A future colossal volcanic event will stem from volcanoes currently deemed dormant and lacking consistent surveillance, scientists from the University of Birmingham cautioned. These “hidden” volcanoes erupt with greater frequency than commonly assumed. For instance, the Ethiopian volcano Alid-Dabbahu recently awakened, having shown no signs of activity for the past 12,000 years. Its column of ash reached a height of 13 km, with volcanic debris depositing in Yemen and extending as far as northern India.
Volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean, South America, and Indonesia, whose histories are largely unknown, experience eruptions approximately every seven to ten years. The ramifications of such events could be both “unforeseen and extensive.” Research indicates that three-quarters of major eruptions originate from volcanoes that had been quiescent for about a century and thus attracted minimal attention beforehand.
Consider the 1982 eruption of the little-known Mexican volcano El Chichón, which had been dormant for centuries. This resulted in the deaths of roughly 2,000 people, forcing 20,000 others to abandon their homes. Pyroclastic flows of rock, ash, and gas devastated nine villages and agricultural lands. Sulfur released into the atmosphere caused cooling in the Northern Hemisphere and a southward shift in African monsoons, triggering severe drought. Crop failures led to famine, costing a million lives.
The researchers emphasized that currently, less than half of active volcanoes are under monitoring, and the majority of scientific study is focused only on well-known sites. Mount Etna alone is the subject of more scientific papers than all the volcanoes of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vanuatu combined.
Scientists warned that powerful volcanic eruptions influence not just their immediate vicinities but the entire globe. They threaten climatic shifts, alterations in monsoon patterns, and agricultural shortages. Historically, such disasters have precipitated famine, epidemics, and societal upheaval, according to The Conversation.
The authors of the scientific paper urged that attention be redirected toward the “under-monitored volcanoes” located in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Pacific region. These represent the most significant peril to the planet. Critically, millions reside near these volcanoes, placing them in potential danger.
Previously, it was reported that artificial intelligence detected thousands of concealed earthquakes beneath a supervolcano in Italy. The Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei) are situated near Naples. The program identified that over 54,000 tremors occurred there between 2022 and 2025.
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