GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Latest Report Of Volcanic Eruptions, Activity, Unrest And Awakenings – March 8-10, 2016! [PHOTOS + VIDEO]

Explosion at Tungurahua (Image: EDUfoto / Facebook.com/edufoto.org)

March 10, 2016 - EARTH - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.


Tungurahua (Ecuador): The activity of the volcano has strongly increased since last weekend - a new surge of magma has been arriving at the summit vent and is producing a violent eruption from the summit crater. Its climax so far occurred this morning, at 07:51 local time, when a powerful explosion generated an eruption column that rose approx. 6 km above the crater and reached an altitude of estimated 36,000 ft (11 km). Pyroclastic flows (generated by partial column collapse) descended over 2000 m towards the Mandur and Achupashal areas.

Similar explosive activity, with increasing tendency, had already been occurring during the previous days, in particular since Sunday. Very strong explosions also occurred yesterday afternoon at 16:28 local time, two around noon (also yesterday), as well as at 19:35 and 05:35 local time on Sunday (March 6). All of them produced pyroclastic flows into various directions towards the western (Romero and Achupashal) and northern sectors (Mandur).

Steam and ash plume rising 3-4 km above Tunguarhua on March 5. (Image: OVT-IGEPN)

Violent shock waves that rattled windows and doors and ground rumblings accompanied the explosions and most of the time, a steam and ash column was rising 3-4 km from the volcano. At night, explosions could be seen ejecting incandescent material to great height (many 100 meters) and distances over the volcano's cone, generating spectacular avalanches.

Considerable ash fall has been affecting various areas around the volcano. In particular, the western sectors have suffered most. A team of IGEPN scientists measured a load of 7700 g/m2 of ash had accumulated since the end of February in the areas of Manzano and Choglontus. The area is rich in corn fields which have been severely damaged by the ongoing eruption.

On March 9, activity remained very elevated at the volcano. During yesterday and the night, several more explosions occurred ejecting incandescent material that produced glowing avalanches of up to 1500 length mainly on the western and northwestern flanks.

Strong explosion from Tungurahua; a small pyroclastic flow can be seen departing from the base of the eruption column.

The ash plume continues to reach up to 30-32,000 ft (9-10 km) altitude and drifts SSE, Washington VAAC reports.


Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): A series of small explosions occurred at the volcano yesterday. The first happened in the afternoon at 16:32 local time.

The Manizales volcano observatory recorded a pulse in tremor and reported an ash plume that rose 1300 m above the summit.

Eruption of Nevado del Ruiz

Another small explosion

Similar explosions with ash emissions could be seen on webcam images at 18:15 and 18:40 (local time), before night obscured the view. No incandescence is visible from the crater.

Light ash fall probably occurred in areas to the SW belonging to the departments of Quindío, Risaralda and Caldas.



Sangay (Ecuador): The Geophysical Institute (IGEPN) reported an increase in activity from the volcano since March 5, when volcanic earthquakes started to become more frequent in number.

Between 8 and 9 March, this activity picked up significantly and signs of small explosions (11 in total since March 7th) as well as small episodes of tremor appeared. This probably means that new magma has arrived to produce strombolian activity in the summit crater. A thermal anomaly visible on satellite data fits this interpretation well.

Sangay's seismicity of the SAGA station since 4 Mar 2016 (IGEPN

Explosions and seismicity at Sangay since March (IGEPN)

Sangay is one of the country's most active volcanoes, but thanks to its very remote location on the southeast side of the Cordillera Real it is rarely visited and directly observed. However, there is evidence that it has been in semi-permanent activity since at least 1628.

The last eruptive phase of the volcano had begun in January 2015 and lasted until mid April 2015. It produced two small lava flows that reached a few hundred meters below the central crater and moderately large ash plumes. No inhabited areas were affected (there are none very close either).

Typical eruptive episodes (one of which has just started, it seems) consists of strombolian activity, emission of lava flows, and - when activity becomes more intense - pyroclastic flows and larger explosions that produce ash plumes.

IGEPN recommends not to ascend the volcano at the moment.


Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Explosions and generally small pyroclastic flows, sometimes happening together, continue to occur at the volcano at rates of a few per day on average.

Explosion and pyroclastic flow at Sinabung yesterday evening (Photo: Leopold Kennedy Adam ‏@LeopoldAdam / Twitter)

Yesterday evening 17:55 local time, an explosion produced a plume that rose 2.3 km and a pyroclastic flow that traveled 1.5 km.


Dukono (Halmahera): Strong ash emissions continue to be reported from the volcano. Yesterday, a plume stretched almost 100 km to the NW.

Dukono's ash plume over northern Halmahera seen on NASA's Terra satellite on March 7, 2016

Lokon-Empung (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): A warning was issued for the volcano and its alert level raised to 3 ("siaga" - alert, on a scale of 1-4) last Monday after a seismic swarm was detected to occur under the edifice.

The previous day (7 Mar), PVMBG recorded 25 deep and 138 shallow volcanic quakes, 23 rockfall signals as well as a tremor signal. In addition, deformation (inflation) was measured to occur under the Tompaluan crater.

Earthquake swarm at Lokon volcano on March 8, 2016 (VSI)

Seismicity at Lokon during the past weeks (VSI)

While no to little changes were seen in surface activity (degassing), these geophysical parameters seem to suggest that internal pressure in the hydrothermal system of the volcano has recently increased and the risk of sudden explosions (phreatic or phreatomagmatic) has to be considered elevated at the moment.

Visitors and locals are advised not to approach the crater within a radius of 2.5 km.



