Volcano’s surface temperature might foretell an eruption on the horizon

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-03-12 03:00

New Zealand; International

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US researchers have looked at the temperature records of five volcanoes around the world, including Mt Ruapehu, to get a sense of whether their surface heat can help predict if an eruption is around the corner. Using infrared measurements gathered by satellites over the course of 16 years, they found that eruptions were preceded by a subtle temperature increase of up to 1 °C that was sustained for years prior. The author team says this method could help experts anticipate eruptions that are otherwise difficult to forecast.