A research group led by Italian Federico Galetto of Princeton and Valerio Acocella, of the Università Roma Tre have found an indicator that can predict many weeks in advance the eruption of some very active volcanoes like Kilauea in Hawaii, according to a study published in the Nature Geoscience journal.

Their current works builds on previous findings. In an earlier study published in PubMed.gov, Professors Galetto, Acocella and Caricchi investigated the workings of a caldera, volcanic depressions commonly produced by major eruptions, and the uplift of the caldera floor that may follow, called caldera resurgence. They used thermal and experimental models to define the conditions promoting resurgence.