2012: A Volcanically Quiet Year (So Far)

A brief explosion from Popocatépetl in Mexico on July 21, 2012. Popo has been one of the few volcanic newsmakers of the year. Webcam capture courtesy of CENAPRED. One topic of discussion that has come up recently on Eruptions is how volcanically quiet 2012 has been so far. Unlike the last few years where there have been multiple significant eruptions that captured people's attention, there have not been many such events in the past 7 months. Now, this is not to say that there hasn't been volcanic activity - there has been plenty. However, we have not seen any large eruption that has been splashed across the media since Puyehue-Cordón Caulle last fall ... and not to tempt fate, but it was noted on Twitter last night that there hasn't been a M7 or greater earthquake since April on the planet. We still have 5 months to go, but so ...