Volcano | featured news

For 33 years, Maridjan spoke to Mount Merapi, believing he could appease its unpredictable spirits by throwing offerings of rice, clothes and chickens into the volcano's gaping crater.

Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted on Thursday for the second time in a week, blasting vast plumes of ash into the sky, as the death toll from the initial eruption and a tsunami that hit remote western islands reached 377.

Rescuers battled rough seas Tuesday to reach remote Indonesian islands pounded by a 10-foot tsunami that swept away homes, killing at least 113 people... Also Tuesday, the country's most volatile volcano, Mount Merapi, 800 miles to the east, started to erupt at dusk as scientists warned that pressure building beneath its lava dome could trigger one of the most powerful blasts in years.

An Indonesian volcano shot a towering cloud of black ash high into the air Tuesday, dusting villages 15 miles away in its most powerful eruption ...

Thousands of Indonesians have been forced to flee after a volcano erupted on the island of Sumatra. Officials issued a red alert after Mount Sinabung began to spew lava shortly after midnight (1900 GMT). Smoke and ash reportedly shot 1500m into the air ...

One of Indonesia's most active volcanos erupted Friday, sending lava and a searing gas cloud tumbling down its slopes. At least four family members were swept away and feared dead, officials said, and several others were badly hurt.

Japan's space agency is launching a mission to Venus to study its weather and hunt for signs of lightning and volcanoes.

Britain and the Netherlands shut or planned to close major airports because of volcanic ash from Iceland on Monday, threatening large-scale air traffic disruption in Europe at the start of the working week.

After two successive days of restrictions due to a plume of volcanic ash, airspace was reopened to all flights.

Four of Europe's five largest airports remain closed due to volcanic ash threat; U.K. sends warships to rescue stranded Britons.