Geologists say Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano shot lava as high as 1,000 feet into the air during its most recent eruptive episode.

It would be impossible to predict these natural disasters and mitigate their harm without the science of geology, which investigates the history and evolution of the Earth and other celestial bodies.

A normally quiet “high threat” volcano in Washington state has been rumbling at a record rate — prompting an alert from ...