February 3, 2016 - EARTH - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.
Popocatepetl (Mexico): In the last 24 hours the Popocatepetl had nine explosions and 35 exhalations of low intensity, according to the monitoring system of the volcano, reported Cenapred.
In its latest report, the body of the Ministry of the Interior explained that four of the nine explosions occurred yesterday at 15:33, 20:19, 21:22 22:48 hours and five on Tuesday.
Also said that since Tuesday morning has been a slight emission of water vapor and gas that winds have scattered to the east-northeast.
Photo: CENAPRED.
He recalled that the light of volcanic alert remains at yellow phase two level at which it is contemplated that the explosive activity continues at a low level, falling ash and even possibility of pyroclastic flows and mudflows.
So the Cenapred urged people not to approach the volcano by the danger of falling ballistic fragments and suggested the public be alert to warnings authorities disseminate Civil Protection.
WATCH: Live streaming Popocatepetl volcano.
Copahue (Chile): Ash plume from Copahue yesterday During the past weeks, the El Agrio crater has continued to emit weak, but near-continuous emissions of fine gray ash.
Incandescence remains visible at night.
Ash plume from Copahue
According to SERNAGEOMIN, this current activity, mainly phreatic, is caused by interaction of a small body of new magma interacting with the hydrothermal system at shallow depth.
Seismic activity, although above background, is relatively low as are other monitored parameters (e.g. deformation, SO2 output etc). No larger eruption is expected for the near future.
Barren Island (India): Minor eruptive activity (possibly strombolian) seems to continue on the remote island, at least intermittently.
Steam / ash plume and thermal hot spot at Barren Island on February 1, 2016 (MODIS / VIIRS NASA imagery)
Yesterday and the day before, a weak steam and possibly ash plume was visible on satellite imagery as well as a thermal hot spot.
Turrialba (Costa Rica): Weak, passive ash venting occurred yesterday at the western pit crater, showing that volcanic unrest continues.
Ash plume from Costa Rica's Turrialba volcano yesterday
Karymsky (Kamchatka): Several ash plumes reaching estimated 13-16,000 ft (4-5 km) altitude have been reported by Tokyo VAAC during the past days, suggesting that the volcano's intermittent explosions are currently more frequent and relatively intense.
Masaya (Nicaragua):
INETER reported ongoing strong seismic and surface activity.
There here
are currently two small lava lakes active contained in two pits inside
the Santiago crater. Access to Masaya's crater rim, a very popular
tourist destination, was closed to the public on Saturday.
An
earthquake of magnitude 3 on Friday, felt by many residents, probably
accompanied the opening of the second vent in the NE section of the
crater.
A third vent is in the process of forming in the SE section of
the crater, the latest INETER report stated.
Nevados de Chillán (Central Chile):
A series of new explosions with small to moderate ash emissions
occurred at the volcano during the end of last week.
This activity
formed a second new crater, approx. 25x30 m wide and located 50 m
beneath the northeast flank of Arrau crater, as SERNAGEOMIN staff
observed on an overflight on 30 January.
Aerial view of Nevados de Chillán volcano's Arrau crater on January 30, 2016 (SERNAGEOMIN)
According to Chilean
scientists, the activity is caused by phreatic (steam-driven) explosions
in the shallow hydrotermal disturbances, not by fresh magma.
Temperatures in the crater areas were found to be relatively low (approx
120 deg C), which supports this interpretation as well.
It is likely
that more explosions occur in the near future and an exclusion zone of 2
km around the crater was put in place.
Heard (Australia, Southern Indian Ocean):
An eruption was observed by crew on board the CSIRO research vessel
Investigator in late January.
WATCH: A lava flow was seen descending the NW flank of Mawson Peak.
Weak
thermal anomalies were also detected on satellite data at the end of
January. Whether the activity is still going on or not is impossible to
determine - most of the days, the volcano is hidden beneath thick clouds
preventing satellite observations.
Video footage of the erupting volcano this week. EYEWITNESSNEWS
January 23, 2016 - MEXICO - The Popocatépetl volcano, just 35 miles from Mexico City and only 20
miles from nearby city Peubla sent a mile high plume of ash into the
air, putting thousands of people living within 10 miles of it on a
yellow alert to be ready to evacuate should activity increase.
