Why can we not find (anywhere on the web) current volcano information any newer than July 8, 2012????
Posted By: Thom Harvill on May 19, 2012 05:36AM
Fuego in Antigua Guatemala
I just came in the house from watching Fuego erupt for two hours and a half. There is a huge river of lava and as i speak it is still erupting. I have lived here for one and a half years and this is the most activity at one condensed time i have had the pleasure to see. Again this is Fuego volcano in Antigua Guartemala and it is exciting here tonight.
INGV in its latest report suggests that the shallow magma reservoir 1-2 km under the volcano feeding the recent eruptions has temporarily been exhausted. This would mean that the paroxysms should become less frequent and weaker if not stop at all for the time being.
The really BIG question is when the next flank eruption will be...
Fuego volcano (Guatemala): Latest observations suggest a decreasing trend in activity, but strombolian eruptions continue with explosions producing 200-500 m high ash clouds, and at least one lava flow is still active. Seismic activity is at moderate levels. ...more
Pacaya (Guatemala): Volcanic seismic activity above background levels is visible on the PCG station. It includes tremor and shallow volcano-tectonic earthquakes. [less]
Seismic recording from 31 July - the red lines are earthquakes under the volcano (GeoNet)
Sesimic activity has picked up under Tongariro volcano in New Zealand, GeoNet confirms in its latest bulletin. The earthquake activity had started on 13 July, peaked on 20 July, sharply decreased and picked up again with currently about 3-10 events per day. The earthquakes cluster in a zone between Mount Tongariro and the eastern side of Lake Rotoaira at 2-7 km depth. They are mostly very small and unlikely to be felt. ...more
are occurring each day. Scientists have increased their monitoring of the volcano. Gas samplings of springs and fumaroles confirm that volcanic gases above normal levels are present. [less]
In Guatemala, Santiaguito / Santa Maria (Guatemala) volcano has been producing some pyroclastic flows triggered by rock avalanches from the active lava flows yesterday morning. [less]
Seismic signal (Parador station) from the night 28-29 July (INSIVUMEH)
Santiaguito volcano has showed an increase in activity yesterday morning INSIVUMEH reports in its latest special bulletin. ...more
The block lava flows from the lava dome have a length of about 3 km in different directions, mainly in the southwest, south and southwest flanks. The fronts and steep sides of the flows generate many avalanches of blocks, which along with regular explosions from the dome cause strong seismic signals. Starting early on 29 July (local time), some of the block avalanches turned into weak pyroclastic flows, and generated thick colums of fine ash rising up to 1500 meters above the crater and moving southwest towards the San Marcos and El Rosario Palajunoj regions at an approximate distance 15 kilometers. [less]
As our colleague Marc Szlegat reported on Vulkane.Net, the alert level of the Japanese Kirishima volcano (Kirishimayama) was raised last month"orange". This is the third out of 4 warning levels and means that an eruption could occur any time. ...more
Last year in March, the Shinmoedake crater of the complex volcano Kirishima had a violent eruption that make the headlines. The volcano is located close to the other volcano currently on orange alert in Kyushu, Sakura-jima, which last week had a stronger explosion that caused ashfall in the nearby city of Kagoshima. [less]
No particularly unusual volcanic activity is taking place at the moment. Mainly based on the latest Smithsonian / USGS activity report, webcams and other sources, the following is a brief summary: ...more
Ambrym (Vanuatu): The lava lakes on Ambrym are very active and a significant SO2 plume is usually seen drifting from the volcano by NOAA's satellite. [less]
Weak but frequent explosions occur at Fuego volcano in Guatemala. On 25-26 July, they were producing gray ash columns reaching heights of 300 m to 600 m, and drifting up to 12 km west, northwest and southwest. ...more
The explosions ejected incandescent material to heights of 100 to 150 m above the crater and generated weak avalanches on the upper crater flanks with rumbling and jetting sounds. Weak glow is seen at the crater at night. The lava flow toward Taniluyá canyon reaches 400 meters in length. A new lava flow is active toward Ceniza ("ash") Canyon and has reached 200 m length, and from both flows, glowing lava blocks roll down the flanks and reach the vegetation. A third lava flow was observed in the direction of the Lajas Canyon with a length of 600 m. [less]
