2012: The Year of the Volcano (or volcanoes, more accurately)

Volcanoes, these are generally harbingers of death and destruction to any neighboring ecosystems (depending on the magnitude of the eruption, of course). While the eruption of any individual volcano is rare, on the whole, eruptions are still quite common. This is primarily due to the sheer number of volcanoes dotting the surface of our planet--there are an an estimated 1,500 of them on Earth.



Typically, there are only about 50 active volcanoes scattered across the surface of the planet that will erupt in any given year. Two volcanoes that are in close proximity and actively spewing lava is even more unlikely. The odds of a third erupting nearby is exponentially greater. Even more so for four, but the odds were ever in their favor (Hunger Games, anyone?) in recent times.

To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/2012-the-year-of-the-volcano-or-volcanoes-more-accurately/