Kilauea (Hawai'i): No significant changes in the ongoing eruption of Kilauea have occurred since the last update.

The lava lake at the summit caldera has dropped again and was about 33 m (108 ft) below the rim of the Overlook crater yesterday.

View of Puu Oo on March 4th. (HVO)

On the eastern rift zone, the recently active lava flows inside Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater were now inactive. Lava originating from the vent continues to flow into tubes, feeding scattered surface lava flows on the slowly growing "June 27th" lava field. All active breakouts remain within 6-7 km distance and far from any nearby communities.


Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity at the Caliente lava dome continues to be high. Another moderately strong explosion occurred yesterday morning, causing a part of the Caliente lava dome to collapse and form pyroclastic flows on its north-northeastern flank.

According to a bulletin of the INSIVUMEH volcano observatory, an ash column rose to 4,000 m altitude and produced light ash fall in areas to the NNE including Quetzaltenango and Santa Marcos Palajunoj.


Suwanose-jima (Ryukyu Islands): The eruptive activity at the remote Island in southern Japan continues. It even seems to have picked up in intensity, judging from the increasingly frequent volcanic ash reports issued by Tokyo VAAC and the sometimes very strong glow visible from neighboring islands.

Eruption from Suwanose-Jima.

The exact type of activity in the Otake crater is unknown, but likely consists of strong, ash-rich strombolian explosions.


Makian (Halmahera): The alert level of Makian Island's Kie Besi volcano was raised from 1 (normal) to 2 ("waspada" = watch) yesterday, as an increase in seismic activity has been detected recently under the volcano.

The stratovolcano, which forms a small island south of Ternate (and is in the center line of tomorrow's Solar Eclipse, where one of our groups is currently stationed...), is one of the regions most active (and dangerous) volcanoes with a number of strong explosive eruptions in historic times, last in 1988.

Already on 2 June 2009, a similar increase in internal activity had triggered a raise in alert level, but unrest declined soon after again and the volcano was placed back to normal again on 16 July, as no further changes in activity had been detected.

Seismic activity of Kie Besi volcano (Makian) over the past weeks (VSI)

The current, most recent phase of unrest began apparently last year. A series of deep earthquakes could be felt in the region in November. Since January, the observatory noted an increase in the number and size of shallow volcanic earthquakes. Weakly felt quakes occurred on 12 January, as well as on 18 and 24 February. Long-period quakes and volcanic tremor (regular vibrations), both related to internal fluid movements also started to occur since the end of past February.

The volcano's seismic activity further increased during the past week and now volcanic tremor has been a weak, but constant signal since 7 March which is why the volcano's alert level was now raised.

So far, no signs of changes in the volcano's visible (surface) activity have been noted, in particular concerning the relatively weak fumarolic activity in the summit crater. However, volcanologists interpret the increased seismic activity and its characteristics as likely created by a magma intrusion from depth, and that fluids, possibly magma, have been moving closer to the surface, causing an increase in internal pressure, and, hence the risk of sudden explosions.

For now, no evacuations are recommended, but the local population is advised to stay alert of possible tremors that can be felt. It is apparently not expected that an eruption might occur in the near future, but increased vigilance is in place as things can change quickly at active volcanoes. Past eruptions of Makian have often produced pyroclastic flows and significant ballistic ejections that pose great risk to nearby areas, especially within a radius of 2 km.

For the time being, the local population on Makian island around G. Kie Besi volcano and visitors / tourists are advised not to climb the crater and remain outside a radius of 1.5 km from gunung Kie Besi's summit crater.


Momotombo (Nicaragua): The eruption of the volcano continues with little visible changes: Intermittent vulcanian-type explosions of mostly small, but sometimes moderate size continue to occur at rates of 1-2 per day (on average), the stronger ones showering the upper flanks of the cone with incandescent material and producing ash plumes that rise 1-2 km above the summit.

A spectacular explosion at Momotombo.

In addition, weaker activity of semi-persistent style also occurs. Continuous glow is visible from the crater at night. This is probably due to the presence of a small lava lake or (more likely) a small lava dome (more viscous lava), as well as frequent, but small (strombolian-type) explosions (that don't reach the outer rim) as INETER reported in its recent status update (53 explosions recorded during March 3-4).

According to Nicaraguan scientists, seismic activity of the volcano has been at low to medium levels.


Nyiragongo (DR Congo): Some very unusual and alarming events have been taking place at the volcano recently: A new eruptive vent opened at the northeastern end of the lowest crater terrace, outside the active lava lake (which had been in place since 2002) and just beneath the near vertical crater walls..

According to a preliminary report of the Goma Volcano Observatory (GVO) who visited the volcano during 1-2 March, the new vent is now forming a second lava lake. Images from a visit of GVO staff show a spatter cone erupting fresh lava flows that pooled onto the crater floor.

View of the crater of Nyiragongo on March 1 or 2, with the lava lake and the new vent at the NE margin of the crater floor (Image: OVG)

The new vent on the NE end of the crater floor on 1 or 2 March 1 or 2. (OVG)

GVO reported that since the end of February, activity at the volcano has been more intense than usual. In particular, starting from 04 am on 29 February, local inhabitants began to hear frequent rumblings coming from the volcano almost every minute. Likely, these were caused by the opening of the new dike (fracture occupied as pathway for the new magma) and associated rockfalls inside the crater (the vent is directly located near almost vertical walls). It is important to note as GVO's report mentions, that the location of the new vent is on the east-trending fracture zone that connects the summit vent of Nyiragongo with the prominent flank cone Baruta to the northeast of the main edifice, near the village of Kibumba.

