James Stewart

The incident has led to a rapid scientific response, with scientists now investigating for the first time how dangerous the next big one could be. As recently as April 2025, British royal research ship The Discovery, led by Professor Isabel Yeo and her team of 22 scientists, are on a mission to understand what type of seismic unrest could indicate a volcanic eruption is imminent.

At the time of recording this video, the team are still on board the vessel, undertaking research in 12-hour shifts as part of their month-long assignment. Hidden amongst the idyllic Greek isles, some 300 metres below the discovery, are bubbling hot vents.

At the time of recording this video, the team are still on board the vessel, undertaking research in 12-hour shifts as part of their month-long assignment. Hidden amongst the idyllic Greek isles, some 300 metres below the discovery, are bubbling hot vents.

At the time of recording this video, the team are still on board the vessel, undertaking research in 12-hour shifts as part of their month-long assignment. Hidden amongst the idyllic Greek isles, some 300 metres below the discovery, are bubbling hot vents.

These cracks in the earth turn the sea floor into a bright orange world of protruding rocks and gas clouds, hydrothermal vents where hot water pours out from the cracks. Off the side of the research boat, a robot descends to the seabed to collect fluids, gases and snap off chunks of rock in order to try and map the hydrothermal system.

These cracks in the earth turn the sea floor into a bright orange world of protruding rocks and gas clouds, hydrothermal vents where hot water pours out from the cracks. Off the side of the research boat, a robot descends to the seabed to collect fluids, gases and snap off chunks of rock in order to try and map the hydrothermal system.

These cracks in the earth turn the sea floor into a bright orange world of protruding rocks and gas clouds, hydrothermal vents where hot water pours out from the cracks. Off the side of the research boat, a robot descends to the seabed to collect fluids, gases and snap off chunks of rock in order to try and map the hydrothermal system.

They identify how fluid moves through rocks by pulsing an electromagnetic field into the earth. This creates a 3D map that shows how the hydrothermal system is connected to the volcano's magma chamber, where an eruption would come from.

They identify how fluid moves through rocks by pulsing an electromagnetic field into the earth. This creates a 3D map that shows how the hydrothermal system is connected to the volcano's magma chamber, where an eruption would come from.

They identify how fluid moves through rocks by pulsing an electromagnetic field into the earth. This creates a 3D map that shows how the hydrothermal system is connected to the volcano's magma chamber, where an eruption would come from.

This information will create datasets and geohazard maps for Greece's Civil Protection Agency, a member of the government emergency group that met daily during the earthquake crisis. The idea is this research would help inform local people how active the volcanoes are, and it will help map the area that will be forbidden to access during an eruption.

This information will create datasets and geohazard maps for Greece's Civil Protection Agency, a member of the government emergency group that met daily during the earthquake crisis. The idea is this research would help inform local people how active the volcanoes are, and it will help map the area that will be forbidden to access during an eruption.

This information will create datasets and geohazard maps for Greece's Civil Protection Agency, a member of the government emergency group that met daily during the earthquake crisis. The idea is this research would help inform local people how active the volcanoes are, and it will help map the area that will be forbidden to access during an eruption.

Which begs the question, how much notice are we likely to have if it happens on the time scale of our civilization? Will we recognize the warning signs? The worry is that scientists' lack of direct experience of these events might mean they misinterpret what data they have available.

Which begs the question, how much notice are we likely to have if it happens on the time scale of our civilization? Will we recognize the warning signs? The worry is that scientists' lack of direct experience of these events might mean they misinterpret what data they have available.

Which begs the question, how much notice are we likely to have if it happens on the time scale of our civilization? Will we recognize the warning signs? The worry is that scientists' lack of direct experience of these events might mean they misinterpret what data they have available.

Our current knowledge of volcanic explosions has been gathered largely from observing eruptions of volcanoes fed by comparatively small magma bodies, and even then an eruption cannot be predicted with certainty. The 2022 eruption of Tonga, for example, was preceded by about a month of smaller eruptions, and 15 minutes before the big one, an earthquake.

Our current knowledge of volcanic explosions has been gathered largely from observing eruptions of volcanoes fed by comparatively small magma bodies, and even then an eruption cannot be predicted with certainty. The 2022 eruption of Tonga, for example, was preceded by about a month of smaller eruptions, and 15 minutes before the big one, an earthquake.

Our current knowledge of volcanic explosions has been gathered largely from observing eruptions of volcanoes fed by comparatively small magma bodies, and even then an eruption cannot be predicted with certainty. The 2022 eruption of Tonga, for example, was preceded by about a month of smaller eruptions, and 15 minutes before the big one, an earthquake.

But those smaller eruptions were not taken as surefire indications of the imminent VEI5 event, and it was only after the eruption that researchers realised the significance of the earthquake. After all, the largest volcanoes occur almost by definition in the most volcanically active regions, where the Earth shows near constant signs of being unsettled in one way or another.