and ash](), another in Italy [spewing lava](), an undersea volcano dredging up a [whole new island in Japan](), and a [town in Iceland dramatically evacuated]() as steam hisses through [cracks opened in the Earth](), [warning of an imminent eruption](). Taken together, it may seem rather apocalyptic, and some have [speculated on social media]() that the volcanic activity is unusually high, as if hinting at some sort of geological conspiracy. But according to experts, there's nothing to be alarmed about; these levels of volcanism are pretty much par for the course. "This is totally normal," said Janine Krippner, a physical volcanologist at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, [on X-formerly-Twitter](). ## Paying Attention There are 46 volcanoes in "continuing eruption" as of 11 October 2023, according to the [Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program](), which means they are intermittently erupting at least every three months (and some, like the volcano in Mexico, [have been erupting since 2005]()). The typical amount is between 40-50, with about 20 erupting on any given day. Christopher Kilburn, a professor of volcanology and geophysical hazards at University College London, agrees it's not at all unusual for a dozen volcanoes to be erupting simultaneously. "However, there may be an unusual increase in the number of reports that circulate in the media, especially if a volcano is near a populated area or when dramatic video is available showing an eruption in progress," Kilburn told [*Newsweek*](). Jenni Barclay of the University of East Anglia was a little more blunt. "This is very much an instance of people noticing volcanoes erupting more than usual," she told the magazine. ## Erupt Ones To that end, the evacuation of the small Icelandic town Grandavik this week has provided plenty of spectacle. Footage shared in the news and online show the town's roads cleaved asunder from volcanic activity, and footage of its 3,500 or so residents hurriedly retrieving their belongings from their homes. Authorities fear a high likelihood of an eruption, though exactly when is unclear. It's unsettling, to be sure, but Iceland — and Grandavik's region in particular — is a hotbed of volcanic activity, so this is hardly unprecedented for the Nordic nation. Edward Llewellin, a volcanologist at Durham University in England, told *Newsweek* that Iceland's headline-making eruptions in the recent past, such as when the volcano Eyjafjallajökull [blew its top in 2010 and significantly disrupted air travel](), has led to "elevated interest" in the nation's volcanism, which is why the current activity near Grandavik "is making the news even though there is no eruption, yet." In sum, it's good that more people are warming up to volcanism — but let's not blow anything out of proportion. **More on Earthly happenings:** *[Residents Alarmed When Pond Turns Bright Pink]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()