Mild strombolian activity from an intracrater vent inside Bocca Nuova crater continues at fluctuating intensity. Last night, there were frequent explosions was accompanied by a relatively strong tremor signal and well visible on webcams. ...more
The activity which now has been going on for about a month is slowly buiding a new spatter cone inside the SE pit of Bocca Nuova. This activity is similar to a long period of persistant summit activity observed during much of 1995-97. [less]
Sakurajima volcano continues to be particularly active. The volcano, known for its persistant svulcanian type eruptions, typically 1-2 per day, has been having more than usual frequent and stronger explosions during the past months. ...more
A powerful eruption occurred last evening a recent youtube video shows. The explosion occurred not from the normally active Showa-dake, but the less frequently active Minami-dake crater, and the explosion showered the flanks of the volcano with hundreds of blocks up to considerable distance. An ash column can be seen rising several kilometers. Today, several explosions occurred as well with ash plumes reported up to 10,000 ft (ca. 3 km) altitude, the Tokyo VAAC reported. [less]
The active lava dome inside Semeru's summit crater as seen on 19 July (Photo: Andi / VolcanoDiscovery)
The lava dome of Semeru volcano, East Java, is active and growing slowly our recent expedition group observed on 18-19 July during our trekking tour Volcanoes of Java. ...more
There is an area of incandescence visible at the SW part of the dome inside the half-open summit crater, and it is producing regular small to moderate ash explosions. Ash venting and small explosions had resumed in 2011. [less]
Tongariro volcano is showing signs of a possible awakening. On 13 July 2012, an increase in small (<M2.5) earthquakes was detected. The quakes were clustered at depths of 2-7 km under the area between Emerald crater and Te Mari crater. ...more
More than 20 earthquakes were recorded until 20 July, when the seismic activity peaked and prompted GeoNet to raise the alert level from 0 to 1. Compared to a background average of 2 quakes per year, the swarm is significant and could indicate magma movements. Seismic activity dropped on 21 July with only 1 quake since then, but preliminary measurements show an increase in volcanic gas emission. NZ Scientist started to increase their monitoring at the volcano. [less]
Over the past two weeks, many DI pressure cycles have dominated the style of eruptive activity on Kīlauea volcano, influencing the location of coastal lava flows to be closer to the ocean or to the hillside with more and less pressure respectively. Active lava flows have been accessible over private land every day except one since our last update, and during higher pressure stands the activity has often put lava just inside the National Park boundary close to the ocean. During higher pressure days, lava flows often also break out on the lower part of the hillside and can be seen from a great distance from specific points within the National Park. ...more
The closer and safer access to active lava flows on the coastal plain is crossing private land with an authorized guide from the Kalapana side -- and it's still a 7-mile round-trip which can feel like twice that distance. When lava is present in the National Park, that hike is estimated to be a 12-mile round-trip. Check out our most recent Kalapana lava flow time-lapse on our YouTube channel. [less]
Lien & Lorre sent us the following report from a recent visit to Stromboli: ...more
"Thursday 5th of July, what's in a date... We were lucky to be on the right spot at the right time… Our third day at Stromboli, we went for the easy hike via San Bartolo to the north to the “osservatoria”. [less]
Another swarm of earthquakes with about 50 quakes between M2-3.3 occurred today in the SW part of El Hierro. ...more
The quakes were at depths mostly between 20-25 km, i.e. slightly deeper than most previous quakes and could indicate a new intrusion from depth. It is also a clear sign that the seismic crisis on El Hierro is far from over. [less]
Panorama of the summit crater of Anak Krakatau (2 July 2012)
The collapse pits at the site of the 2012 lava dome in the western part of the summit crater of Krakatau (2 July 2012)
During our recent expedition to Krakatau volcano, we could no longer see the lava dome active during Feb-May this year. Probably, the magma column had dropped in mid to late May and the dome collapsed. At its place, there were only 2 collapse pits, very hot ground and intense degassing from numerous fumaroles inside and outside of the now large summit crater. ...more