The Mexican capital is the world’s fourth most populated city and home to 20 million people, while Peubla has more than 6 million people living there, and all could be at risk in both cites in the event of a catastrophic eruption.
The volcano alert follows fears earlier this month that a second large volcano in Mexico - the 3,850 metres-high Colima in western Mexico - could be about to face a large scale eruption for the first time in 100 years.
This image of Popocatépetl at night shows how many people live around the fire mountain. GETTY
Thousands of people were placed on an evacuation warning this week. EYEWITNESSNEWS
Popocatépetl last saw a major eruption in 2000, but early warnings saw 41,000 people evacuated in advance, averting a major disaster.
In 2005 it had a minor eruption, but activity has been increasing since 2012, with this week's some of the most notable, prompting officials to issue the warning.
If the volcano experienced a massive eruption, an estimated nine million people would be in the blast zone and the impact on the atmosphere could be catastrophic.
Popocatépetl has erupted more than 20 times since 1519, according to records.
The glacier-covered peak is 5,426 metres-high.
WATCH: Popocatepetl erupts.
Meanwhile Colima experienced a saw an ash cloud of 1.8 miles high expelled earlier this month.
This also put locals on standby for evacuations immediately afterwards.
A local report on wired.com said: "Two Mexican volcanoes have been increasingly active.
"Popocatépetl produced a number of explosions as lava reaches the surface at the active vent, as evidenced by incandescence spotted at the volcano’s summit.
"Most of the explosions produced ash-rich plumes that reached hundreds of meters over the volcano,
"Some officials are saying that there is a heightened danger of a large explosive eruption from Colima because it has been over 100 years since that last large eruption.
"The heightened explosive activity at Colima has prompted preparations for evacuations if the restlessness continues or increases."
The warnings come after two eruptions of significant volcanoes the same day on Tuesday.
Angry mountain: Colima has been stirring over recent years. GETTY
It was before officials in Russia had to cancel flights near the Zhupanovsky volcano on Russia's eastern coast after it spewed lava FIVE MILES into the air, also on Tuesday.
Although the two volcanoes are separated by around 3,000 miles, they are on interconnected tectonic plates – sparking fears of a major seismic shift, more volcanic activity and even earthquakes and tsunamis, due to recent activity.
Volcanoes are also more likely from November to April in the northern hemisphere when ice, rain and snowfall can compress the bedrock.
Research said the world should expect a major catastrophic volcanic eruption in the next 50 to 80 years, but we are woefully unprepared for the fallout. - Express.
December 13, 2015 - MEXICO - According to reports from the National Disaster Prevention Center (Cenapred), Popocatepetl volcano registered in the past 28 hours exhalations of low intensity, as well as 14 explosions which produced a slight increase in emissions of water vapor and gas.
The biggest blast occurred yesterday at 19:27 hours and was accompanied by the expulsion of incandescent fragments that were deposited over short distances on the volcano's slopes.
According to the latest report monitoring body within the Ministry of Interior, during Friday night intense glow that grew when the most important events was observed. - Starmedia.
Photo: Cenapred
According to the last report of National Disaster Prevention Center (Cenapred), the monitoring system of Popocatepetl volcano registered 9 low-intensity exhalations and 15 explosions in the last 24 hours.
A low-amplitude harmonic tremor was totaling 72 minutes, was also reported.
Over the crater incandescence was observed at night.
Continuous emissions of steam and gas heading to the north-northeast were seen during the day, also.
November 12, 2015 - PACIFIC RING OF FIRE - Have you noticed that seismic activity along the Ring of Fire appears to be dramatically increasing?
According to Volcano Discovery, 39 volcanoes around the world have recently erupted, and 32 of them are associated with the Ring of Fire. This includes Mt. Popocatepetl which sits only about 50 miles away from Mexico City's 18 million inhabitants.
If
you are not familiar with the Ring of Fire, it is an area roughly
shaped like a horseshoe that runs along the outer perimeter of the
Pacific Ocean. Approximately 90 percent of all earthquakes and
approximately 75 percent of all volcanic eruptions occur along the Ring
of Fire. Recently, we have witnessed a 4.4, a 5.4 and a 5.7 earthquake
in Alaska, a 6.8 earthquake in Chile and 20 earthquakes in
Indonesia of at least magnitude 4.3. And as you will see below, this
violent shaking along the Ring of Fire seems to continue a progression
of major disasters that began back during the month of September.