This rift zone (along with the southern rift zone extending towards Goma town) is one of the most prone locations of the volcano's dangerous flank eruptions.

Hiked to #Nyiragongo this weekend. Largest lava lake in the world, activity increasing. #hike #so2 #goma pic.twitter.com/Bm9hPiyGts

— langley dewitt (@langleydew) March 8, 2016

When these occur, the volcano's edifice is ruptured laterally, allowing magma to drain outside. Such eruptions have been occurring at intervals of few decades typically. They usually drain very large volumes of very fluid, and hence, unusually fast flowing lava from the lake in short time. The results of the past two such eruptions in 1977 and 2002 were catastrophic: they killed more than 1000 people, destroyed dozends of villages and a large part of Goma town (in 2002).

Whether or not the current developments are precursor of a new eruption from Nyiragongo's flanks is difficult to say, but the appearance of the new vent tells that an extensional movement has taken place on this fracture zone, something that is certainly alarming.




- Volcano Discovery.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Latest Report Of Volcanic Eruptions, Activity, Unrest And Awakenings – March 3-7, 2016! [PHOTOS + VIDEOS]

Strombolian eruption at Tungurahua on March 2, 2016. (Photo: E. Gaunt - OVTIGEPN)

March 7, 2016 - EARTH - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.


Tungurahua (Ecuador): The volcano is in a phase of mild to moderate strombolian activity. Incandescent bombs are ejected to the upper slopes of the volcano, generating avalanches. Ash plumes rise up to a few km above the crater and drift mostly in westerly directions.

Apparently, the large vent-clearing explosion on 27 Feb has opened the conduit to allow a sustained slow rise of magma and more gradual release of gas pressure in small discrete explosions (= strombolian activity).

In its latest report, IGEPN published a series of remarkable photos taken during cloud-free periods at night.



Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): An explosion occurred at the volcano this morning, producing an ash plume that rose 3000 m above the summit. The eruption was accompanied by Ash falls occurred later in several nearby towns to the NW including Chinchiná, Villamaría, Manizales and Palestine.

Nevado del Ruiz' eruption column. (Photo: Luis Guillermo Velásquez / La Patria)

The regional La Nubia airport was closed today after noon.


Shiveluch (Kamchatka): The lava dome continues to be very active, generating frequent rockfalls and small glowing avalanches on the SW side as well as, more rarely, on the SE side as can be seen on today's time-lapse video.


WATCH: Time-lapse of Shiveluch.

A larger event might have taken place after dark, as Tokyo VAAC reported an ash plume to 18,000 ft (5.4 km) altitude this morning 08:20 UTC (17:20 local time in Kamchatka).



Copahue (Chile): The activity at the volcano, near-constant degassing with sometimes ash emissions, has decreased over the past weeks. Ash venting has become less frequent and intense, and the glow from E Agrio crater that had been visible at the crater disappeared.

Weak steam/ash plume from Copahue.

According to the Chilean scientists from SERNAGEOMIN who monitor the volcano, the current activity of the volcano is being caused by the interaction of a small volume of new magma under its highly active shallow hydrothermal system - none or little of this magma reaches the surface itself, but the heat transfer into the circulating fluids causes fragmentation by small explosions and the emission of gasses and particles (ash). This activity reflects in a continuous tremor signal of moderate intensity.

Scientists concluded that the new magma volume has been too small to greatly affect the internal balance in the hydrothermal system. Other geophysical parameters such as rate of degassing and deformation are mostly within normal levels of the volcano. It is therefore expected that the current activity continues in the coming weeks to months at fluctuating rates. This includes possible short-lived phases of more pronounced sporadic phreatic to strombolian explosions.




Chripoi (Kurile Islands, Russia): A new eruption might have taken place at the volcano this afternoon. Based on satellite imagery, Tokyo VAAC reported an ash plume to estimated 20,000 ft (6 km) altitude that drifted east.

Whether or not an eruption took place still needs to be confirmed.



Alaid (Northern Kuriles): A new eruption is occurring at the volcano, satellite images show. A pronounced steam plume with possible ash content can be seen drifting west from the volcano, at estimated 13,000 ft (4 km) altitude. In addition, NASA's MODIS and VIIRS sensors have been detecting an intense heat source from the volcano's summit lately.

Steam plume from Alaid volcano. NASA Suomi NPP satellite image

Bromo (East Java, Indonesia): The latest eruptive cycle of the volcano might have ended. No more eruptions (explosions, ash emissions) have been observed during the past 2 weeks and seismic activity has returned to normal levels as well, our friend Oystein Andersen from Jakarta reported.

Tokyo VAAC raised the aviation color code to orange.


Suwanose-jima (Ryukyu Islands): The (probably) strombolian-type activity that had started a few days ago continues at the Otake crater and is visible as bright glow from neighboring islands.

Glow from Suwanose-jima's active crater.

Manam (Papua New Guinea): New activity has been reported from the volcano this morning. A pilot reported an ash plume at approx. 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude extending 50 km to the SE. A plume, along with a thermal signal, can also be seen on the latest satellite image.

Ash plume from Manam volcano

You can find photos and more detailed reports of the latest eruption at his website.


Telica (Nicaragua): The volcano has remained mostly calm during the past 24 hours. Sporadic weak ash emissions occurred at night, but glow could no longer be seen from the crater.

Ash emission from Telica.