Seismic activity when visiting the local volcano observatory was at very low levels, suggesting that Anak Krakatau is at the moment in a phase of repose. Interestingly, a number (at least 4) areas with apparent submarine hydrothermal iron-bearing vents were observed that had not been there last year. In these areas, bubbling could be seen in the water, and where accessible, iron-rich greenish warm mud was found at the sea floor, which oxidized to orange when brought to the surface. The sea water around these areas had an intense yellow stain. Very similar submarine activity is known from around Nea Kameni island, Santorini. [less]
The seismic activity has calmed down since 4 July, after several pulses of intense earthquake activity, sometimes accompanied by an elevated tremor signal, in particular during 29 June - 1 July, and 2-3 July. ...more
The epicenters have remained at about 18-21 km depth at or near the SW tip of the island, suggesting that magma has accumulated there. [less]
An episode of increased activity was observed at Stromboli on 5 July evening. Tremor was visible on the seismic recording and Dr. Boris Behncke (INGV Catania) reported a lava fountain from the western vent in the crater accompanied by a small lava flow on the Sciara del Fuoco. ...more
Last year, there have also been similar episodes of this kind. [less]
Despite smaller-scale pressure cycles on Kīlauea volcano, recorded as a series of 1-2 microradian deflation-inflation events at the summit, lava levels have remained high with lots of activity for visitors to experience up close or from a distance! Glow visible from the Jaggar Overlook of the newest summit crater, the Overlook Vent, continues to be spectacularly bright during the evening hours, and lava flows continue to be active on the coast and are even visible from a distance on clear nights, better from the National Park side (as shown by the USGS Hōlei Pali Mobile Cam 4). ...more
Meanwhile, the eastern active lava flow branch which reactivated above the pali (hillside) one month ago has reached the coastal plain once again, while the western branch continues to fill in low areas, inflate and slowly inch its way closer to the ocean. Lava flows are still accessible over private land from Kalapana with authorized guides by means of a 7mi/11km round-trip hike, or possibly from the National Park side (as lava is reported to be lingering on the National Park boundary) by means of a ~12mi/19km round-trip hike from the downwind direction. [less]
The amateur photographer Paul Wijnands had the great luck to take a photo of a rare smoke ring at Stromboli volcano 20-06-2012 around 14:45 and 14:50 hrs.
Since 12:40 UTC, a strong tremor signal and many stronger quakes have been recorded. A series of about 10 strong volcanic quakes occurred between about 13:00-13:10.
More than 2 months have passed since the last SE crater paroxysm and Etna has been very quiet lately. Last night, the tremor signal started to rise sharply, as typical during the onsets of the past paroxysm, but then dropped again, took another rise, and dropped back again.
Live data viewed with our webcams.volcanodiscovery.com tool
The intense seismic swarm at El Hierro volcano continues with more than 100 quakes > M1.5 so far today. The quakes are concentrated underneath the El Julan coast, and some of the most recent quakes today have been at significantly shallower levels, 15-17 km, and indicate that magma now has started to rise. ...more
PEVOLCA in a press release admits that significant inflation has been observed since the onset of the seismic swarm, confirming that the cause of it is new magma. Although it is not certain at all that it will, an eruption should be expected to occur any time now. The most likely area is probably the El Julan coast or further south in the Las Calmas Sea. We have updated our interactive webcam viewer to include some of the publicly available seismic and deformation data: webcams.volcanodiscovery.com/ElHierro [less]
Mt Siple volcano in Antarctica might have become active and produced a steam plume recently detected on satellite imagery. The latest Smithsonian activity report mentions: ...more
"Infrared imagery from the Metop satellite showed a possible rising steam plume from the area of Siple on 20 June. The imagery, as interpreted by Mark Drapes, indicated that the volcano was about -22 degrees Celsius, about 6 degrees warmer that the surrounding landscape, and the base of the plume was about -55 degrees Celsius. Sources: Mark Drapes, personal communication, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)" [less]
Earthquakes are still at 20 km depth and continue at high rate (more than 150 >M1.5 today, mostly larger than M2). Accompanied by harmonic tremor, their location is migrating southwards into the Las Calmas Sea. In other words, magma continues to move southwards and the question is whether or not it will at some point start rising to the surface.
