Look out, Dorothy. There's a new cyclone in town. Using satellite images to peer down on volcanic plumes, researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered they're far more than just toxic clouds.
A volcanic plume is essentially a column of hot gases and dust, topped with a horizontal "umbrella." Volcano watchers described the general shape of these plumes as early as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.
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