Masaya (Nicaragua): The activity of the lava lake in the Santiago crater has been increasing in the past week. In a recent bulletin, INETER mentions that the previously two ponds in two adjacent vents have now joined, probably as a result of erosion by the violently degassing and convective lava.

The following video taken on the 1st of March gives a good impression:


WATCH: Activity at the Masaya lake.

Nevados de Chillán (Central Chile): A small eruption occurred at the volcano again yesterday, the first activity since the mild explosive activity on 7 February. Starting around noon, the volcano began to emit a steam plume of variable intensity, sometimes mixed with ash. The activity took place at one of the new craters that had formed in early February.

Eruption of Nevados de Chillan volcano

According to SERNAGEOMIN, seismicity and other monitored parameters had shown little fluctuations during most of February, but then started to increase at the end of the month, possibly related to a slowly ascending body of magma. Yesterday's new activity is likely the result of this and could be a precursor of more activity in the near to medium future.


Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): Based on Himawari-8 satellite data, Darwin VAAC reported an ash emission from the volcano at 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude last evening, creating a plume that drifted 100 km to the NE. Aviation color code is at Orange.


Kilauea (Hawai'i): The activity of the volcano remains essentially unchanged. Rising magma levels under the east rift zone briefly caused an overflow of lava that erupted from a spatter cone within the southern part of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater.

Thermal image of the lava overflow inside Kilauea's Pu'u 'O'o crater

This activity started around 8:15 a.m. local time yesterday (2 Mar), covered part of the crater floor and ceased at about 15:00 local time. No lava flowed beyond the crater. According to HVO, "this type of activity is not unusual for Puʻu ʻŌʻō, and does not reflect a significant change in the ongoing eruption".
At the summit caldera, rising magma levels temporarily brought the surface of the lava lake inside Halema'uma'u back in sight from the Jaggar Museum overlook in the early morning hours before receding.

Scattered surface flows remain active on the 'June 27th' flow field, all within about 6.0 km (4 mi) of Puʻu ʻŌʻō and do not currently threaten any nearby communities. Seismicity and deformation are within normal levels throughout the volcano.


Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): No significant changes in activity have occurred over the past weeks. Bright glow at the summit crater indicates that the lava dome in its inner crater continues to grow slowly.

Intermittent weak to moderate explosions (on average 2-3 per day) sometimes produce ash plumes that rise up to 1-2 km and rarely eject incandescent material outside the crater.


WATCH: Glow from Popocatepetl volcano.

Fuego (Guatemala): The volcano's activity started to drop again to normal levels (intermittent small explosions) yesterday evening - the most recent paroxysm has now ended.

View of Fuego volcano.

Barren Island (Indian Ocean): Weak eruptive activity continues at the summit vent of the remote and rarely directly observed volcano, satellite data indicates.

A thermal hot spot has been present regularly during recent weeks, and on cloud-free days, a steam-gas plume can often be seen drifting from the island that sometimes contains some ash.

Steam (and ash?) plume from Barren Island on March 1(red spot is a thermal anomaly detected by the VIIRS radiometer onboard NASA's Suomi NPP)

What exactly the activity is like is difficult to say, but most likely is mild strombolian activity and/or the occasional presence of a (very small) lava lake in the summit crater.

- Volcano Discovery .

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Volcanic Awakening Of Earth's Largest Active Volcano - Hawaii's Mauna Loa Is STIRRING, Showing Signs Of Life And Might Be Waking Up!

One of the new tools deployed by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to better monitor the current unrest on Mauna Loa is a webcam focused on
the volcano’s Southwest Rift Zone, which has been the site of eruptions in 1903, 1916, 1919, 1926, and 1950. USGS image.

February 28, 2016 - HAWAII - Despite not being in the headlines, Mauna Loa continues to be in a state of unrest based on seismic and deformation monitoring data.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s improved seismic network began to detect increasingly frequent, small earthquakes on Mauna Loa as early as 2013. Renewed inflation of the volcano was detected by HVO’s GPS network and also with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) in 2014. Based on the elevated rates of earthquakes and persistent inflation, the Volcano Alert Level for Mauna Loa was elevated from Normal to Advisory on September 15, 2015.

According to the USGS Alert-Notification System for Volcanic Activity, an Advisory level indicates that the volcano is showing signs of unrest above known background levels, but does not mean that an eruption certain. Another period of Mauna Loa unrest in 2004–2005 included inflation and anomalous seismicity, but did not result in an eruption.

Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in the world, has erupted 33 times since 1843. These eruptions occurred within the volcano’s summit caldera (Mokuʻāweoweo), along one of its two rift zones (Northeast and Southwest), or from radial vents located on the north and west flanks of the volcano. All historical eruptions started at the summit of Mauna Loa and then either remained in the summit area or migrated down one of the rift zones. Of the 33 eruptions, about half remained within the summit area and about half moved down a rift zone.

Mauna Loa’s two most recent eruptions occurred in 1975 (summit) and 1984 (summit and Northeast Rift Zone). Both eruptions were preceded by at least a year of elevated seismicity. Satellite technology was not as advanced then, so there are no GPS or InSAR records for either of these eruptions.

The current locus of inflation and earthquakes is within the uppermost parts of Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone and the southern summit area. However, should an eruption occur, it is not clear if it would remain in the summit or move into one of the volcano’s rift zones. The risk to communities downhill of a Mauna Loa eruption depends on where the eruption occurs and if, and how far, erupting fissures migrate down a rift zone.

