Soufrière St. Vincent volcano (West Indies, St. Vincent): field work revealed current temperature at growing lava dome
Mon, 18 Jan 2021, 11:14
11:14 AM | BY: MARTIN
The actively growing lava dome in comparison to the 1979 lava dome (image: UWI-SRC)
Thermal image of the growing dome has reached values approx. 590 °C (image: UWI-SRC)
Zoomed imagery of the growing dome (image: UWI-SRC)
Near-constant glow in satellite imagery that suggests rise of the magma towards the surface (image: Sentinel 2)
On 16 January the volcanologists of the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) did a rock sampling from the western part of the growing lava dome.
During the field sampling a thermal images were taken to measure a current surface temperature approx. 590 °C as hot rising magma pushes its way up to the surface. Glow identified in satellite data suggesting rise of the magma. The aerial survey will be used to create a detailed model of the dome which will help map the growth and volume of the lava dome in the future.
The actively extruded lava dome area located on the edge of the old lava dome from 1979 continues to grow in lateral (east to west) direction. The height and volume of the lava dome is unknown and was not reported yet, but from available imagery seems to be 3/4 the height of the 1979 dome.
The most active degassing area was observed between the pre-existing 1979 dome and the actively growing dome.
An extensive area of burnt vegetation was observed in the western section of the crater floor extending outwards from the dome.
Persons living in areas close to the volcano should expect strong sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions for several days to weeks, depending on changes in wind direction. Neither has an evacuation order been issued yet.
Source: University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre volcano activity update 18 January 2021
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Previous news
Tue, 5 Jan 2021, 09:23
The effusive eruption of the volcano continues and has remained essentially unchanged since the last update. ... read all
Wed, 30 Dec 2020, 08:35
The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) in collaboration with National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) reported that visual observations on 29 December 2020 confirmed a new lava dome growth located on the edge of the old lava dome from 1979, forming a "dome on rim of the dome". An effusive eruption of the volcano is accompanied with oozing lava and fumarolic activity. ... read all
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