Volcanic activity world-wide 3 September 2012: Krakatau, Fuego, Santiaguito, El Hierro, Stromboli, Bezymianny, Nevado del Ruiz, Galeras, Tungurahua, Batu Tara, Sakurajima

The breaking news goes to Krakatau volcano, who has started a vigorous phase of explosive activity, sending an ash plume to over 4 km altitude and causing ash fall in more than 100 km distance. According to news articles, there are now near constant explosions.

Earthquake activity at El Hierro has picked up again. A new swarm of earthquakes started yesterday and is located just north of the western El Golfo coast. So far, there were 19 quakes yesterday and 7 today. Most quakes are between magnitudes 1.5-2 and located in a narrow elongated area at about 10 km depth.

Stromboli volcano has relatively low activity with less frequent and mostly small explosions. Tremor is continuing to decrease.

INSIVUMEH aqnnounced this morning an increase of the activity at Fuego volcano. Currently, the volcano produces constant explosions with plumes up to 900 m high and has 2 active lava flows.


Santiaguito volcano in Guatemala has not changed much, continues to have 4 active flows generating block avalanches and produces occasional ash explosions with plumes up to about 1 km height.

Seismic activity of Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia has been decreasing over the past days, but a weak tremor signal and few small quakes are still being recorded and Manizales observatory maintains the status orange. The volcano is steaming, but there are no reports of recent ash emissions.

Galeras volcano (Colombia) has been calm except for a felt magnitude 2.7 quake at 7.5 km depth about 12 km NE of the volcano on 29 Aug.

Tungurahua volcano: Seismic activity has increased since the beginning of the month again, however not reached previous levels and IG describes it at moderate. Surface activity have been mainly steaming, creating a 300 m high plume, and few weak explosions, causing light ash fall.

Bezymianny volcano, Kamchatka: After the explosive eruption on 1 September, seismic activity of the volcano is now low, but a viscous lava flow continues to effuse on the lava dome flank and there are strong to moderate fumarolic activity and hot avalanches. The ash plume from the explosion was last seen yesterday drifting east of Kamchatka in the northern Pacific.

Batu Tara had explosions producing ash plumes to 7,000 ft altitude today.

In Japan, Sakurajima volcano had 3 more moderate explosions during the past 24 hours.