Mexico's active Popocatepetl volcano erupted yesterday, spewing ash and incandescent rock almost three miles high. And as you'll see in this dramatic video, the explosion produced a massive shockwave — sending huge chunks of burning debris to the surrounding areas.

From filmmaker Marc Szeglat comes this video of a "lava art craft worker" scrambling his way up a lava flow on Italy's Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanos on Earth. The flow is literally glowing with heat, which makes this craft worker literally an idiot.

Travel photographer Quang-Tuan Luong has put together this gorgeous video showcasing the active volcanoes of Hawaii National Park.

On May 18th, Alaska's Pavlof volcano exploded in a paroxysm of gas, ash and magma – a violent eruption which was photographed from aboard the International Space Station.

Scientists have scales to measure the strength of natural phenomena like earthquakes and hurricanes. But what about the eruptive power of volcanoes? For that, geologists use the Volcanic Explosivity Index. Here’s how it works.

VOLCANO LIGHTNING. The fusion of flash with ash! Say the words aloud, together, and it sounds impossible – the kind of thing a six-year-old might think up. And yet, volcanic lightning is very real. But how does it happen?

If you think asteroid strikes are scary, I've got some bad news for you. The most deadly events on Earth are caused by . . . Earth. New evidence suggests that underwater volcanoes may have wrecked our planet for thousands of years, and ultimately allowed dinosaurs to rule the world.

For some reason, UFO sightings seem to multiply around active volcanoes, and the eruption of Popocatépetl in Mexico is no exception.

Creating a volcano out of nothing sounds like a plan concocted by Doctor Doom. But there is at least one way we could try to create a volcano in real life, too.

In this photograph taken by Cmdr. Chris Hatfield, you can see four volcanoes that are erupting in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula simultaneously.