When a volcano erupts, pyroclastic flows are often the biggest danger to anyone nearby. These fast-flowing currents of rock, ash and hot gas are extremely difficult to study, so researchers created their own. Read the related Nature Geoscience paper here: https://go.nature.com/2Im1bYs | Nature Portfolio

You can’t outrun them, you can’t hide from them, you can’t stop them! An avalanche of scorching volcanic ash and lava, known as a pyroclastic flow, cascades down the side of Sinabung volcano, Indonesia, in June 2015. This flow was the largest I ever saw at the volcano as it moved over previously untouched trees and farmland. #volcano #forcesofnature #planetearth | Earth Uncut TV with James Reynolds

WATCH: Time-lapse footage of a pyroclastic density current (PDC) or "uson" at Mayon Volcano that began at 10:50 AM today, 26 February 2026, and had a flow duration of four (4) minutes before coming to rest some 2.5 kilometers of the summit crater. The PDC descended the Mi-isi Gully (south-southwest) and generated a grayish to brownish >1 kilometer-tall ash cloud that drifted southwest. Alert Level 3 prevails over Mayon Volcano and entry into the 6-km Permanent Danger Zone should be prohibited. S

This 7x-speed footage captures a massive pyroclastic flow racing down Indonesia’s Mount Semeru as the volcano unleashed a powerful eruption. | AccuWeather