The following constitutes the new activity and unrest report from the
Volcano Discovery.
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Explosions from the third paroxysm of Etna in 2012. |
Etna Volcano, Italy: Another paroxysm from the new SE crater.
Since this morning, weak explosive activity has been observed from the new South East crater of Etna volcano. This
could be the start of the foreplay towards another paroxysm if Etna's
eruptive behavior stays as has been during the past 14 months. Another paroxysm is occurring at the New SE crater of Etna
volcano. This marks the 22nd eruption of this type since the start of
the series in January 2010. The strombolian
activity from the crater which had started yesterday (17 March)
continued during the night. From 03:30 local time, the glow had been
continuous and the frequency of explosions rose to 25-30 per hour. Large
incandescent bombs were observed landing on the outer flanks of the
cone. At the time of writing (8:30 local time), another paroxysm is
about to occur. Strong explosions generating a rising ash plume and a
steep increase of tremor can be observed.
Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii: Pressure reaches lava flow-front.
Another cycle of deflation-inflation (DI) is nearing completion on
Kīlauea, with reduced pressure leading to a slow-down in the advance of
active lava flow-front. However, sluggish lava flows are still filling
in the base of the pali, mostly inflating but with perhaps a dozen small
breakout spots at the leading edge. Renewed pressure and summit
inflation should bring an increase in activity over the next 24 hrs,
that is until the next deflation cycle once again! The big question is
whether these events can stall the progress of lava closer to the ocean,
and as usual we wait and see! As expected, activity is increasing at the lava flow-front as renewed
pressure propagates along the magmatic system, even as further
(apparently smaller) pressure variations occur. Stay tuned for more
pictures and detailed updates as our tour schedule and the eruption
allows!
El Hierro, Canary Islands: Scientists publish first video of the active submarine volcano.
Scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)
aboard the research vessel Atlantic Explorer have published the first
videos of the underwater volcanic cone in the Sea of Las Calmas south
of El Hierro. The videos, taken by an underwater robot during their
latest campaign, show that the eruption is continuing, but also suggest
that the summit is still at 120 m rather than the 88 m found during the
previous research campaign just 2 weeks earlier. In their press release, the scientists say that there is no "tremor" on
the surface of the water, but a "shower of glowing stars" can be seen
under water (note: probably, they refer to white ash and tephra
particles floating as seen in the video). They conclude that the vent
remains active, and generates a convecting column of hot water rising up
to 40 m depth. Temperatures of over 60ºC were measured in the area
where the robot could approach. Also, fish and other marine life could
be seen in some videos proofing that life persists despite the eruption.
Shiveluch Volcano, Kamchatka: Ongoing ash emissions reaching 6 km altitude (17,000 ft).
Moderate fumarolic activity at the lava dome was observed during 2 and
5-8 March; cloud cover prevented observations on the other days.
Satellite imagery showed a weak thermal anomaly over the lava dome
during 3, 5, and 7-8 March.
Shiveluch volcano in Kamchatka is now erupting and generates a tall plume of
ash reaching 17,000 ft (around 6.5 km altitude), the Tokyo Volcanic Ash
Advisory Center (VAAC) reports. The ash cloud is drifting E to SE.
Cleveland Volcano, Alaska: Small ash eruptions and growing lava dome.
Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands has had a few small
explosive ash eruptions, the last one on 14 March, the Alaska Volcano
Observatory (AVO) reports. The lava dome in the summit crater continues to grow slowly and more eruptions are likely. AVO
writes: "As long as the volcano remains active, additional explosions
are likely. Some may produce ash clouds exceeding 20,000 feet above sea
level. These clouds may go undetected in satellite imagery for hours. If
a large ash-producing event occurs, seismic, infrasound, or volcanic
lightning would likely be detected by local and regional monitoring
networks. There is no real-time seismic monitoring network on Cleveland
volcano."