TOP VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS OF 2010

Pyroclastic flows of hot ash and gas that swallow forests and cities in Indonesia, Icelandic jökulhlaups and Eyjafjallajökul's potentially engine-clogging clouds that grounded entire fleets of planes with a single burb -- with volcanoes like these as neighbors who needs enemies?

Of the 64 active volcanoes on Earth in 2010, several have been ongoing eruptions that date back decades. Others came as a surprise. Pioneer in the field of ash and aviation safety Tom Casadevall of the U.S. Geological Survey has an eye in the sky for all of them. The ash in explosive eruptions is "not soft and powdery," he says. "It's not produced from wood a fire. It's rock and mineral particles with hard, sharp, and abrasive edges." In other words, not something that blends well in a jet engine... Read Complete List