* Astronomy

Satellite Data Yield New Understanding Of How Galápagos Volcanoes Are Formed And May Erupt In The Future

The chance transit of a satellite over the April 2009 eruption of Fernandina volcano - the most active in South America's famed Galápagos archipelago - has revealed for the first time the mechanism behind the characteristic pattern of eruptive fissures on the island chain's volcanoes, according to a new study by University of Miami (UM) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists. Their model not only sheds light on how Galápagos volcanoes grow, which has been a subject of debate since Darwin's time, but may also help in forecasting the locations of future eruptions, adding to the vast scientific knowledge acquired by study of this iconic island chain.
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