Since January 1, 2025, 70 volcanic eruptions have been recorded worldwide — from explosive ash columns to relentless lava flows, both on land and beneath the oceans. Tracked by the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program, this level of activity is above average, with many eruptions concentrated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, but also appearing in Iceland, the Mediterranean, Africa, and remote island chains. Some eruptions made headlines. Many didn’t. All of them are part of Earth relea

THE GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE The geologic time scale is a system used by scientists to describe and organize Earth’s 4.6 billion year history. It divides time into structured units and subunits, helping researchers trace major geological, biological, and climatic events through deep time. At the broadest level are the eons, the largest divisions of time. There are four formally defined eons: Hadean from Earth’s formation 4.6 billion years ago to about 4.0 billion years ago. Archean from 4.0 billion t