Beyond the lava: Where are volcanoes erupting and how long can they last?

Spain’s La Palma volcanic eruption is one of more than 50 around the world that are marked as continuing, but experts say there has not been an increase in volcanic activity.

Red-hot lava gushing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to wreak havoc on the Spanish island of La Palma, having destroyed buildings and forced mass evacuations.

The La Palma volcanic eruption that began on Sept. 19 is one of more than 50 around the world that are marked as “continuing” as of Oct. 12, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program (GVP).

This year, 68 eruptions in 29 countries have been reported, compared to 73 in 2020 and 74 the year before.

Volcanoes have been erupting across the globe for thousands of years, with many remaining continuously active for decades.

Despite spectacular images and videos of eruptions becoming more common in recent years, volcanologists say there is no reason to suggest that volcanic activity has increased worldwide.

“There’s no evidence that the number or the scale or the size of volcanic eruptions on Earth is changing at all,” said Paul Ashwell, an assistant professor of earth sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

“The pattern seems to be fairly steady.”

Volcanoes erupt when magma formed from melted rocks beneath the surface of the Earth rises up through cracks in the Earth’s crust.