For
whatever reason, our planet suddenly seems to be waking up.
Unfortunately, the west coast of the United States is one of the areas
where this is being felt the most. The little city of San Ramon,
California, is about 45 miles east of San Francisco, and over the past
several weeks it has experienced a record-breaking 583 earthquakes:
"It's
the swarm with the largest number of total earthquakes in San Ramon,"
said USGS scientist David Schwartz, who is more concerned about the size
of quakes than he is the total number of them. Still, the number tops
the previous record set in 2003, when 120 earthquakes hit over 31 days, with the largest clocking in at a magnitude of 4.2.
Could this be a prelude to a major seismic event in California?
We shall see what happens.
Meanwhile, records are being shattered in the middle part of the country as well.
The state recorded its 587th earthquake of
3.0 magnitude or higher early this week, breaking the previous record
of 585. That record was set for all of 2014, meaning that Oklahoma has
now had more 3.0 magnitude or higher earthquakes so far in 2015 than it
did in all of 2014. So far this year, E&E News reports,
Oklahoma's averaged 2.5 quakes each day, a rate that, if it continues,
means the state could see more than 912 earthquakes by the end of this
year.
Oklahoma has also experienced 21 4.0 magnitude or greater
earthquakes so far this year — an increase over last year, which saw 14.
Starting
with a magnitude-4.1 temblor at 5:11 a.m. close to the Oklahoma-Kansas
border, the region experienced a series of six earthquakes within a
75-minute period Saturday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on its website.
The
largest earthquake Saturday morning was the 4.1, which had an epicenter
nine miles northwest of Medford, Okla., 59 miles southwest of Wichita.
That was followed by five more quakes near Medford with magnitudes of
2.5, 2.8, 2.5, 3.1 and 2.9—the last of which came at 6:24 a.m.
A seventh earthquake—this one a magnitude-4.2 temblor—was recorded at 12:29 p.m., 10 miles north-northwest of Medford.
So why aren't more Americans alarmed that these records are being broken?
We are seeing things that we have never seen before, and I believe that it will soon get even worse.
And
this dramatic increase in seismic activity that we are now seeing
appears to fit into a larger pattern of major disasters that we have
been witnessing over the past couple of months.
As we approached
the end of the summer, all of a sudden massive wildfires erupted all
across the western third of the country. According to the National Interagency Fire Center,
the only time in U.S. history when wildfires had burned more acres by
the end of October was during the record-setting year of 2006.
In
2015, a lot of these wildfires have really been threatening highly
populated areas. I know, because at one point a major fire came within
about 10 miles of my own house. Since the beginning of August, Barack
Obama has made an astounding 25 disaster declarations related
to fires, and by the end of September the horrible fires that were
threatening key areas of the state of California were making headlines
all over the world.
Then as we got to the very end of the month of September, a new kind of disaster began to take center stage. As I wrote about just recently, the storm that would later became known as Hurricane Joaquin developed into a tropical depression on September 28th.
Even
though that hurricane never made landfall in the United States,
moisture from that storm caused a tremendous amount of chaos along the
east coast.
The governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, said that it was the most rain that some areas of her state had witnessed "in a thousand years," and it is being projected that the economic damage that was done by all of the flooding "will probably be in the billions of dollars."
Shortly
after the flooding in South Carolina, a massive storm dumped an
enormous amount of rain on southern California. Because that area had
been experiencing severe drought for so long, all of that rain caused
tremendous flooding and massive mudslides.
Rivers of mud literally
several feet thick completely stopped traffic along many major roads
across the region. If you got caught in those rivers of mud, you were
lucky to get out with your life. In fact, authorities pulled one dead
man out of a vehicle that got completely buried by mud several days
after the storms had passed. It took them that long to finally get to
him.
The middle of the country was not spared either. Hurricane
Patricia ended up being one of the strongest hurricanes ever measured,
and the remnants of that storm dumped an incredible amount of rain on
the state of Texas. There was so much flooding that a train was
literally knocked off the tracks by the water. And about a week after
that there was more flooding in the state that caused at least six deaths.
Overall,
it has really been a bad couple of months for major disasters, and this
sequence of events seems to have begun during the month of September. - Charisma News.