As is often the case during volcanic unrest around the world, the current activity at Mauna Loa has not followed a steady, predictable trend. Overall, earthquake rates remain above normal background levels. But, a closer look at the seismic record reveals that earthquakes have occurred at higher rates for weeks to months, separated by quieter periods of a week or so. This crude episodic pattern may point to an unsteady influx of magma into the inflating area southwest of the summit caldera, with more magma intruding during times of higher earthquake rates.

An interesting change in the current unrest began in the fall of 2015, when, according to InSAR and GPS measurements, the main source of inflation on Mauna Loa moved from beneath the summit caldera to an area slightly farther southwest on the volcano. Along with this change in deformation, earthquakes beneath the summit caldera ceased. Currently, most of the earthquakes occurring on Mauna Loa are within the volcano’s uppermost Southwest Rift Zone region.

As you can see, unrest at Mauna Loa is not following a simple script. This is why, at this point in time, it is not possible to forecast with certainty if or when the volcano will erupt as a result of this unrest.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Mauna Loa and is developing new tools to help our response to an eruption—should one occur. Observing and recording this current episode of Mauna Loa unrest—however it ends—helps us learn more about the magma plumbing systems of Hawaiian volcanoes and improves our ability to interpret future escalations of volcanic activity.

Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. During the past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 30 and 56 m (100–185 ft) below the vent rim within Halema‘uma‘u Crater. On the East Rift Zone, scattered lava flow activity remains within about 6 km (4 mi) of Puʻu ʻŌʻō and is not currently threatening nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Seismicity remains elevated above long-term background levels, with earthquakes continuing to occur mostly beneath the volcano’s upper Southwest Rift Zone and southern caldera region at depths of less than 5 km (3 mi). Deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa, with inflation recently occurring mainly in the southwestern part of the magma storage complex, continues.

Two earthquakes were reported felt on the Island of Hawai‘i in the past week. On Wednesday, February 24, 2016, at 6:00 p.m., HST, a magnitude-3.7 earthquake occurred 3.8 km (2.4 mi) west of Kīlauea summit at a depth of 6.6 km (4.1 mi). On Friday, February 19, 2016, at 10:41 a.m., HST, a magnitude-2.8 earthquake occurred 3.9 km (2.4 mi) south of Kīlauea summit at a depth of 2.5 km (1.5 mi).

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey`s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. - BIN.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Another Explosion At Hawaii's Kilauea Summit Lava Lake - The Third Time In 6 Days! [VIDEOS]

January 9, 2016 - HAWAII, UNITED STATES - For the third time in six days, a small explosion rocked the summit of Kilauea volcano.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports a rockfall on the east rim of the summit vent within the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater triggered a small explosive event at 3:51 a.m. HST on January 8, 2016, littering the rim of the crater with fragments of molten lava.

The event was captured on USGS cameras and can be seen in the video below.


WATCH: Explosion at Kilauea.

“When large rockfalls impact the lava lake, they trigger explosive events that propel volcanic rock fragments (tephra) upward,” scientists wrote on the HVO website. “This morning’s event was vigorous enough to hurl incandescent fragments onto the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, about 110 m (360 ft) above the lava lake surface.”

USGS HVO says rockfalls and subsequent explosive events occur with no warning, “and the resulting fragments of hot lava and rocky debris thrown onto the crater rim pose a significant hazard in this area.”


WATCH: Kilauea's lava flow.

The lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu has been at a relatively high level in recent days. At one point the lava level reached up to 92 feet below the floor of the crater.

“Explosive events like this occur more frequently when the lava lake level is relatively high,” HVO scientists said, “as it has been this past week—around 30-35 m (100-115 ft) below the vent rim. Rocks in the vent wall expand as they are heated by the high temperature of the lava lake and become unstable. Sections of these unstable rocks can then collapse into the lava lake.”

“The rim of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater was covered in a nearly continuous blanket of tephra following today’s early morning rockfall and subsequent explosive event,” scientists wrote of the photo abpve. “Tephra is the general term for volcanic rock fragments exploded or carried into the air during an eruption, and can range from dust-size particles to fragments more than 1 m (3.2 ft) in diameter. Two backpacks (in background), which belong to HVO scientists who briefly entered the area to collect tephra samples for laboratory analyses, provide scale for the fragments hurled onto the crater rim this morning.”

In this image, HVO points out “you can see what remains of the Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook wooden fence, which has been repeatedly been bombarded by spatter and rock fragments since 2008. The blue bucket attached to the fence is one of HVO’s tephra collectors so that lava fragments and rocky debris ejected from the summit vent can be quantified and analyzed.”

On January 2, the first of the three events was documented by USGS HVO cameras (video below). On Janury 4, a second rockfall explosion took place.

Volcano Explosion Jan. 2, 2016Volcano Explosion (Jan. 2, 2016) At around 2:17 p.m., HST, on January 2, a rockfall from the east rim of the Overlook vent within Halemaʻumaʻu Crater at the summit of Kīlauea impacted the lava lake, generating a small explosive event captured by HVO webcams. (courtesy USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory)
Posted by Big Island Video News on Monday, January 4, 2016

- BIVN.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Big Lava Breakout At Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano - Sends Waves Of Molten Lava Cascading Downslope!

November 27, 2015 - PUNA, HAWAII - A huge breakout on the north flank of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent on the East Rift Zone of Kilauea volcano is sending waves of molten lava cascading downslope.

Video of the event was recorded on Thanksgiving by Mick Kalber, filming from a Paradise Helicopters overflight.

Kalber says the tube opening begins about 150 yards below the vent and over the past two days has sent hot liquid rock more than a quarter mile down the north flank.

The breakout was noted in today’s USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory eruption update.


