The flanks of many island volcanoes slide very slowly towards the sea. Whether these landslides are forewarnings of a catastrophic collapse or, on the contrary, even reduce its risk, is not yet understood. Geophysicists now show that sporadic, slow landslides on the small volcanic island of Ritter Island in New Guinea preceded a catastrophic collapse.

Far below Bermuda's pink sand beaches and turquoise tides, geoscientists have discovered the first direct evidence that material from deep within Earth's mantle transition zone -- a layer rich in water, crystals and melted rock -- can percolate to the surface to form volcanoes.

Simon Wittenberg heads to St.James’s Street to sample Avenue’s cuisine which stems from the culinary regions that surround the “Ring of fire”, the volcanic belt containing more than 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes. Avenue Restaurant and Bar was first unveiled in the nineties with more of an American theme by the former...