April 21, 2015 - MEXICO - In the last 24 hours the monitoring system of Popocatepetl volcano
registered 20 exhalations of low intensity, some of which accompany
steam and gas as well as six explosions accompanied by emission with
small amounts of ash and 59 minutes harmonic tremor Low amplitude.
During yesterday afternoon it was observed the volcano with a small
constant emission of steam and gas toward the northeast at an altitude
of 500m above the crater.
During the night we observed slight incandescence in the crater from early hours of today until time of this report can observe a
constant emission of steam and gas at a height of 200 m above the crater.
Today, at 10:52 hrs an explosion that reached a height of 3000 m above
the crater eastward and moderate ash content as well as the emission of
incandescent fragments were recorded at a distance of 500 m crater on
the east slope.
On Friday, April 10th, with the help of the Federal Police, an
overflight of the volcano was made. Meteorological conditions were
adequate for the pertinent observations.
It was confirmed that the activity between March 24 and April 5
resulted in the emplacement of a new dome filling the inner crater. This
new dome has a diameter calculated at 250 m, with a thickness of 30 m. A
series of concentric fractures on its surface, and its central portion
has collapsed, showing that, after emplacement, the dome has deflated
considerably.
It is probable that in the next few days or weeks this dome will be
destroyed in one or several explosions, with magnitudes similar to those
that occurred at the end of February and beginning of March this year.
Because of this, CENAPRED emphasizes that people should not go near the
volcano, especially near the crater, due to the danger caused by
ballistic fragments.
Continuous monitoring of the activity is maintained. The Ministry of
Health, the Secretary of National Defense, Federal Police and the Civil
Protection Units of the States of Morelos, Puebla, Mexico, Tlaxcala and
Mexico City are all vigilant of the volcano.
WATCH: Spectacular explosion at Popocatepetl volcano.
The Traffic Alert Volcanic of Popocatepetl is located in Yellow Phase 2.
CENAPRED emphasizes that people should not go near the volcano,
especially near the crater, due to the danger caused by ballistic
fragments.
This type of activity is included within the scenarios
Volcanic Traffic Light Yellow Phase 2.
The scenarios foreseen for this phase are:
1. Explosive activity of low to intermediate level.
2. Ash fall in nearby towns.
3. Possibility of short range pyroclastic flows and mudflows .
Special emphasis is placed on the following recommendations:
1. Continue the safety radius of 12 km, so staying in that area is not allowed.
2. Keep the controlled traffic between Santiago Xalitzintla and San Pedro Nexapa through Paso de Cortés.
3. Civil Protection authorities, keep your preventive procedures, in accordance with their operational plans.
4. People, be alert to the official information disseminated.
In case of ashfall, address the following recommendations:
• Cover nose and mouth with a wet handkerchief or face mask.
• Clean eyes and throat with pure water.
• Avoid contact lenses to reduce eye irritation.
• Close windows or cover them up, and stay indoors as much as possible.
Popocatepetl Volcano monitoring is performed continuously 24 hours a day. Any change in activity will be reported in due course. - CENAPRED.
April 5, 2015 - MEXICO - In the last 24 hours the system of monitoring of the volcano Popocatepetl registered 37 low intensity exhalations, accompanied by small emissions of steam, gas and sometimes light amounts of ash.
Also, the National Center of disaster prevention (CENAPRED) reported that also 11 explosions were recorded, among the most important the occurred are yesterday.
This morning there were two explosions, the first took place at 08:45 hours, which generated a column 1.6 km height with moderate content of ash, while the second took place at 10:18 hours creating a column of 2 km in height.
Also at 8:00 in the evening the volcano recorded another explosion more with incandescent material on its slopes.
WATCH: Strong explosion of the Popocatepetl volcano on April 4, 2015 as seen from Puebla.
CENAPRED said that he remains the permanent monitoring of the activity of the Colossus. - Razon. [Translated]
Ash and steam rise from the Popocatepetl volcano, on Feb. 11, 2015. (AP / Dario Lopez-Mills)
February 26, 2015 - MEXICO
- For the second time in 10 days, the Popocatepetl volcano east of
Mexico City spewed ash into the sky, forcing cancellation of flights at
the nearby Puebla International Airport.
