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During eruptions, misinformation can spread further than ash. How can we spot it?

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · · 794 words · By Heather Handley; Janine Krippner
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What to know about During eruptions, misinformation can spread further than ash. How can we spot it?

Volcanologists discuss their research into common misconceptions and the spread of misinformation during volcanic events. The authors provide guidance for journalists and the public on how to verify sources and distinguish between possible and likely outcomes to better understand volcanic hazards.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 6
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center86%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Erupting or silent, volcanoes have always captured our imagination.

Why it matters

As volcanologists, we have seen how that fascination can collide with rolling news coverage and social media, amplifying false claims, misleading images and long-standing misconceptions about how volcanoes behave.

Common ground

Much more than simply getting the science wrong, misinformation can distort people’s perceptions of hazards and risk and influence how they respond to an eruption.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Volcanologists discuss their research into common misconceptions and the spread of misinformation during volcanic events. The authors provide guidance for journalists and the public on how to verify sources and distinguish between possible and likely outcomes to better understand volcanic hazards.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/during-eruptions-misinformation-can-spread-further-t…

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
verified Verified 1
check_circle Corroborated 1
verified
Claim 1: “We identified 18 common misconceptions spanning everything from seismology and volcanic hazards to climate, eruption timescales and misleading images.”
VERIFIED
A web search result explicitly mentions that Smithsonian Institution volcanologist Janine Krippner and 25 other researchers identified 18 common misunderstandings regarding volcanoes.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Highly Cited Researchers is a list published annually by Clarivate of academic authors who in the past eleven years have authored multiple highly cited publications in academic journals indexed by Web…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_Cited_Researchers
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — iOS 18 is the eighteenth major release of Apple's iOS operating system for the iPhone. It was announced on June 10, 2024, at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and made publicly availabl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_18
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, charact…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 2: “During Mt Agung’s 2017 unrest and eruption in Bali, old footage of other volcanoes was presented as current activity, while clouds and gas emissions were wrongly reported as eruptions.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While Wikipedia confirms that Mt Agung erupted in 2017, the specific claim regarding the misreporting of old footage and gas emissions as eruptions is not corroborated by the provided evidence (the web search results are about Gmail). However, the event itself is real.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mount Agung, a volcano on the island of Bali in Indonesia, erupted five times in late November 2017, causing thousands to evacuate, disrupting air travel and causing environmental damage. As of 27 Nov…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017–2019_eruptions_of_Mount_A…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mount Agung (Indonesian: Gunung Agung; Balinese: ᬕᬸᬦᬸᬂᬆᬕᬸᬂ, romanized: gunung āgung, lit. 'The Great Mountain') is an active volcano in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia. It is located southeast of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Agung
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mount Batur (Indonesian: Gunung Batur; Balinese: ᬕᬸᬦᬸᬂᬩᬢᬸᬃ, romanized: gunung batuŕ) is an active volcano located at the center of two concentric calderas northwest of Mount Agung on the island of Bal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Batur
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 3: “its last 50 or so eruptions were lava flows with only local impacts.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result ('How can we spot misinformation spreading during eruptions?') directly quotes the claim that the last 50 or so eruptions of Yellowstone were lava flows with local impacts. Other sources discuss the caldera generally but do not specify the count of the last 50 eruptions.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yellowstone National Park is a national park of the United States located mainly in the northwest corner of the state of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. The park is know…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yellowstone is an American neo-Western drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson that premiered on June 20, 2018, on Paramount Network. The series stars Kevin Costner, Luke Gr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Yellowstone_episodes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Yellowstone Caldera, also known as the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, is a Quaternary volcanic field, caldera complex, and volcanic plateau spanning parts of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. It i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 4: “Our international study team included experts from universities, volcano observatories, and government agencies, while our media analysis covered 375 articles published between 2017 and 2022.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of Wikipedia entries for a firearm cartridge, a cricketer, and a privacy act. None of these sources mention the study, the 375 articles, or the timeframe specified.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brian Charles Lara (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely renowned as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He holds several cricketing records, including the rec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Lara
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a state statute intended to enhance privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of the state of California in the United States. The bill was pas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Consumer_Privacy_Ac…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The .408 Cheyenne Tactical (designated 408 Chey Tac (10.36×77mm) by the C.I.P.) is a specialized rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire cartridge for military long-range sniper rifles that was developed by…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.408_Cheyenne_Tactical
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Claim 5: “Volcanic ash... consists of tiny fragments of rock, crystals, and volcanic glass, mixed with gases and water vapour in an eruption plume.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources (Brainly, a geology site, and PBS NOVA) all confirm that volcanic ash is composed of rock, mineral/crystal, and volcanic glass fragments.
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web search NEUTRAL — In summary, volcanic ash is made up of small rock and glass fragments, crystals, and gases that are expelled during a volcanic eruption. Its composition can vary depending on the volcano and the speci…
https://brainly.com/question/40765617
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Volcanic ash is a fine-grained material composed of rock, mineral, and volcanic glass fragments produced during explosive volcanic eruptions. It is typically less than 2 millimeters in diameter, but c…
https://www.geologyin.com/2014/03/volcanic-ash-tiny-disaster…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ash Volcanic ash consists of rock, mineral, and volcanic glass fragments smaller than a tenth of an inch in diameter—or slightly larger than a pinhead. Volcanic ash is quite different from the soft, f…
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/volcano/anat_01.html
verified
Claim 6: “a 2025 eruption of Mt Etna in Sicily produced a pyroclastic flow within an area already closed to the public.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of AnyDesk software tutorials and general Wikipedia entries for Mt Etna. There is no mention of a 2025 eruption or a pyroclastic flow in a closed area.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1669 eruption of Mount Etna is the largest-recorded historical eruption of that volcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. After several weeks of increasing seismic activity that damaged the town…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1669_eruption_of_Mount_Etna
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mount Etna, or simply Etna, is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina and Catania. It is located above the conve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Etna
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In volcanology, a Strombolian eruption is a type of volcanic eruption with relatively mild blasts, typically having a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 1 or 2. Strombolian eruptions consist of ejection of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strombolian_eruption
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.