A massive volcano located in Germany is showing signs that it's ready to blow, at least according to a report from The Daily Mail. The Laacher See Volcano situated under a lake near Bonn could spew enough ash to cover all over Europe.

But is Laacher See really about to rain destruction on the European continent?

The story has been picked up by various news sources all citing the Daily Mail as the primary source. Reading the report there it's easy to feel that all those 2012 Doomsday predictions are coming true but there are precious few facts to support the assertions in the article. Wired.com's Erik Klemmetti, an assistant professor of geosciences at Denison University wrote in his Eruptions blog that the article was more "fearmongering" and that the Daily Mail didn't cite any sources about its sources.

Klemmetti pointed out that there is no source for the Daily Mail's statement that the Laacher See erupts every 10 to 12,000 years. It is fact that the volcano did erupt 12,900 years ago to form the caldera lake covering the volcano but there is no way to see if the volcano is due for another eruption this year. The evidence that Laacher See volcano is getting more restless because carbon dioxide is bubbling to the surface of the lake is misleading. Carbon dioxide is a sign that magma is degassing but it is a common occurrence as magma degasses all the time. It is not a sure-fire sign that the volcano is ready to blow.

The Laacher See is a caldera volcano located close to the cities of Koblenz and Boon in Germany. The caldera lake lies 8 km near the river Rhine and it is about 259 m above sea level. The lake has no natural outlet and water levels change depending on rainfall and evaporation. When the Laacher See volcano erupted 12,900 years ago it caused short-term global cooling. Some remains of this eruption can be found all over Europe. The Laacher See is a potentially active volcano.