A statement from the
government's airport oversight agency Wednesday said operations in
Puebla were suspended at 6:30 a.m. (7:30 a.m. EST) to allow airport
personnel to clean runways and other areas covered in ash. Officials
expected the airport to resume normal operations soon. The suspension
affected three flights Wednesday to Houston, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
The Popocatepetl volcano spewed ash into the sky following a series of tremors over the weekend.
On February 15, a similar eruption caused the cancellation of three flights at the airport.
According
to Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention, a series of
explosions at the volcano overnight tossed hot rocks 700 metres down the
volcano's cone and sent a column of ash nearly 4 kilometres into the
sky.
WATCH: Popocatepetl erupts.
The national civil protection agency said Wednesday the
volcano is experiencing a period of frequent low-intensity explosions
following a series of tremors on Sunday. Similar episodes were observed
in May and July 2013, and likely have to do with the growth of a new
dome. - CTV News.
January 7, 2015 - EARTH - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The volcano is starting the new year with a phase of comparably intense
activity. During the past few days, about 6-8 vulcanian explosions have
occurred each day, often with ash plumes exceeding 10,000 ft (3 km)
altitude.
Ash plume from Sakurajima volcano this morning
Milder, but near constant ash emissions occur during most of the intervals between the explosions.
WATCH: Sakurajima volcanic activity - January 5, 2015.
Kilauea (Hawaii):
The June 27th lava flow front has stayed at approx. 1 km distance
(approx. 1 km) from Pahoa, but the flow itself remains active and
continues to expand laterally with several breakouts:
Map showing the location of the lava flow near Pahoa as of 6 Jan 2015 (HVO/USGS)
"Surface
breakouts along the distal part of the flow were scattered between 1 and
3.5 km (0.6 and 2.2 mi) upslope from the Pahoa Marketplace and posed no
immediate threat. Amongst this activity, a narrow flow lobe (about 2.5
km (1.6 mi) upslope from Pahoa Marketplace) was advancing toward the
north-northeast.
This lobe has entered a drainage that leads to
the steepest-descent path that crosses Highway 130 about 1 km (0.6 mi)
south of the Makuʻu Farmer's Market, but the flow is still 3.5 km (2.2
mi) uplsope from that point and moving slowly. Small breakouts were also
active in an area of persistent activity about 7 km (4 mi) upslope from
Pāhoa." (HVO status update).
Soputan (North Sulawesi, Indonesia):
The volcano erupted this morning at 02:45 local time with a strong
explosion from the summit lava dome. It sent an 6 km tall ash column to
approx. 26,000 ft (8,5 km) altitude.
The eruption of the volcano Soputan observed from the volcano observatory post (images: PVMBG / twitter)
The eruption followed an
increase in seismic activity in December, when so-called "drumbeat"
earthquakes appeared - a type of volcanic tremor typically associated
with movements of viscous magma at shallow depths,- in this case new
lava rising beneath the existing lava dome (in place since 1991). As a
consequence, the alert status of the volcano had been raised to the
second highest level "Siaga" (3 on a scale of 1-4, alert).
Today's
explosion caused parts of the summit dome that occupies the crater,
open to the western flank, to collapse and produce a glowing avalanche
that traveled approx. 2000 m, remaining within the volcano's caldera. It
seems that no pyroclastic flow (which could sweep over the caldera
walls and into inhabited areas below) occurred. No damage to people or
infrastructure was reported.
Continued glow from the summit dome after the explosion suggests that magma has and continues to arrive now there.
Aso (Kyushu):
The strombolian eruption continues at the Nakadake crater with little
changes. The main vents has frequent small to moderate strombolian
explosions.
Strombolian eruption from Nakadake crater this evening
A second vent is glowing and producing a dense steam plume.
Suwanose-jima (Ryukyu Islands):
Intermittent activity continues at the volcano. A small eruption was
reported to have occurred this morning, producing an ash plume that rose
to 1.8 km and drifted NE.
Small plume from Suwanosejima volcano this morning
Etna (Sicily, Italy): (3 Jan)
Yesterday a dense pulsating ash column was emitted by deep-seated
strombolian activity at the New SE Crater. The emissions produced a
plume bended over by wind towards the SW and forcing the closure of
Catania's airport.