Location and depth map of the quakes beneath El Hierro during the past 36 hours. The red bullets ion the Las Calmas sea only started in the June 26 afternoon.
SO2 plume from Popo during 26 June
The most interesting volcano-related event at the moment is certainly the seismic crisis on El Hierro where the high-intensity earthquake swarm accompanied by tremor episodes continues. The quakes, still at "safe" 20 km depth, have now migrated to the El Julan coast where magma could be accumulating. ...more
Mexico: Gas and steam venting picked-up at Popocatepetl volcano in the past 24 hours. The seismic signals from a train of exhalations is visible on the enclosed seismogram beginning at 16 UTC. SO2 output from the volcano had increased the past few days. [less]
The volcanic tremor has subsided again, but earthquakes continue at about 20 km depth in the El Julan area. More than 200 quakes >M1.5 have occurred today. ...more
If what caused this activity is fresh magma rising from the mantle beneath El Hierro, it now has moved a few km more to the south, but still remains at relatively great depth (20 km). Whether it remains there or continues to move, and perhaps rise towards the surface = cause an eruption, is speculation. [less]
Reappearing volcanic tremor signal (IGN) at about 16h10 on 26 June
While the unusually strong earthquake swarm under El Hierro Island continues, harmonic volcanic tremor has reappeared short time ago at about 16h10 UTC. ...more
The tremor, a low-frequency ground vibration, is thought to be caused by moving magma. It had been strong yesterday and correlated well with a southward propagation of earthquake locations, suggesting that magma at about 20 km depth flew from underneath the El Golfo area towards the EL Julan (south) coast, in a similar way as before the Oct 2011 eruption, but became blocked there, and did not reach the southern rift zone near La Restinga. After the cease of tremor in the afternoon, earthquakes still continued at high rate, marking a record figure with over 180 quakes larger than M2 yesterday alone, and more than 150 quakes larger than M1.5 so far today. [less]
Powerful eruption of Stromboli's east crater, showering its flanks with incandescent bombs (photo: Marc Szlegat)
Our colleague Marc Szlegat just returned from a visit to Stromboli volcano whose activity has recently been increasing. Marc observed that there were 5 active glowing vents within the crater terrace. The most spectacular explosions took place from the eastern vent, the cone that had been building since 2009. They occurred roughly every 20 minutes, with sometime powerful explosions ejecting lava bombs up to 300 m height, many of which falling onto the Sciara del Fuoco. ...more
Frequent eruptions also occurred from the western vent, with typical ejection heights of 50-100 m, and occasionally up to about 200 m. A third vent in the central crater and rarely a vent at the extreme western end of the crater erupted occasionally as well. [less]
A new eruption might be under way at El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain). Following several weaker swarms in the past weeks, a strong swarm started late on 24 June and increased dramatically to more than 200 earthquakes of M1.5 or more, including volcanic tremor. The quakes locations indicated that magma was moving at depth from N towards the S in a similar way as at the start of the 2011 submarine eruption. Therefore, the possibility of renewed eruptive activity is real. ...more
The hypocenter of the seismicity is still relatively deep (around 20 km) though since the volcano has already generated a channel for magma to ascend during the previous eruption in 2011-12, the timeline for rise and eruption of any "new" magma may be much shorter. [less]
The strong seismic swarm continues and the location of earthquakes show a trend towards the south, suggesting that magma is moving towards the southern rift zone again, as it did in 2011. ...more
At this point, a new eruption in the near future at or near the previous submarine vent near La Restinga is a real possibility. [less]
Localization of earthquakes during 24-25 June (IGN)
A seismic swarm, this time located under El Golfo and the central part of the island between Sabinosa village and Malpaso at 20 km depth under the crest of the El Golfo escarpment. The swarm started yesterday evening 24 June and is still ongoing as of morning 25 June. ...more
So far, there were about 35 quakes mostly around magnitude 2, including 3 at magnitude 3.0-3.1. [less]
Another seismic swarm has occurred at Katla volcano yesterday. About 30 small quakes at shallow depths mostly between 1 and 6 km in the central part of the caldera were recorded and could indicate another intrusion or changes in the hydrothermal system.
