When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, the scolding lava, ash, and gas that poured from its entrails converted the Roman city of Pompeii into a terrifying snapshot of death and destruction. Two ...

Large stratovolcanoes like Popocatépetl can switch from low or moderate eruptive behaviour to catastrophic Plinian eruptions. We aim to determine the mechanisms and timescales of this switch and the ...