Worldwide Volcano News and Updates
Weakly alimented lava flows continue to run from the 500 m vent at the volcano.
On 18 of April, Nevado del Huila had a moderately strong ash eruption causing ash fall and lahars on its flancs due to melted snow and ice water. About 8000 people have been evacuated. After the explosion, seismic activity at the volcano has decreased again.
Both tremor and the lava output have been strongly decreasing over the past days at Fournaise volcano, suggesting a possible end of the eruption in the near future.
On 12 April at 15h05 local time, a second larger collapse took place at the summit crater Dolomieu. The new impressive pit crater has cut the area next to the pit crater Bory, which is now no longer supported and itself at risk of collapsing into Dolomieu.
Read allOn 11 April, the eruption resumed at Piton de la Fournaise: new weak lava fountains appeared again at the fissure vent at around 500 m elevation, the same that opened on 2nd of April.
Another brief, but intense eruption occured at Etna today, similar to the one on 29 March: lava fountains erupted from the SE crater and two lava flows emerged from the vent at the base of the SE cone at 3050 m, flowing into Valle del Bove. The eruption lasted for 5 hrs and the most advanced lava flow front reached 1900 m elevation in the Valle del Bove.
The eruption at Fournaise volcano seems to come to an end.
On late 9 April, no surface lava flows were visible and all lava from the vent is flowing in lava tunnels on the slope of the Grande Brulée. At 14h00 local time on 10 April, lava fountains ended and lava emission at the vents stopped, triggering scientist to announce the end of the eruption. In the evening, only small residual lava flows were observed, probably relating to drainage of the feeding system and the lava channels and tubes.
During the past days, further smaller collapses have continued to affect the walls of the summit crater. The area surrounding the summit is covered with a deposit of 5-7 cm of ash.
A large number of dead deep-water fish have been found floating on the heated water surrounding the lava sea entry. More than 30 different species have been counted by scientist, some of which seem to be unknown.
The eruption at Piton de la Fournaise volcano continues and eruptive activity, lava fountains and lava flow emissions from the fissure vent at 600-500 m elevation, increases.
Read allAfter the collapse of the summit crater, the eruption seems to have calmed down a bit compared to the extreme levels ovbserved during the past days. Lva fountains of 50-100 m height continue to feed a cluster of lava flows that have cut the national road on a length of 1 km and are creating new land at a spectacular, growing sea entry delta. Steam loaded with acid gasses and Pele's hair created at the sea entry continue to create health problems in much of the nearby, inhabited coastal areas.
Read allAfter 3 montsh of relative quiet, Bulusan had another (probably phreatic or phreatomagmatic) eruption today, Easter Sunday. The eruption lasted for 20 minutes and produced an ash colum that rose 2,5 km into the sky.
As had been forecasted by scientists, the summit of Piton de la Fournaise volcano has collapsed today (7 April). Practically all of the interior of Dolomieu crater has collapsed into a new pit crater with vertical walls and 300 m depth, with an estimated collapse volume of 50 million cubic meters.
The activity has been accompanied by strong earthquakes beneath the summit and produced dense ash clouds. At present, seismic activity continues in the area below the summit; further collapse could happen in the near future.
The series of events at Piton de la Fournaise marks one of the largest pit craters to be formed ever observed in historic time on a volcano.
In the meanwhile, lava emission at extremely high rates from the eruptive fissure continues.
The debit of the lava flow has reached unusually high levels, as a report from the volcano observatory communicates: "...probably much higher than 100 m3 per second, a value which has not been observed at Réunion Island within the last 20 or 30 years. The national road is cut over more than 1 km."
"High values of sometimes over 300 micrograms per m3 of SO2 had been measured by the Observatoire Réunionnais de l'Air (ORA) in the western and northern part of the island.
Dust and Pele's hair from the eruption site were observed even at 10 to 20 km away and small, mm sized grains of basalt, formed by the lava flow into the sea and transported by the steam plume (generated at the lava flow entry into the sea) were observed within 5 km of the site.
Based on pilot reports, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that an ash cloud from Ubinas rose to 5.5-6.1 km (18,000-20,000 ft) a.s.l. on 30 March and drifted E. According to a news article, local residents observed rockfalls and reported ashfall. A scientist from the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgic Institute (INGEMMET) reported that the eruption was the largest in a two-week period characterized by an increased rate of explosions. A diffuse ash plume was visible on satellite imagery on 3 April drifting NE.