Fuego volcano in eruption on 21 June 2012 (INSIVUMEH)
Fuego volcano continues to produce lava flows and strong strombolian explosions, and CENAPRED and CONRED warn about possibly pyroclastic flows that could be generated by collapsing lava flow fronts and incandescent material rolling down the steep upper slopes of the volcano as has occurred before during the ongoing strong eruptive phase. It is therefore recommended not to stay within canyons in the vicinity of the volcano. The CONRED system maintains constant monitoring.
RVO reported low-to-moderate activity from Manam's Southern Crater during 1-15 June. Emissions consisted of gray and sometimes black ash clouds that rose from the crater on most days. ...more
Plumes drifted SE on 2 June and NW during 6-15 June. Ash fell in areas downwind between Yassa (WSW) and Baliau (NNW), and Warisi (ESE). Incandescent material was ejected from the crater, and roaring and rumbling noises were noted. Pyroclastic flows on 16 June (at 0700, 0720, 0722, and 0729) channeled into the SE valley. The last pyroclastic flow was perhaps the largest as it reached the lowest elevation, 300-400 m above sea level, but was far from populated areas. Ash plumes from the pyroclastic flows drifted WSW and WNW; ash fell in Bogia (22 km SSW, on the mainland). Emissions from Main Crater were milder and mostly characterized by white and bluish plumes. Light gray plumes were noted during 2 and 8-9 June. Fluctuating incandescence was intermittently observed and ash fell in the NW part of the island. [less]
Cleveland volcano in the Aleutian Islands (Alaska) had an explosive eruption at 14.05 local time on 19 June, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reported, who raised the alert status to Orange (3 out of 4). Based on pilots' observations, an ash plume rose to about 35,000 ft (10,6 km). As the eruptions blog writes, a possible explanation could be that the eruption was caused by a collapse of the lava dome, but Cleveland's remote location makes it difficult to confirm this. ...more
Interestingly, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake at 14 km depth occurred in the Aleutians 1200 km to the west from Cleveland 6 hours earlier, but this might be simple coincidence. [less]
Over the past week and a half, lava flows on Kīlauea's coastal plain have persisted first through a low-pressure phase and now during a high-pressure phase, with the entire active flow-front advancing noticeably to with about 1km/0.5mi of the ocean. Compare today's image capture to our previous post to see this difference! ...more
Meanwhile the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u remains at a high level, causing loud cracking and booming sounds sometimes audible from the Jaggar Overlook! At night, glow from this newest crater on the volcano is brighter than ever before in this eruption phase! This is due to continued high pressure on the volcano, also manifesting with an increased rate of extension visible in the summit GPS line over the past 3 weeks. All in all, a great time to visit Kīlauea! [less]
A new seismic swarm has started last night (18 June) under the El Golfo area. ...more
Until now, there were 22 quakes last night and 7 today, including 3 larger than magnitude 2. The depth of the new quakes is around 17.5 km, significantly shallower than during the swarm last week. [less]
Another seismic swarm with over 20 earthquakes at depths around 20-25 km under the El Golfo bay just north of the coast has occurred recently. 5 quakes were larger than magnitude 2, the largest being an mag 2.7 event.
