Volcanoes are erupting all over the world: See where lava is flowing
Natural disasters, from wildfires, floods and mudslides in western states to large earthquakes in Japan, have rocked, burned and flooded parts of the world in the first months of 2025.
What’s next? Lava is erupting from several volcanoes, including one in Hawaii.
Nearly 50 volcanic eruptions have been recorded this year, and more are expected. The Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano about 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, is predicted to erupt soon, scientists say.
The Axial Seamount is a miles-wide undersea volcano that towers more than 3,600 feet over the seabed. Though it last erupted in 2015, it has a history of more than 50 eruptions over the past 800 years.
What’s causing all this volcanic activity? It's called the Ring of Fire.
The Ring of Fire and volcanic eruptions
The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped region in the Pacific about 25,000 miles long that contains more than 450 volcanoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The "ring," as NOAA says, extends "from the southern tip of South America, along the west coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, down through Japan and into New Zealand." Its volcanoes also extend further south into Antarctica.
"Three out of every four live volcanoes on Earth are here,” says National Geographic. “Almost all earthquakes happen here, too."
The Ring of Fire is the result of plate tectonics − giant moving slabs of rock millions of square miles across that can collide with or pull away from one another. Heavier plates can slide beneath lighter ones, heating and melting the rock and creating magma.
Volcanoes form as the magma rises through the Earth's crust.
Types of volcanoes
Two major eruptions in Italy and Hawaii
The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park has been sporadically erupting since December. Lava erupted from the volcano’s top crater on Feb. 11 and again on Feb. 20, and lava fountains rose 60 to 400 feet, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
And Mount Etna, the tallest volcano in Europe, erupted on Feb. 8 and again two days later, just days before the Hawaii volcano. With ash emissions and other smaller bursts of gas and magma, Etna began to show signs of an impending eruption, multiple news outlets reported.
Countries with the most active volcanoes
Because of their proximity to tectonic plate borders in the Ring of Fire, more than a dozen countries frequently experience volcanic activity, which leads to above-normal earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
These countries have active volcanoes.
How many volcanic eruptions have occurred in 2025?
Fifty to 70 volcano eruptions are recorded around the world each year. As of Feb. 21, 46 volcanoes have erupted; four of those occurred in the first two months of the year.
Will there be more eruptions?
More eruptions are expected this year. With the increased activity at the Axial Seamount, the underwater volcano off the Oregon coast, 2025 could be considered a year with a higher risk of volcanic eruptions, forecasts show.
Researchers at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand have created a new tool using AI that could help predict volcanic eruptions.
The team says its data-driven models could save lives and avoid damage to vital infrastructure by being included in early warning systems for eruptions.
CONTRIBUTING George Petras