Mt.

Baekdu

Mt. Baekdu has been carefully observed since 1999 when a volcanic observatory was built in
China, and since 2002, there have been some symptoms of an eruption.

A volcanic eruption begins when pressure on a magma chamber forces magma up through the
conduit and out the volcano’s vents. When the magma chamber is completely filled, the type of
eruption partly depends on the amount of gas and silica in the magma. The amount of silica
determines how sticky (level of viscosity) the magma is and water provides the explosive potential of
steam.

The 2010 Iceland eruption caused enormous disruption to air travel across Western and Northern
Europe, although relatively small in size for volcanic eruptions. About 20 countries closed their
airspace and it affected hundreds of thousands of travelers. A very high proportion of flights within,
to, and from Europe were cancelled, creating the highest level of air travel disruption since the World
War II. 

Mount Paektu
The volcano last erupted over 1,000 years ago, blanketing swathes of land in
ash: "It's one of the biggest eruptions in the last few thousands of years and we
don't have yet a historical date for it", he said.

"The rocks are a bit like the black box of a flight recording. There's so much that
we can read from the field site itself."
Mount Paektu does not sit on any of the tectonic locations that are often
responsible for volcanic eruptions, so one of the questions the scientists are keen
to answer is why it even exists.

They are also looking to find out what happened when the volcano last erupted,
what effect it had on the surrounding ecosystems and whether it will erupt again.

Paektu is considered a sacred mountain and from the beginning of history,

Koreans have depended on it spiritually. Its dense forest provided armies
resistance against Japanese occupation and during the Korean War it is
claimed Kim Il-sung organised his forces there. It is also said that it was
the birth place of Kim Jong-il, despite records suggesting otherwise.