WATCH: Lava breakout at Kilauea.

“A breakout close to Puʻu ʻŌʻō was prominently visible on a nearby webcam beginning yesterday afternoon and continuing through the night,” scientists wrote.

“The lava flow is not currently threatening any communities.” - BIVN.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Hawaiian Volcano On The Brink Of Eruption - Halemaumau Lava Lake At Kilauea Volcano Drains Partially, Seismic Activity Under Southwest Rift Zone!

© Thinkstock

May 19, 2015 - HAWAII - Kilauea, on the Big Island of Hawaii, is one of the more active shield volcanoes in the Aloha State and observers at the United States Geological Survey are saying that the odds of a major eruption have increased significantly in recent days.

"Activity at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano continues to change, as shown by a pronounced drop in the level of the lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, a change in the summit area deformation pattern, and the concentrated earthquake activity in the southern part of the caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone," a recent statement from the USGS said.

A lake of molten rock near the summit of the volcano had risen to record-high levels, but, as the USGS statement pointed out, the lava level has subsided, dropping almost 500 feet. As lava levels have been rising and falling, a series of earthquakes have radiated out from Kilauea.

These eruptions are impending

USGS scientists also said deformations of the ground could point to impending eruptions.

"Clearly the lava, by dropping out of sight, it has to be going somewhere," said Steven Brantley, deputy scientist at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory told the AP.

According to reports, two minor volcanic activities are already taking place on Kilauea. First, lava has been flowing into Halemaumau Crater, which is located in the much larger summit caldera of Kilauea. Second, is the eruption at Puu Oo vent, a feature in the volcano's east rift zone that streamed lava toward the town of Pahoa last year. Lava flows stopped just outside a shopping center.

In their statement, USGS researchers said earthquakes have been centered on the southern part of the volcano, and this could mean that an eruption is coming from southwest of the Halemaumau Crater. An eruption in the volcano's upper Southwest Rift Zone would be the first in more than 40 years.

Researchers also conceded that all this activity could lead to nothing.

"We don't know what the outcome of this activity might be," Brantley said. "That is the challenge. [We are] trying to interpret what this activity really means in terms of the next step for Kilauea." - Red Orbit.

Kilauea volcano update: Halemaumau lava lake drains partially, seismic activity under SW rift zone

The lava lake today (USGS thermal webcam)

The summit lava lake has dropped significantly during the past week and is now again 50 m below the rim of the pit crater inside Halema'uma'u.

After a few days of repeated small overflows at the end of April until early May, the lake had been perched for a few days at its highest level, started to drop after 10 May, first slowly, then more rapidly. During the past days, it has stabilized at approx. 50 m depth.

The same view during an overflow on May 8

The process was accompanied by rapid deflation. Where the lava drained is not easy to say with certainty. But on one hand, no significantly new or increased activity has been observed at the Pu'u 'O'O vent on the active Eastern Rift zone; on the other hand, increased earthquake activity has occurred under the SW rift zone during the same time as the deflation and lava lake draining. The latter suggests that a part of the lava lake migrated into new underground fractures beneath that area.

Whether or not this could lead to a new eruption on the SW rift zone is speculation at the moment. The SW rift zone saw its last eruption in 1974. - Volcano Discovery.

 

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Second Eruption Of 2015 At Piton de la Fournaise On Reunion Island - More Intense Than The One In February; Large Lava Flow Heading Towards Coastal Flats!

The two active vents with lava flows yesterday (photo: Planétaire974)

May 18, 2015 - REUNION ISLAND - The new eruption continues, although only the lowest vent seems to be still active by now.

It continues to feed a large lava flow now headed towards the vast coastal flat to the east. In the course of today, it reached the steeper section of the Enclos, the "Grandes Pentes" and started to descend there.

At this point, the lava flow, approx. 4-5 km long could be seen from the popular "lava road" (which might be closed off soon).

The lava flow descending on the Grandes Pentes (photo: JPL / Fournaise Info)

The lower fissure vent opened shortly after the first eruptive fissure had opened higher up on the flanks of Dolomieu crater, near the 1948 cinder cone "Chateau Fort". As is typical, the lower vent produced the more significant lava fountaining and lava flow effusion.

Compared to the last eruption in February, the current one seems to be much more intense. This could be explained if the eruption is fed by a deeper reservoir instead of a shallow pocket of magma (as was the case in February).


May 17 Update: A new eruption, so far small, began this Sunday at 13:45 from a fissure vent at the the southeast slopes of the Dolomieux crater inside the Enclos next to the Château Fort cone.

An intense seismic crisis with 5-7 earthquakes per minutes started 55 minutes before the onset of the eruption, as magma pushed its way to the surface. A few minutes after the beginning of the quakes, significant deformation of the Dolomieu crater rim could be measured as well.

The prefecture of La Réunion triggered alert phase 2 and closed access to the Enclos.

Fissure eruption at Piton de la Fournaise today

The new eruption seems to be similar in its (small) size and vent location as the last one that occurred between 4-16 February this year. Both probably originate from a same shallow magma reservoir that by early 2015 had grown enough to produce eruptions at the surface.

Frequent (several per year), but generally small eruptions have been a typical feature of Piton de la Fournaise during much of the volcano's recent past decades. - Volcano Discovery.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Seismic Unrest - Earthquakes On Hawaii Volcano Could Signal New Eruption!

In this May 3, 2015 photo provided by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, smoke and lava explode from Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Molten lava and rocks went flying through the air after part of the crater wall collapsed and caused the explosion. (USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory via AP)

May 17, 2015 - HAWAII - A series of earthquakes and shifting ground on the slopes of Kilauea have scientists wondering what will happen next at one of the world's most active volcanoes.

