Eruption from the central vent of Stromboli (30 Dec. 2005, photo: Karen B.)

Stromboli continues to be very active. Loud eruption noises are frequently audible all over the island. On a visit by VolcanoDiscovery team members Karen and Tom on the afternoon of 30 Dec. 2005 the following activity was observed:
One active vent in the West crater produced tall, candle-like strombolian eruptions in intervals of 10-15 minutes, throwing incandescent material up to 200-250 m above the crater. 3 vents were active in the central crater, all of them glowing constantly, and relatively strongly spattering; small boiling lava lakes present few meters below the crater rim can be inferred. The northermost of these vents, forming a tall cone, also had strong strombolian eruptions at irregular intervals of 5-25 minutes, throwing lots of very hot, incandescent bombs to up to 100-150m elevation, frequently outside the crater complex. At least one vent was active in the NE crater, which unfortunately was today completely hidden by fumes. It did not erupt visible bombs, but every 10-20 minutes it produced loud hissing noises; we assume that it erupted mainly gas.

Soputan volcano had a small phreatic eruption on 26 December around 12h30 local time, probably caused by heavy rainfall onto the hot lava dome. On 27 December at 0400, a Strombolian eruption began that lasted ~50 minutes. Incandescent volcanic material was ejected ~35 m, and avalanches of volcanic material traveled as far as 750 m E. Around 06h40 the avalanches became larger, as pyroclastic avalanches occurred from the edge of the lava. The avalanches extended 200 m E, and booming noises were heard as far as 5 km from the summit. The Darwin VAAC reported that an ash plume reached a height of ~5.8 km (~19,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE.

Lava fountains and flows from the eruptive fissure near Le Nez coupé de Sainte-Rose in the upper parts of the Grandes Pentes of Piton de la Fournaise volcano. Photos from the website of "Le Journal de l´Isle" (www.clicanoo.com).

Piton de la Fournaise erupted again on 26 December, with a first fissure opening at the base of the summit cone, and a second one just below the slope break of the Grandes Paintes (the steeper slope of the caldera towards the ocean), between 1500 and 1600 m elevation. Lava fountains are emerging from the eruptive fissure and several lava flows are travelling down the slope in direction to the ocean, having reached around 2 km away from the ocean as of Dec. 29.

Eruption of Popocatepetl on Dec. 25, 2005 (image from CENAPRED's webcam)

Popo sends his Christmas greetings with a moderate explosion that produced an ash column of about 2 km height and showering the volcano's top with incandescent fragments early in the morning of Christmas Day (Dec. 25, 2005).

2005 is soon over, and it's a good time to take a break and think about important things in life. The VolcanoDiscovery team wishes you a future without wars and tsunamis. Merry Christmas!

Eruptive activity at Manaro volcano continues, but has decreased significantly over the past week. Scientists are monitoring the eruption, hoping that it will soon be possible to lower the alert level and permit some 3000 residents that had been evacuated to return to their homes.

Steam and ash erupting from a vent in Lake Vui on Mount Manaro volcano, on the Vanuatu island of Ambae Monday, Dec 12, 2005. (AP Photo/Morris Harrison)

The eruption at Manaro volcano continues at low levels with mainly phreatic activity. A cone is building up inside the lake forming a small island inside the lake. There are two active vents, one of which ejects water, rocks and mud and the other is producing a tall column of steam and gas (up to 8-10,000 feet). A group of New Zealandean volcanologists has recently visited the volcano and sent the following more detailed reports:

Karthala volcano's second eruption in 2005 ended after 14 days on 8 Dec. 2005 as the Karthala volcano observatory communicated. In its initial phase, the eruption had been driven by phreatomagmatic phase, ejecting large blocks up to 400 m around the crater and producing a lot of ash that cuased severe problems in the south-east and south-west of the island, and particularly in the capital Moroni.

The eruption at Mt. Manaro volcano on Vanuatu's island of Ambae, that had started on 27th of Nov. 2005, is continuing at low or decreasing levels (although drawing a lot of media attention, probably because little other significant volcanic events are occurring at the time). Ash and steam plume rose to a maximum of about 3 km (10,000 ft) height into the air as observed on Thursday 7 Dec. According to the optinion of monitoring volcanologists there are no indications at present that the eruption might escalate.
The eruption is occurring from a vent in the middle of the crater lake Vui — before the eruption known as a picturesque blue lake; this is also the main reason for the intense production of steam.

The third eruption this year, on the 29th of Nov., was one of the shortest one during the past years: lasting only 14hrs, from 6h25 local time, it was already declared ended at 20h15! Because of bad weather conditions, a proper reconnaissance and surveillance of the area has not yet been possible.

Popocatepetl volcano on 1st of Dec. 2005, (AFP photo /Ronaldo Schemidt)

Popocatepetl volcano had a moderate eruption Thursday morning, producing an ash plume about 5 km heigh.