The lava flow of the last paroxysm on the eastern flank(photo: Emanuela / VolcanoDiscovery Italia)
The lava flow of the last paroxysm on the SW flank ( (photo: Emanuela / VolcanoDiscovery Italia)
Strombolian activity at Voragine crater this evening seen from Bronte (nicola76.beepworld webcam)
This morning ash emissions from the New SE Crater ended.
With
the return of good weather it has been possible to observe two eruptive
fissures opened during last paroxysm: one on the southern side of the
New SE Crater and one on its eastern flank. The fissure on the southern
side produced a lava flow that descended directed toward the western
side of mount Frumento Supino splitting into 2 branches and reaching an
altitude of about 1900 metres above sea level. The fissure on the
eastern side produced a lava flow that reached the base of the Valle del
Bove. They are not active now
During the last days, glow was
observed above the Voragine crater and now this strombolian activity is
increasing with pyroclastic material ejected over the crater.
Bardarbunga (Central Iceland):
The eruption at the Holuhraun fissure goes strong into the new year and
might continue for a while. No significant changes have occurred
recently.
Map of the Nornahraun lava field as of 29 Dec 2014 (Univ. Iceland)
The lava field is now well over 82 square km large, a mapping from 29 Dec. shows.
Seismic
activity remains concentrated around the summit caldera of Bardarbunga
central volcano, while it is very low beneath the erupting dyke - magma
has an open conduit towards the surface.
Fogo (Cape Verde):
The eruption continues at reduced pace. After slowing down, lava
effusion and small explosive activity at the vents appear to have
increased again on 31 Dec. The western lava flow remains active with its
northern front advancing through farmland in the Cha caldera.
Map of the lava flow field 28 Dec 2014. (Copernicus / European Union)
Kliuchevskoi (Kamchatka): The volcano entered a new phase of activity which is taking place in the summit crater.
Glow from Klyuchevsky this morning (KVERT webcam)
On
29 December, Tokyo VAAC reported that fresh ashes were observed on the
slopes of Klyuchevskoy. KVERT now changed the status level from green to
yellow, as additional signs of volcanic activity have been gathered
recently:
Increased seismic activity has been noted since 19
Dec. A small plume could be detected from Klyuchevskoy volcano on
satellite imagery from 2 January. A thermal anomaly is visible o
satellite data as well, and last, but not least, during clear weather,
glow can be seen from the summit at night.
Most likely, the type
of activity (for now) is mild strombolian explosions is occurring in
the summit crater, a typical behavior of Klyuchevskoy volcano, one of
the most active volcanoes in the world, which often has long-lasting
phases of continuous activity as well.
Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia):
Activity continues at the lava dome feeding a viscous flow on the upper
southern slope. A moderately large pyroclastic flow occurred this
morning.
Colima (Western Mexico):
Activity of the volcano remains stable at low to moderate levels.
Viscous lava is being extruded at the summit crater, forming a flat lava
dome that is overspilling in several places, producing a short lava
flow and incandescent rockfalls.
The summit of Colima volcano with its active lava dome on 31 Dec 2014 (Protección Civil Jalisco @PCJalisco / twitter)
Intermittent small explosions occur as well, producing occasional ash plumes.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico):
Activity continues essentially unchanged. A small lava dome continues
to grow inside the inner summit crater, with glow visible at night.
Glow from Popocatépetl's summit crater
Frequent steam emissions and occasional small explosions (1 or 2 per day) produce steam and sometimes ash plumes.
December 31, 2014 - MEXICO -
Authorities say the Popocatepetl volcano located just southeast of
Mexico City has registered an explosion that spewed a mix of steam, gas
and ashes about 3.5 kilometres (2.1748 miles) into the air.
Mexico’s
National Center for Disaster Prevention says that the flare up occurred
on Friday afternoon and that the amount of ash mix released was
“moderate.”
Popocatepetl is an active volcano, and the second
tallest volcano in the country. It is located 72 kilometres from the
capital, and close to Morelos, Puebla and Mexico states. - Global News.
A
series of small to moderate explosions occurred during December 26-27
at the volcano. The largest one, at 17:07 local time Friday, produced an
ash plume that rose 3.5 km above the crater.
Yesterday, CENAPRED
recorded 6 explosions. Night-time incandescence is visible at the
crater where a cake-like lava dome is growing, confirmed also during a
recent overflight.
