Since ancient times, people have sought to understand the behaviour
and mechanics of volcanic eruptions. Our generation has the
chance to make a breakthrough in this direction. In the last few decades,
the rapid development of geophysical observations and algorithms has
made it possible to image volcanic interiors and to reconstruct volcanic
processes. Even so, the mechanics of volcanism are far from being well
understood. For example, magma reservoirs beneath volcanoes, which
are often described by over-simplified cartoons, are not simple objects
that can be easily detected by geophysical tools, and thus their existence
is not definitively proven. Popular Hollywood movies may present
scenarios showing the temporal evolution of real-time 3D images of
bodies beneath volcanoes, but unfortunately, the real capabilities of
the present-day science are far more limited.