logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
18m 34s

The Volcanic Eruption Adventure

Tumble Media
About this episode
Would you fly to the top of a volcano that’s about to erupt at any moment? Volcanologist Helena Buurman did, and survived to tell the tale! In 2008, Helena was monitoring Mount Redoubt in Alaska, when the ground beneath the volcano began to shake. What follows is a tale of volcanic adventure, involving earthquakes, helicopters, and a massive eruption! Tumbl ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
How Were Dinosaur Tracks Made?
This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes from season 10! Ever wondered how dinosaurs left their footprints behind millions of years ago? We embark on a prehistoric adventure with renowned paleontologist Paul Olsen! Discover the secrets behind dinosaur tracks and how ... Show More
22m 43s
May 29
Could a Peacock and Platypus Be Friends? Mailbag + Joke-ha-thon!
You asked, we answered! In this mailbag episode, we're tackling three big kid questions: why does the ground keep spinning after you stop? Do magnets work in space? And could a peacock and a platypus ever be BFFs? We get answers from real experts, as well as reading your reviews ... Show More
25m 22s
May 15
Pluto and the Planetary Pandemonium - Encore
This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes from the past! It’s a scientific controversy of planetary proportions! Is Pluto a planet, or not? You decide, after we present two sides of an epic astronomy argument. Back in 2006, the International Astronomer’s Union voted o ... Show More
24m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2025
When did volcanoes start existing?
<p>Volcanoes have been erupting on Earth for BILLIONS of years, and they’re still creating new landscapes today! Volcanoes can seem mysterious and scary, but people all over the world have learned to live in close proximity to active volcanoes. Today we answer questions you’ve se ... Show More
26m 1s
Sep 2024
What is lava made of?
Lava is the red-hot gloop that comes pouring out of an erupting volcano. But what is it made out of? Some sort of supercharged Silly Putty? Volcano guts? Super-spicy habanero sauce? We asked geoscience grad student Kelsey Woody to help us find the answer. Got a real scorcher of a ... Show More
5m 40s
Aug 2024
Krakatoa!
The awesome, brutal power of the Krakatoa eruption, which had the explosive force of a 200-megatonne bomb, killed more than 36,000 people and cooled the entire Earth by an average of 0.6°C. Curiously, Krakatoa is not the most powerful volcanic eruption in history, but it is perh ... Show More
11m 45s
Jun 2024
E65 Sta Helena, La Dama de las Montañas
At 8:32 a.m. PDT on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, a volcanic peak in southwestern Washington, suffered a massive eruption, killing 57 people and devastating some 210 square miles of wilderness.Mount St. Helens is located in the Cascade Range and stood 9,680 feet before its erup ... Show More
30m 54s
Jun 2025
Pompeii and the Vesuvius Eruption
"What happens when a volcano erupts just six miles from a bustling city? In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius is regarded as a source of bounty by those who live in its shadow. But one of history’s most infamous natural disasters soon unfolds. How did the lucky ones make their escape? And how ... Show More
46m 33s
May 2025
The view from inside a volcano
The magma chambers at the heart of volcanoes are very deep and very hot. So naturally, some researchers want to build an observatory in one. Guests: Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory; Yan Lavallée, chair of magmatic petrology and volcanology ... Show More
23m 53s
Feb 2025
Threads of fire: uncovering volcanic secrets with Pele’s hair and tears
Hear from volcanologists about these stunning geological phenomena and the thrill of working in volcanic landscapes 
52m 39s
Jun 2023
The Toba Eruption
74,000 years ago, the Earth suffered the greatest natural disaster that it has seen in the last several million years.  A supervolcano erupted in what is today the country of Indonesia.  In addition to completely changing the Earth’s climate for years, it may have pushed a specie ... Show More
13m 17s
Jan 2019
Can Volcanoes Power the World?
Magma is the hot, molten rock found beneath the Earth’s crust. It’s so plentiful that it got Greek listener Dimitrios wondering whether we could harness this heat. Could we drill directly into the magma and use it to power our homes, he asks presenter Marnie Chesterton? And from ... Show More
33m 12s