The alert level of Gamkonora volcano on the island of Halmahera, Indonesia, was raised to 3 (eruption warning) on 13 June, following an increase in seismic activity and steaming. ...more
The Indonesian Volcanological Survey recommends a safety zone of 3 km radius around the volcano. [less]
INSIVUMEH reported that on 6 June lahars descended Fuego's El Jute (SE), Las Lajas (SE), Ceniza (SSW), Santa Teresa (S), and Taniluyá (SW) drainages, and destroyed roads in Yepocapa (8 km WNW). ...more
During 6-7 June explosions produced ash plumes that rose 200-500 m above the crater and drifted N, and 12 km S and SW. Lava flows on the SE flank were about 800-900 m long in the Las Lajas drainage, 600 m long in the El Jute drainage, and 250 m long on the SW flank, and produced blocks that rolled and reached vegetated areas. The explosions were accompanied by rumbling sounds and shock waves that were detected in areas 10 km away, including Panimaché and Morelia (~8 km SW). During 10-11 June an ash plume rose 1.5 km above the crater and drifted 15 km W and NW. Ashfall was reported in Panimaché I and II, Sangre de Cristo (8 km WSW), Yepocápa, and other villages nearby. Lava flows traveled 1.6 km down Taniluyá drainage, 1 km down the Ceniza drainage, and 1.5 km down Las Lajas. Pyroclastic flows descended Las Lajas. [less]
Rabaul's Tavurvur volcano has been showing signs of unrest. The RVO reported white steam emissions during May and several high-frequency volcano-tectonic earthquakes although seismicity overall was still very low. ...more
The last eruptions of Tavurvur were in August 2011. [less]
Over the past week, lava flows on Kīlauea's coastal plain have been persistently advancing towards the ocean, though at a slower pace during a mid-week pressure decrease, increasing over the past day with renewed pressure. The flow front is estimated to be about 2km/1mi from the ocean still, so we await the effects of this renewed pressure at the coast! A series of webcam captures from the USGS-HVO shows the progression of these flows over the past week. ...more
Meanwhile, pressure is still high across other parts of the volcano, with small lava flows and a lava pond increasingly present within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater (not directly accessible, but glow can be seen from a distance with clear weather), and the summit lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u still at high levels and producing strong glow visible from the Jaggar Overlook after dark. Within this newest crater but still out of sight, there have been spillovers of the lava lake as it continues to overtop its previous high-level banks! [less]
Fuego volcano in Guatemala remains at unusually high levels of activity with frequent explosions and several active lava flows on its upper flanks. ...more
The recent reports from USGS and INSIVUMEH summarize the activity during the past days: On 1 June, hot lahars traveled down the Las Lajas and El Jute drainages valley on the SE flank, carrying blocks of up to 2 m in diameter. [less]
An earthquake swarm with possibly hundreds of small quakes has been detected at Chile's San Pedro-Pellado (or Tatara-San Pedro) volcano. Not many details about this activity are available and reports are in parts contradictory, as the Eruptions Blog who brought this to our attention points out. ...more
There is little known about the eruptive history of the volcano except that it most likely has erupted during the past 10,000 years and can be considered an active volcano. Any reawakening would thus mark its first historic eruption, something that would remind what has happened at Chaitén volcano in 2008. [less]
Stromboli volcano is in a phase of strong activity. Reports by visitors and images taken with the webcams show that in particular the northwestern vent in the summit crater often produces strong explosions that shower the crater terrace with incandescent lava. ...more
Since the last lateral eruption in March 2007, Stromboli has been in a heightened state of activity overall during most of the past years, indicating that magma levels inside the conduit are relatively high. The question is when again the magma finds its way out through a fissure on the flank on Sciara del Fuoco to produce another effusive eruption with a new lava flow. [less]
Earthquake swarm at Katla volcano on 5-7 June 2012 (Icelandic Met Office)
A new swarm of earthquakes has started Tuesday (5 June) evening at Katla volcano. Until now, 34 quakes up to magnitude 2 have been recorded beneath the volcano, at mostly shallow depths around 3-7 km. The quakes are clustered in the SE part of the caldera, and could indicate that a magmatic intrusion is taking place in this area. Whether this is a precursor to a possible eruption of the volcano remains speculation.
Yesterday, a total of 16 quakes including one of magnitude 2.9 were recorded. The quakes are clustered around the 15-20 km depth beneath the El Golfo bay, where a new magmatic intrusion could be taking place.
After weeks of almost no activity, a small earthquake swarm has started yesterday. During the past 36 hours, 12 very small quakes occurred at depths mostly around 10-20 km in the area NW of Frontera. ...more
This possibly indicates that magma is still sometimes moving under the volcano, but unless the intensity of earthquake swarms increases a lot, it is not likely that a new eruption is in the making. [less]
An eruption alert was issued for Soputan volcano on North Sulawesi, Indonesia. ...more
Dduring 21-27 May, people from the village of Maliku noted steaming from the volcano that created white plumes rising 50-150 m above the crater. A steep increase in seismic activity was recorded on 25 May and CVGHM raised the Alert Level to 3 (on a scale of 1-4) on 28 May. [less]
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