Volcanoes in action
Flying magma, spewing ash, volcanoes create and destroy the landscape around them.
In this photo, people watch as Mt. Sinabung ejects ash into the air during an eruption in Karo regency, Indonesia's North Sumatra province, February 9, 2015.
Alaska's Pavlof Volcano
Pavlof Volcano, one of Alaska's most active volcanoes, erupts, sending a spectacular plume of volcanic ash 37,000 feet into the air, Sunday, March 27, 2016. The ash cloud stretched over more than 400 miles into interior Alaska
The volcano, about 4.4 miles in diameter, has had 40 known eruptions. The USGS raised the volcano alert to its highest level, which warns of hazards both in the air and on the ground.
Alaska's Pavlof Volcano
The Pavlof Volcano spews ash in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska on March 28, 2016 by Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Pavlof Volcano is 625 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula, the finger of land that sticks out from mainland Alaska toward the Aleutian Islands.
Alaska's Pavlof Volcano
Pavlof's eruption plume at 4:58 pm on March 27, 2016.
Mount Soputan, Indonesia
Indonesia's Mount Soputan volcano spews lava and ash during an eruption as seen from Silian 3 village in Minahasa Tenggara, Indonesia's Sulawesi island, January 5, 2016.
Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador
View of the Tungurahua volcano spewing ashes on February 27, 2016 in Cahuaji, Chimborazo, 130km south from Quito.
Ecuadorean authorities raised the alert level from yellow to orange, after an increase in activity, which spewed a column of ash five kilometers high.
Antigua Guatemala
Rooftops and San Francisco church, background, are covered with ash from the eruption of the Fuego Volcano in Antigua, Guatemala, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015.
A national disaster preparedness official in Guatemala said that the Fire Volcano has erupted, spewing incandescent rock and ash that dusted surrounding communities.
La Fournaise, la Reunion
A person looks at the Piton de la Fournaise volcano in eruption on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, February 5, 2015. This is the second eruption in the past year at Piton de la Fournaise after three years of dormancy.
Sinabung, Indonesia
Mount Sinabung volcano erupts, as seen from Tiga Pancur village, Karo Regency in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, October 8, 2014.
Mount Ontake, Japan
Volcanic smoke rises from Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, central Japan, September 27, 2014.
Mount Ontake, Japan
Climbers descend Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, Japan, September 27, 2014.
Mount Ontake, Japan
Smoke rises from Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures September 27, 2014, in this photo taken and released by Kyodo.
Mount Fuji is seen at top right.
Kilauea, Japan
This Monday, Sept. 15, 2014, photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows a geologist from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory using a radar gun to measure the speed of the lava flow from the June 27th flow from the Kilauea volcano in Pahoa, Hawaii.
Etna, Italy
Lava flows from the Mount Etna volcano on the southern Italian island of Sicily near Catania on August 13, 2014. Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity.
Kilauea, Hawaii
Lava flows from the Kilauea volcano that began on June 27, 2014 as it burns along Cemetery Road and Apa'a Street near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Holuhraun, Iceland
A man stands near to a lava eruption on Holuhraun, northwest of the Dyngjujoekull glacier in Iceland, Monday, September 1, 2014.
Lava fountains danced along a lengthy volcanic fissure near Iceland's subglacial Bardarbunga volcano prompting authorities to raise the aviation warning code to the highest level and close the surrounding airspace. The warning was lowered 12 hours later as visibility improved and it was clear that no volcanic ash was detected.
Tungurahua, Ecuador
The Tungurahua volcano throws ash and stones during an eruption seen from Banos, Ecuador, Sunday, August 31, 2014.
The volcano entered an eruptive phase in 1999.
Bardabunga, Iceland
The lava flows on the the ground after the Bardabunga volcano erupted again on August 31, 2014.
Tungurahua, Ecuador
The Tungurahua volcano spews a column of ash as seen from Ambato, Ecuador, Friday, April 4, 2014.
Tungurahua, Ecuador
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano erupts near Banos, August 24, 2014.
Tungurahua, which means "Throat of Fire" in the local Quechua language, has been classified as active since 1999.