This type of activity is still well within the
normal range of the current state of semi-persistent mild activity at
the volcano, and the alert level remains unchanged at "Yellow Phase 2". -
Volcano Discovery.
Ash plume from a moderately strong explosion at Popocatépetl on Friday
Aerial view of the crater of Popocatépetl during a recent overflight 19
Dec, showing the flat lava dome in the inner crater (CENAPRED)
Map of the Nornahraun lava field as of 24 Dec 2014 (Univ. Iceland)
December 27, 2014 - EARTH - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.
Bardarbunga (Central Iceland): The
eruption continues, but seems to be becoming slowly weaker. The latest
measurement shows the Nornahraun lava field measures now more than 81
square km.
Seismic activity under the caldera has been slowly decreasing overall as well.
Subsidence and earthquakes at Bardarbunga caldera (IMO)
However,
the decreasing trend is very weak and the eruption could still continue
for many months, or take a new, unexpected evolution at any time. The
future, or probably 2015 will tell!
Fogo (Cape Verde):
According to local press, volcanologist João Fonseca, responsible for
volcanic monitoring and equipment maintenance at Fogo volcano, mentioned
that volcanic activity shows signs of decreasing and that the eruption
could be approaching its end.
Still, the northern lobe of the
recently active lava flow to the west remained active during the past
days and smaller lobes advanced through more farm land in the Cova Tina
area.
The eruption, worse than the 1995 one, has already had a
severe short- and medium- to long-term impact on the island's economy
and counts as one of the worst volcanic disasters in recent decades. On
the positive side, at least, there were no fatalities.
The eruption of Fogo volcano and the 3 lava flows (North, South and
West), and the location of the destroyed settlements.
(Images: Theo
Montrond via Involcan / editing and annotations: Culture Volcan)
- The
short-term consequences are obvious: destruction of homes,
infrastructure supporting tourism, agriculture (wine production, storage
and processing facilities destroyed).
- The medium- and
long-term consequences are diverse. The loss of fertile land decreases
the ability of the caldera area to produce cultivated plants, such as
beans, squash, grapes etc. Less surface is available as for livestock to
feed on. This decreases drastically the number of people the land now
can support in the long term - it will take many decades if not
centuries for the lava flow to become fertile land again.
Tourism in turn could however profit from the changes the eruption has brought as a geological attraction.
Whether
an acceptable economic balance can return to the inhabitants of the
caldera will depend on a number of factors, such as:
- How
investment, partly funded by donations collected during the crisis, will
be used and how it will be prioritized based on a volcanic hazard
model.
- The willingness of residents to return and rebuild.
If
the villages of Portela and Bangaeira are reconstructed on the lava
flow, there is a good chance that the next lava flow - which inevitably
will occur in some time in the future, as Fogo continues to be a very
active volcano - will choose a different path and spare them.
Shiveluch (Kamchatka):
Explosive eruptions, by explosions and or partial collapse events of
the active lava dome continue to occur regularly. On 26 Dec at 04:37
UTC, an eruption was reported to produce an ash plume that rose to
26,000 ft (8 km) altitude and drifted west. (Tokyo VAAC)
Aso (Kyushu):
The eruption from the volcano's Nakadake crater continues with
relatively intense and near continuous strombolian activity.
Incandescent material is frequently ejected several tens of meters above
the crater rim.
Strombolian explosion at Aso volcano this morning
An ash plume rises a few hundred meters above
the crater to up to 1-2 km altitude. A second vent inside the crater
produces a dense steam plume and likely has some milder explosive
activity as well.
Santiaguito (Guatemala):
Explosive activity at the Caliente dome has picked up. Explosions with
ash plumes rising several hundred meters have become more frequent. The
lava flow on the eastern side remains active, according the the
observatory's latest report.
Pacaya (Guatemala):
INSIVUMEH reported a week ago that activity decreased and that there
are currently no signs of explosive activity from the Mackenney crater.
Only a steam and gas plume is being emitted.
Fuego (Guatemala): Mild to moderate strombolian explosions continue, the volcano being at average levels of activity over the past weeks.
Eruption plume from Fuego this morning
Popocatepetl (Mexico):An
explosion at Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano sent a mix of steam, gas and
ash 3.5 kilometres into the sky, according to local authorities.
