Published: 21:21 BST, 28 August 2026 | Updated: 21:39 BST, 28 August 2026
Some of the world's most dangerous volcanoes have been 'switched on' simultaneously, says one geophysicist who fears it could signal the start of a devastating four-year surge in eruptions.
Geophysicist Stefan Burns believes he has cracked the code of when new and potentially deadly eruptions are most likely to take place.
He revealed that Earth's volcanic activity has already started increasing and may lead to more eruptions in the US, Europe and Asia over the next four years.
On his YouTube channel, which examines recent natural disasters, Burns highlighted roughly a dozen major volcanoes and volcanic systems in heavily populated areas such as the US West Coast, Hawaii, Italy and Russia, which he claimed were showing heightened activity.
In the US, he pointed to the ongoing eruptions at Hawaii's Kīlauea and the possibility of new eruptions along the Cascade Range, including Mount Rainier, Mount St Helens and Mount Hood in Oregon and Washington.
Burns believes the apparent unrest is connected to the sun's natural energy cycle, with eruptions becoming more likely as solar activity falls from its peak.
He expressed particular concerns about the planet going from 'solar maximum' – the most active peak in the sun's cycle which showers Earth with energy and radiation – to 'solar minimum' – when the sun's activity is at the lowest point in its 11-year cycle.
In an August 15 livestream, Burns said: 'There is a clear pattern here that, to me, is a little troubling.'
In 1980, a major volcanic eruption occurred at Mount St Helens (Pictured), a volcano located in state of Washington
He continued: 'When you take into context the fact that as you go from solar maximum to solar minimum, there is a statistically significant increase in global volcanism.'
He claimed peak solar energy charges Earth's upper atmosphere, generates electrical currents deep underground and interacts with changes in the planet's magnetic field, potentially fueling volcanic unrest, earthquakes and even major hurricanes.
Burns tied this potentially world-changing threat to the sun's ongoing change in its current solar cycle, moving from a period of releasing tremendous energy toward Earth to one where this process nearly stops for several years.
This quieter low point in the sun's 11-year cycle is called solar minimum, which NASA has noted the sun has been heading toward since October 2024. The next peak solar minimum phase is expected around 2030.
Burns said that after the strong energy 'loading' of a solar maximum, volcanic and earthquake activity has historically spiked in the following years, meaning the shift between 2026 and 2030 could put millions in volcanic danger zones.