Mount Sinabung, Indonesia
A villager runs as Mount Sinabung erupts at Sigarang-Garang village in Karo district, Indonesia's North Sumatra province, February 1, 2014.
Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano erupted and killed at least 11 people on the western island of Sumatra on Saturday, the first time it is known to have claimed any lives, a senior government official said.
Ijen, Indonesia
A sulfur miner carries a goats head in a white bag as he climbs to bury the head in the crater as part of an annual offering ceremony on the Ijen volcano in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, December 17, 2013.
The ritual is performed by the sulfur miners of Mount Ijen who slaughter a goat and then bury the head in the crater of mount Ijen. The sacrifice is performed to ward off potential disasters for the next year. The Ijen crater rises to 2,386m, with a depth of over 175m, making it one of the world's largest craters. Sulphur mining is a major industry in the region, made possible by an active vent at the edge of a lake. The acidity of the water in the crater is high enough to dissolve clothing and cause breathing problems.
Mount Sinabung, Indonesia
In this late Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013 photo taken using long exposure, star trails are seen over Mount Sinabung as it spews volcanic ash into the air as seen from Tiga Pancur, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Ogasawara islands, Japan
Smoke from an erupting undersea volcano forms a new island off the coast of Nishinoshima, a small uninhabited island, in the southern Ogasawara chain of islands, November 21, 2013.
Japan added another small area to its territory on Wednesday after the undersea volcano eruption in the southern Ogasawara chain of islands led to the birth of a small new one.
Mount Sinabung, Indonesia
Mount Sinabung spews pyroclastic smoke as seen from Tigapancur village in Karo district in Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, November 14, 2013.
Mount Sinabung, Indonesia
School children walk on a road between fields covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Sinabung in Kebayaken, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Saturday, November 9, 2013.
The rumbling volcano has forced more than 1,000 people living on its slopes to relocate to temporary shelters amid fears of major eruptions.
Etna, Italy
Smoke billows during an eruption of the Mount Etna volcano as seen from the village of Viagrande, near the Sicilian town of Catania, Italy, October 26, 2013.
Popocatepetl, Mexico
A plume of ash and steam rise from the Popocatepetl volcano, overshadowing the Catholic church in Santiago Xalizintla, Mexico, July 7, 2013.
Popocatepetl, Mexico
A cloud of ash belches out of Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano, some 35 miles from Mexico City, May 15, 2013.
Some of the material fell on three towns while glowing rocks landed on the towering mountain's slope.
Popocatepetl, Mexico
Incandescent materials, ash and smoke are spewed from the Popocatepetl Volcano as seen from the Santiago Xalitxintla, in the Mexican central state of Puebla on April 20, 2012.
Puyehue, Chile
Volcanic lightning is seen over the Puyehue volcano, over 500 miles south of Santiago, Chile, on June 5, 2011. Authorities evacuated about 600 people in the nearby area.
Eyjafjallajoekull, Iceland
Lava spews out of a volcano in the region of the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier in southern Iceland, on March 21, 2010.
The small volcano eruption sent a plume of ash across Europe, disrupting air travel for weeks.
Eyjafjoell, Iceland
Iceland's Eyjafjoell volcano continues spewing ash and steam early on May 2, 2010 near Hvolsvöllur.
Britain and Ireland grounded flights again on May 5, 2010 after a fresh cloud of ash swept in from the Icelandic volcano which sparked unprecedented air travel chaos in Europe earlier in 2010.
Sarychev Peak, Russia
Sarychev Peak Volcano on Matua Island as seen from the International Space Station, June 12, 2009.
Frutillar, Chile
View from Frutillar, southern Chile, showing volcanic lightnings and lava spewed from the Calbuco volcano.
Chile's Calbuco volcano erupted on Wednesday, April 23, 2015, spewing a giant funnel of ash high into the sky near the southern port city of Puerto Montt and triggering a red alert. Authorities ordered an evacuation for a 10-kilometer (six-mile) radius around the volcano, which is the second in southern Chile to have a substantial eruption since March 3, when the Villarrica volcano emitted a brief but fiery burst of ash and lava.
Puerto Montt, Chile
Smoke and ash rise from the Calbuco volcano as seen from the city of Puerto Montt, April 22, 2015.