Volcanic ash spews from the Volcan de Fuego or Volcano of Fire as seen from Palin, south of Guatemala City, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012. The long-simmering volcano exploded into a series of powerful eruptions, hurling thick clouds of ash nearly two miles high, spewing rivers of lava down its flanks and forcing the evacuation of more than 33,000 people from surrounding communities. Moises Castillo/AP
Japan's Mount Fuji, covered with snow and surrounded by cloud, is seen from an airplane in this February 2, 2010 file photo. Scientists say that the 2011 earthquake may have increased the chances of Mount Fuji erupting. The disaster caused a series of tremors around the mountain, including a magnitude 6.4 quake directly beneath it that caused a 20 metre-long crack in its side and put pressure on the volcano's magma chamber. Toru Hanai/Reuters
In this Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012 aerial shot, Mount Gamalama spews volcanic ash as it erupts on Ternate Island, eastern Indonesia. The volcano has erupted, spewing clouds of thick, gray ash. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. AP
Birds fly in the foreground as a plume of ash and steam rises from Popocatepetl volcano as seen from San Andres Cholula, Mexico, on April 18, 2012. AP
Lava glows while cascading down the slopes of the Mayon volcano, as seen from Lingnon Hill, Philippines, on Dec. 15. Philippine authorities started evacuating about 50,000 people from around the nation's most active volcano as it continued to spew burning mud and rocks. Mayon volcano, famous for its near-perfect cone shape started to release lava earlier this week. Vulcanologists expect a major eruption in the next few days. Erik de Castro/Reuters
FROM ABOVE: In a May 2006 photo released from NASA, the eruption of the Cleveland Volcano on Alaska's Aleutian Islands was photographed form the International Space Station (ISS). The eruption was short-lived, but the ISS captured the plume of ash. Courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory/NASA Johnson Space Center/AP/FILE
FIRE MEETS WATER: Lava from th Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, entered the Pacific Ocean in Feb. 2005. At the boundaries of the park, lava flows into the ocean from vents and visitors can walk to try to view the lava flows. David Jordan/AP/FILE
COMING SOON? The Galeras volcano erupted in Pasto, southern Colombia, in January 2008. This video grab was released by the Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining. Thousands were evacuated as a result of the eruption which distributed ash for miles. Galeras has been active since 1988 and has had 10 eruptions since then. After its eruption on Feb. 14 of ths year, and in the wake of new activity categorized as a 'red alert,' Colombian officals asked in habitants to evacuate the area. INGEOMINAS/AP/FILE
MUD VOLCANO!? An aerial view of the gas emission is shown from the crater of a mud volcano in Porong, East Java province in May 2008. On Indonesia's Java Island, thousands of people lost their homes after the eruption which blanketed the area in solidifying gunk. Sigit Pamungkas/Reuters/FILE
AWAKE AGAIN: A woman walked through the village of Cotalo, Ecuador, on Jan. 10, 2008. In the background the Tungurahua Volcano, which last erupted on Feb. 6, 2008, became active again in 1999 after years of rest. Dolores Ochoa/AP/FILE
FIREWORKS: During the Hunga Ha'apai eruption off the coast of Tonga on Wednesday, streaks of smoke and ash fell from the sky. This volcano is one of 36 undersea volcanos in the area. Matangi Tonga Online/Reuters
WARNING: Steam and ash rose from Mount Redoubt in Soldotna, Alaska, on March 15. On March 16, the alert level was raised from yellow to orange, the stage right before eruption. Geologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said that conditions could evolve rapidly. M. Scott Moon/Peninsula Clairon/AP
FAMOUS: The most recent and most significant volcanic eruption in the United States was Mount St. Helens, Washington, in 1980. On May 18, 1980, after a series of earthquakes and smoke plumes since late March, Mount St. Helens erupted and could be heard 200 miles away. A huge ash column, growing to over 12 miles, distrubuted tons of volcanic ash. Lighting was generated as a result and some forest fires were started, too. Strong high-altitude winds carried the ash as far east as Minnesota, and as far south as Oklahoma. Here, on July 22, after more than a month of relative quiet since St. Helens' last eruption, a column of ash and smoke rose 10 miles into the air during a series of explosions. Jim Valance/Cascades Volcano Observatory/USGS/Reuters/FILE
AGAIN? On Feb. 27, the Chaiten volcano spewed a cloud of fresh ash. Last year the once dormant volcano exploded back to life, severely damaging the surrounding towns south of Santiago, Chile. Residents again evacuated, leaving homes blanketed in ash. Victor Ruiz Caballero/Reuters
POPO: Steam and gas rose from the Popocatepetl Volcano near the city of Puebla, Mexico, in January 2008. The volcano, referred to affectionately as 'Popo,' has been erupting intermittently since December 1994 and is the second highest peak in Mexico. Joel Merino/AP/FILE
VANUATU: In December 2005, Mount Manaro spewed smoke and steam frmo Lake Vui in its volcanic crater. On the island of Ambae, in the Vanuatu Islands chain, five thousand people were evacated because of fears of a possible mudflow if the lake wall burst. Vanuatu Daily Post/AP/FILE
ON ALERT: Mount Semerus (c.) was seen from Pananjakan, Indonesia, in the East Java province in September 2008. An official at Indonesia's vulcanology center said on March 7 that Indonesia raised its alert on the Mount Semeru volcano, and warned of potentially dangerous lava flows. Sigit Pamungkas/Reuters/FILE
TONGA: The eruption off of Tonga's coast on Wednesday produced a column of smoke and ash when the underwater volcano erupted about 34 nautical miles from Tonga's captial of Nuku'alofa. Matangi Tonga Online/Reuters
TONGA: On March 18, an underwater volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga. The eruption occurred in an area about 6 miles from the main island of Tongatapu, where there is a cluster of 36 undersea volcanoes. Matangi Tonga Online/Reuters
Researchers have recorded an Alaskan volcano's 'scream' before it erupted, and are now closer to understanding what made it do so.
As the volcanic Mount Redoubt, some 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, began to swell in winter 2009, several earthquakes per hour jiggled the surrounding towns. Spring came, and the volcano heaved steam and dust into the air. At the end of March, that heaving turned explosive, sending mudflows reeling down the volcano’s sides.
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