A lake of lava near the summit of Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island had risen to a record-high level after a recent explosion. But in the past few days, the pool of molten rock began sinking, and the surface of the lava lake fell nearly 500 feet.

Meanwhile, a rash of earthquakes rattled the volcano with as many as 20 to 25 quakes per hour, and scientists' tilt meters detected that the ground was deforming.

"Clearly the lava, by dropping out of sight, it has to be going somewhere," said Steven Brantley, deputy scientist in charge of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory of the U.S. Geological Survey.

One possibility is that a new lava eruption could break through the surface of the mountain, Brantley said.

Right now, there are two active eruptions on Kilauea. One is the eruption spewing into the lava lake in the Halemaumau Crater, which is visible in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The other is Puu Oo vent, in Kilauea's east rift zone, which sent fingers of lava toward the town of Pahoa before stopping outside a shopping center last year.

The flurry of earthquakes that peaked in intensity Friday have been rattling Kilauea's southwest rift zone, so it's possible that a new eruption could occur southwest of the Halemaumau Crater, or even in the crater itself, Brentley said. Or, the tilting, shifting ground could lead to nothing.

"We don't know what the outcome of this activity might be," Brantley said. "That is the challenge, is trying to interpret what this activity really means in terms of the next step for Kilauea."

An eruption on the southwest side wouldn't pose a threat to the population, because the area is generally closed to the public and there aren't any structures.

The earthquake activity had slowed Saturday morning, and scientists were continuing to watch the volcano closely, Brantley said. - Yahoo.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Seismic Unrest - Restless Activity Beneath Hawaii's Mauna Loa Volcano!

Mauna Loa erupting

May 15, 2015 - HAWAII - The recent high lava lake levels at Kīlauea Volcano have caught the attention of visitors and kama‘aina alike. But we shouldn’t forget that unrest at Mauna Loa continues.

Ongoing inflation in the upper Southwest Rift Zone and summit areas of Mauna Loa suggests that magma continues to rise into the volcano. The current rate and pattern of deformation are similar to the most recent episode of rapid inflation on Mauna Loa in 2004-2005. Earthquakes have also been occurring at elevated rates, particularly around the areas of inflation in the upper Southwest Rift Zone and summit.


WATCH: Time-lapse multi-image movie of Mokuʻāweoweo Caldera from the Northwest Rim on Mauna Loa. May 7-14, 2015. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO.

Throughout its history, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has taken advantage of advances in technology to better monitor volcanoes and earthquakes. Computers have become faster, methods of transmitting information have improved, and instrumentation has become smaller and more energy efficient. All these advances have been utilized to create an improved geophysical network that better supports HVO’s monitoring and science efforts.

In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) enabled a major upgrade to HVO’s monitoring networks on Mauna Loa and Kīlauea, including a conversion to digital telemetry, additional monitoring sites, and improved instrumentation. These enhanced networks can now detect earlier stages of unrest, and the resulting data enables more sophisticated analyses of volcanic processes than were previously possible.

Since the two most recent eruptions of Mauna Loa in 1975 and 1984, HVO started using GPS, broadband seismometers, and several types of analyses that were not possible with previous geophysical networks and computers. Certainly, these new data streams and analysis techniques have led to an improved understanding of Mauna Loa and its magma storage system.

Scientists often try to compare previous periods of unrest, such as those in 1975 and 1984, to current unrest to gain perspective on and understanding of what might happen next. With our improved ability to detect smaller and smaller earthquakes and deformation, it is important to keep in mind that signals being recorded now might not have been detectable in past years. This leads to some interesting questions that we’re trying to answer.

Were the small earthquakes that we can now record present during previous periods of unrest on Mauna Loa? If so, what was their pattern?


WATCH: Hawaii Volcano Eruption Update - May 15, 2015.

With entirely new techniques available, such as GPS and interferometric radar (InSAR), we can measure the deformation of wide areas on the volcano, which allows us to detect a large, inflating magma reservoir beneath Mauna Loa that previously could not have been detected. But, was this same reservoir active before previous eruptions?

Continuously recording GPS receivers measure episodes of hugely varying rates of inflation interspersed with times of no inflation, which might indicate fluctuations in magma supply to Mauna Loa’s shallow storage system. Did these fluctuations occur in the past? The comparison of current and past activity is not as trivial as one might think.

And finally, what will be the outcome of Mauna Loa’s current unrest? Scientists cannot be sure at this point.

Seismic unrest is currently much less energetic than it was before the 1975 and 1984 eruptions. Several episodes of increased inflation since 1984 slowed and stopped without eruption. Each of these episodes, however, resulted in greater pressurization of the shallow storage system within Mauna Loa. Unfortunately, we do not yet completely understand exactly how much pressure is involved, or how much internal pressure the overlying rock can bear before it breaks and allows magma to move toward the surface.

Our knowledge and characterization of volcanic systems constantly evolves as improved geophysical networks lead to new scientific discoveries. But before scientists can clearly distinguish between episodes of inflation and elevated earthquake activity that accompany only the intrusion of magma (with no eruption) and those that actually lead to an eruption, there is still much work to be done.

So, HVO scientists continue their diligent efforts to fully understand the processes at work beneath Mauna Loa and to monitor the volcano’s restless activity. If any significant changes are observed, HVO will issue public notifications through media releases and our website updates (hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/mauna…) - Hawaii 24/7.