The new eruption of Piton de la Fournaise from a fissure inside Domolmieu crater. (Photo: Patrick Devidal, published on Réunion's leading newspaper "Le Journal de l'île de la Réunion" - www.clicanoo.com)

Piton de la Fournaise volcano, La Réunion Island, erupted again for the third time this year. Here the original report from the volcano observatory: 
"Immediately after the last eruption in the Dolomieu crater, the permanent GPS network and extensometer network of the "Observatoire volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise" continued to show strong surface deformations, indicating the preparation of a new eruptif event. Today, November 29, at 0559 in the morning a seismic crisis started and at 0625 eruption tremor indicated the beginning of the third eruption this year. A first vent opened in the western Dolomieu for about 3 hours. A second vent opened on the north flank with a main emission point at 2370 m altitude. Very few lava projections were visible, however a rapid and large lava flow went down the flank in direction of Piton Kapor. Further observations were impossible due to clouds, fog and rain."

Karymski is getting more and more restless. Steam and ash eruptions with plume heights of up to 3,300m above the crater continue, while an increase in seismic activity is being recorded: according to news reports, a swarm of 130 tremors occurred under or near Karymsky volcano today and there are strong thermal anomalies as well. An escalation of the current eruption cannot be excluded to occur any time now. 

Karthala volcano on Comoros Island erupted for the second time this year on Thursday 24th of November. Ther eruption was probably phreatic and caused by vaporization of ground water in contact with a shallow magma body underneath the crater. Substantial ash falls caused problems in the nearby capital Moroni, where authorities ordered water tankers into the streets to wash away the thick blankets of white ash from the eruption.

Galeras volcano started erupting on the morning of Thanksgiving Day (Thursday 24th of Nov. 2005) with a moderate (phreatic?) ash eruption that lasted 30 minutes and produced heavy ash falls on the city of Pasto, about 18 km (12 miles) away. There were no seismic precursors according to Colombia's Volcanology Institute.

Steaming Galeras volcano, Colombia (AP Photo/Felipe Caicedo, El Tiempo)

Galeras volcano, 330 miles (ca. 500 km) southwest of Bogota, is emitting dense plumes of steam and producing characteristic volcanic tremors (so-called tornillos), making an impending eruption likely. 9000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, many of them refusing to leave.

During 11-14 November, three lava flows were emitted from Fuego. On the 14th, two of the lava flows traveled from the S edge of the central crater 150 m toward the Ceniza ravine, and 400 m toward the Taniluyá ravine, and the third traveled 600 m W toward the Santa Teresa ravine. Avalanches of volcanic material spalled from the fronts of the lava flows.

On 15 of Nov., Colombian  authorities on Tuesday began evacuating 7,500 people living on the slopes of a volcano in southwest Colombia over concerns it is about to erupt. Although the warning remains at Level 2, Roberto Torres, a geologist at Colombia's Geology and Mines Institute. said government officials ordered the evacuation as a precaution.

Weak spattering from a glowing vent in the central crater of Stromboli (15 Nov. 2005), photo by Sebastian Laiblin.

Strombolian eruption of the active vent inside the NE crater (Photo: Sebastian)

Activity is medium-low at Stromboli volcano.

As our correspondant Rosario from Etna volcano reports, there is deep-seated explosive activity audible from within the W vent of Bocca Nuova and the NE crater. The other vents are more or less blocked. Resuming of visible eruptive activity could happen at any time.

Lava stopped flowing at Sierra Negre volcano on the evening of 30th of Oct. 2005.
However, even 10 days after the end of the eruption, fires caused by the eruption continued, threatening some rare plants on the island. About 500 hectars in the National Park were burning on the W flank of the volcano in an area called Pampas de Velasco. This area is home to the largest population  in the islands of the rare endemic plant Scalesia cordata, which was threatened by the fires. Therefore, the local authorities decided to intervene and take costly measures to extinguish the bushfire.

Arenal volcano is getting more active again. After growing lava flows on the volcano's southwestern flank during the previous months, moderate explosive activity started on 2 November at 14h54 local time. A pyroclastic flow was generated at 15h02 lasting for about 10 minutes and travelling down the volcano's western flank. An associated ash plume drifted southeast.
The pyroclastic flow occurred in an area currently closed to visitors.

According to local newspapers, the eruption of Barren Island continues or has resumed. A lava flow is reported to have reached the sea.

Weak strombolian activity at Fuego volcano is continuing. Typical explosions, often accompanied by shock waves, are occuring at intervals of 2-15 minutes, creating ash plumes rising 100-200 m above the crater. Two lava flows continue to descend slowly towards the Taniluya and Cenizas canyons over some 100s of meters on the south-east flank of the summit cone.