Turrialba (Costa Rica): Costa Rica has issued an emergency alert after the eruption of Turrialba volcano in the centre of the country.
Ash from the eruption has gone as far as the Costa Rican capital of San Jose.
The
volcano has not spewed lava since the 1800s but there are concerns that
this eruption could be a precursor to larger eruptions.
Strong strombolian explosion last evening (photo: Galih / VolcanoDiscovery Indonesia)
November 5, 2014 - EARTH - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia):
The volcano continues to have frequent mild to very strong strombolian,
sometimes small vulcanian-type explosions, but also intermittent,
short-lived effusive phases.
When observed during 1-4 Nov on
our current volcano expedition, explosions occurred at intervals ranging
from 5-30 minutes. A small lava dome-like structure is visible at and
just below the rim of the active crater.
Typically, before larger
eruptions, the dome started to produce small rockfalls, presumably
caused by small inflation as pressure built up.
Several vents were active at the crater.
Ash
plumes from the explosions reached 500-1000 m height. Bombs were
ejected to up to approx. 500-600 m height and traveled up to 1 km
horizontal distance.
Incandescent rockfalls from the lava dome of Batu Tara this morning (photo: Galih / VolcanoDiscovery Indonesia)
Pyroclastic flow and effusive eruption:
An
intense short-lived effusive phase took place this night: at around 2
am local time, a powerful explosion was immediately followed by a short
lava-rich, fountain-like explosion that initiated a large incandescent
avalanche over the whole width of the sciara, causing also some parts of
the upper dome to collapse.
The avalanche turned into a small
pyroclastic flow that reached the shore of the sciara and continued
above water for approx. 100 m.
Following this event, an
effusive phase began that lasted approx. 2 hours, characterized by
continuous rockfalls from the glowing dome at the summit. Several hours
later, the deposit from this activity at the shore was still steaming.
During
the same time, some explosions occurred as well, some particular
powerful ones that sent bombs into the sea and forcing us to abandon
camp.
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan):
The volcano's activity is currently elevated. At least 3 explosions
yesterday produced ash plumes that rose to more than 10,000 ft (3 km)
altitude.
Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia):
Growth of the viscous lava dome and lava lobe on the southeastern flank
continues. Several pyroclastic flows, mostly smaller ones, have
occurred from time to time during the past days.
At least some of
them seem now to affect the previously untouched western flank, perhaps
as the result of the changed topography at the summit due to the
accumulated lava.
Kilauea (Hawai'i):
USGS staff from HVO measured the lava flow yesterday and reported that
"the leading edge of the flow has not advanced since last Thursday,
October 30, but the flow continued to inflate, and minor breakouts were
scattered across the flow interior behind the flow front.
Updated map of the lava flow in Pahoa as of 3 Nov 2014 (no major changes until early 5 Nov)
The
most significant (although still minor) breakouts were occurring about
370 meters (405 yards) above Apaʻa Street on Tuesday afternoon.
A
brief helicopter overflight on Tuesday afternoon confirmed that little
surface lava is present on the June 27th flow field. The outbreaks on
the north and south margins of the flow near Kaohe Homesteads have also
subsided relative to a few days ago."
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico):
The volcano's activity remains essentially unchanged. A new lava dome is
slowly growing in the inner summit crater and produces glow at night
and occasional small explosions.
Webcam shot of glowing bombs ejected from Popocatépetl volcano this morning
During the past 24 hours,
activity has been a bit more intense. An explosion 20 minutes ago sent
incandescent material to approx. 600 m distance outside the crater rim.
WATCH: Video from the volcano's activity during the past 24 hours:
Glow continues to be visible from the crater at night.
Ash emissions from Copahue 4 Nov 2014
SERNAGEOMIN keeps the volcano's alert status unchanged at yellow.
Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion):
There are signs that a new eruption could be on its way: an increasing
number of shallow earthquakes has been registered under the volcano
recently.
Seismic activity under La Réunion in 2014; the black dot represents the
recent earthquakes under Piton de la Fournaise volcano (image: OVPF)
The volcano observatory (OVPF) and the prefecture
raised the alert level to 1 (on a scale of 0-3), which includes some
access restrictions to the enclose (the caldera of the volcano).
