The Volcanic Hazards are addressed on GEP via:
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A dedicated Volcanic Hazards Analysis community where to curate the generated results
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Specialised data processing services available from the GEP Webstore (Hot spots detection, Burned area severity, …)
Volcanoes are a global phenomenon, shaping landscapes both on land and beneath the oceans. While thousands of volcanic structures are known, new ones continue to be identified, and not all active systems are yet fully mapped. In the last 10,000 years—geologically speaking—a few hundred have erupted, with around 50–70 typically active at any given time.
Volcanic activity manifests in diverse and often destructive ways: earthquakes triggered by magma movement, explosive blasts ejecting ash and rock, toxic gas emissions, lava flows advancing downslope, and secondary hazards such as debris avalanches, landslides, or even tsunamis. Particularly dangerous are fast-moving pyroclastic flows, surges, and lahars, capable of devastating entire valleys within minutes.
Today, advances in Earth Observation, satellite remote sensing, and ground-based monitoring have transformed our ability to track these hazards in near real time. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) allows us to detect subtle ground deformation before eruptions, while thermal imaging and multispectral satellite data reveal hotspots and ash dispersion. Coupled with geophysical networks and modeling, these tools provide critical early-warning insights, supporting civil protection agencies in reducing risks to human life, infrastructure, and the economy.