 

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Latest Report Of Volcanic Eruptions, Activity, Unrest And Awakenings – May 13, 2015!

Etna. Photo: Barcroft Media

May 13, 2015 - EARTH - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.


Etna (Sicily, Italy): Molten lava is seen spewing from Mount Etna in Sicily in this dramatic photo that captured one of the most active volcanoes on Earth acting up again.

The Strombolian activity – in which incandescent matter is propelled in relatively low-level eruptions – occurred at the New SE crater, according to volcanodiscovery.com.

The event, captured in the photo by Barcroft Media, was accompanied by a “rising tremor,” the site reported.

Strombolian explosion at Etna's New SE crater this evening (Radiostudio7 webcam)

“The current pattern is very similar to many past episodes which often culminated in violent explosive (lava fountaining) and effusive (lava flow) paroxysms and could very well build up to a new one,” the site said.

Mount Etna is the largest and most active volcano in Europe, with frequent eruptions that are often accompanied by large flows of lava – though they rarely endanger inhabited areas.

The volcano, which towers above the city of Catania, has been erupting periodically for the past 2,000 years.



Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The volcano remains in a very active state, with up to 10 or more vulcanian-type explosions occurring per day (see list).

Eruption plume from Sakurajima this evening.

Ash plumes from these eruptions have been rising to 9-15,000 ft (2.7-4.5 km) altitude.

WATCH: Explosive eruption at Sakuraima.

Villarrica (Central Chile): Mild activity continues - a small lava lake remains active inside the vent of the inner summit crater producing steaming, small strombolian explosions, and related ash emissions.

Lenticular cloud at Villarrica volcano this morning illuminated by the lava lake in the inner crater

A lenticular cloud over the summit this morning was beautifully illuminated by the lava glow.


Kliuchevskoi (Kamchatka): Mild strombolian activity and associated ash emissions continue from the summit crater of the volcano.

Glow and ash plume from Klyuchevskoy volcano May 9, 2015 (KVERT webcam)

Tokyo VAAC reported an ash plume to 20,000 ft (6 km) altitude on 8 May.


Karangetang (Siau Island, Sangihe Islands, Indonesia): An increase in activity occurred during the past days, resulting in dangerous pyroclastic flows that swept 3 km down the steep southern slope of the volcano.

Pyroclastic flow from Karangetang volcano on May 7, 2015 (Photo: Agustinus Hari)

The cause was elevated strombolian activity combined with effusion of a viscous flow from the summit crater, which resulted in partial collapses of the lava flow.

People living in villages near the volcano were evacuated and it seems no fatalities occurred, although houses in the village of Kora Kora were destroyed by the pyroclastic flow on 7 May. Significant ash fall occurred on the northern flank of the volcano.


Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): An ash plume was seen yesterday on satellite imagery extending 45 nautical miles to the west.


Dukono (Halmahera): Intense ash emissions continue at the volcano. Darwin VAAC reported a plume at estimated 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude extending 40 km to the east.


Telica (Nicaragua): Several small explosions with ash emissions have occurred from the volcano's summit vent since 8 May.

Eruption at Telica on May 8, 2015 (Viva Nicaragua - Canal Trece / Facebook)

8 explosions generated ash plumes up to 250 m height that drifted west causing light ash fall in the villages Quebranchal, Telica, Polvareda and Las Joyas.


Kilauea (Hawai'i): As the summit of Kilauea volcano continues to deflate, the lava lake is dropping out of view.

The summit lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater has dropped significantly over the past two days, as this USGS photo shows. Scientists say the dropping lava level has allowed
lava veneer on the walls of the Overlook crater to fall away, clearly exposing the contact between the original rim of the Overlook crater (which is the original, pre-overflow
floor of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater) and the stack of recent lava overflows. These overflows are roughly 8 meters 26 feet thick in total.

Over the past few weeks, the volcanic spectacle of the rising lava lake has been drawing thousands of visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where for the first time the lava could be seen from the Jaggar Museum overlook. Before that, the lava could only be observed on USGS webcams stationed around Halema’uma’u crater.

The rise – and occasional overflow – of the lava lake coincided with a steep inflation at the summit, as recorded by continuously operating electronic tiltmeters. But this weekend, that inflationary trend reversed, and the lava lake began to recede.

Tiltmeters at the summit of Kīlauea continued to record a deflationary trend during the past 24 hours. The rate of deflationary tilt increased yesterday afternoon, which was accompanied by a higher frequency of earthquakes in the upper Southwest Rift Zone, including a magnitude 3.1 event at 3:40 pm. The lava lake continued to recede in the past day, and the surface was barely visible from Jaggar Museum early this morning. Seismicity remains elevated beneath Kīlauea’s summit and upper East and Southwest Rift Zones. Sulfur dioxide emission rates averaged 3,600-6,800 tonnes/day for the week ending May 5. - USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on May 12.

This USGS webcam view shows what the public sees at Jaggar Museum … no lava lake visible as of Tuesday afternoon

The sudden deflation coupled with the increased seismicity has everyone on alert. The events could portend a change in the eruption. The National Park Service is taking the precaution of closing certain sections of the park to visitors at night.

Screen grab from the USGS website “Recent Earthquakes in Hawaii”. We have placed the Legend for the map over the upper left portion of the image.

Due to an increase in seismic activity along the East Rift Zone, all backcountry trails between Crater Rim Drive & the coast, as well as Kulanaokuaiki campground have been closed for overnight use. They remain open for day use. - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

- Volcano Discovery | NY Post | Big Island Video News.