More than a dozen volcanos are erupting at the same time worldwide, and three new eruptions joined the list this week.
The Smithsonian Institute's Global Volcanism Program tracks new eruptions and updates its list of currently erupting volcanos on Wednesdays. The most recent update shows three new eruptions, bringing the list's total to 19 eruptions at once. The list doesn't include all erupting volcanos.
The new volcanic eruptions have some people voicing their concerns on social media.
"Volcanoes erupt simultaneously in Italy, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Philippines, etc. Below is a volcanic activity map of 2013 vs 2023. Totally normal, right?" one person posted on X, formerly Twitter.
It's not actually uncommon for multiple volcanos to erupt at once. Experts were quick to dispel any fears.
"PSA: Volcanoes are erupting all the time all over the world. That's normal. That's what Earth's volcanos do: they erupt," volcanologist and science journalist Robin George Andrews posted on X. "And there's enough of them that some will always be erupting at the same time. You know what *would* be weird? If absolutely no volcanoes were erupting."
The Global Volcanism Program produces a Weekly Volcanic Activity Report of actively erupting volcanos, although it only lists volcanos after they meet specific criteria, such as sparking an ash advisory, experiencing new activity, exhibiting a change in activity or showing a change in alert level. The report doesn't include all volcanic activity, as more than a dozen volcanos that have displayed continuous eruptive activity for decades or longer are not listed in the report.
"The number of volcanoes erupting right now is normal," Global Volcanism Program Director Ben Andrews told Newsweek. "There are currently 46 ongoing eruptions, and over the past 30 years there have generally been about 40-50 eruptions happening at any given time. Since 1991, there have been between 56 and 88 eruptions each year; 67 eruptions have happened thus far this year, and there were 85 in 2022."
Andrews said that media reports as well as improved photos and videos of the eruptions can draw more attention from the public.
The three new listings include an underwater volcano on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, Fagradalsfjall in Iceland and Klyuchevskoy in Russia.
Japan:
An underwater volcano in the Japanese Volcanic Islands exhibited an elevated period of unrest before erupting on October 30. The accumulating magma finally breached the water's surface, creating a new island.
Volcanic tremors were documented at Iwo Jima every two minutes since the middle of October, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
Russia:
The Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano erupted earlier this month, sending massive plumes of ash 8 miles above sea level and causing several schools to close, the Associated Press reported. The volcano is the tallest active volcano in Eurasia.
Iceland:
The Fagradalsfjall volcano has yet to erupt, but officials have evacuated the town of Grindavík as the volcano displays signs of unrest, including thousands of earthquakes and a ground deformation that suggests magma is on the move. The volcano last erupted in July and has erupted approximately yearly since 2021.
Update 11/15/23, 7:55 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Ben Andrews.
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