Read allData from deformation-monitoring instruments and observations from a remote camera showed that during 28 March-3 April, lava-dome growth at Mount St. Helens continued. Seismicity persisted at low levels, punctuated by M 1.5-2.5 and occasionally larger earthquakes. On 3 April, a GPS unit on an active spine showed W-ward movement at a rate of about 30 cm/day.
Read allOver the past days, lava-dome growth at Soufrière Hills was reduced or possibly paused. Small, intermittent pyroclastic flows occurred in the Tar River Valley.
The first explosive event at Shiveluch on 29 March produced an ash plume rising to an estimated altitude of 9.8 km (32,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NE. Based on reports from the Yelizovo Meteorological Watch Office and satellite imagery, the Tokyo VAAC reported that the plume reached an altitude of 11.9 km (39,000 ft) a.s.l. The next day, an explosive event that lasted about 6 minutes produced a plume to altitudes of 10.1-12.2 km (33,000-40,000 ft) a.s.l., based on estimates from AVO, Tokyo VAAC, and the Kamchatkan Branch of Geophysical Services. The plume drifted NE.
According to a news article, a mudflow covered an approximately 900-m-long section of road, about 20 km from Shiveluch on 31 March.
Santa María's Santiaguito lava dome is in an elevated stage of activity. Explosions produced ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 5 km (16,400 ft) a.s.l. on 29 March. Ashfall was reported near the Observatory Vulcanológico de Santiaguito (OVSAN), about 5 km S. On 2 April, INSIVUMEH reported that ash plumes rose to 4.4 km (14,400 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW.
Read allStrombolian activity continues at Tavurvur volcano, the active cone inside the Rabaul caldera. Bombs are ejected to 100 m above the crater rim and ash plumes rise to 1-3 km.
Read allOccasional ash eruptions continue at Popocatepetl volcano. On 1st of April, Popo produced an eruption plume that rose to an altitude of 7.6 km (25,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NE.
Read allBased on observation and video data, lava from Kliuchevskoi flowed down the NW flank on 29 March. On 31 March, lava bombs from Strombolian activity were projected about 100-200 m above the crater. According to a news article, lava flows are interacting with snow and ice and producing vapor plumes.
Read allKarangetang volcano is still active as news reports suggest. An ash plume was observed rising to an altitude of 1.9 km (6,000 ft) a.s.l. on 27 March. Pyroclastic flows may have occurred the next day.
Read allTungurahua volcano continues with strong explosions producing eruption columns rising to 10-11 km and pyroclastic flows and lahars (mud-flows) on its flanks:
Read allOn 28 March, an eruption from Reventador produced an ash plume that rose to an altitude of 5.6 km (18,400 ft) a.s.l. and drifted W. A small lava flow traveled 200 m down the S flank. Incandescent material and ash emissions were observed during 29-31 March. On 1 April, ash plumes rose to an altitude of 7.6 km (24,900 ft) a.s.l. and incandescent rocks were ejected about 50 m above the crater. Incandescent material was again seen at the summit on 2 April. The
Washington VAAC reported that a strong hotspot was present on satellite imagery during 1-3 April. Based on pilot reports, IG reported that a steam-and-gas plume with little ash content rose to an altitude of 6.1 km (20,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted W on 3 April.
On 3 April, pilots observed lava and ash emissions from Ambrym volcano. Ash plumes rose to altitudes below 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l.
Read allThomas, our correspondant in Arusha climbed Lengai last week and reports indirect signs of activity near the western rim of the crater, at the place where lava overflowed in the March 2006 eruption.
this is his report:
The lava flow from Stromboli volcano stopped today.
Whether this is the end of the effusive eruption that had started 5 weeks ago and heralds the beginning of a new cycle of summit activity is still unclear.
As correctly predicted by the monitoring staff, new eruptive activity restarted at 10h00 local time on 1 April after a two-day pause. New lava fountains and flows are emerging from a fissure in the SE part of the Enclos. The lowest part of the eruptive fissure is only at 500 m elevation and lava flows have been advancing rapidly; at 14h00 local time, they were only 300 m away from the National Road RN2.
Read allFor the third time in this year, Piton de la Fournaise volcano erupted again at 11 pm on 30 of March. Just as the last one on 18 February, the eruption only lasted for 9 hours.
The eruption had been preceded by increasing seismicity at the volcano since late March and about two hours of strong tremor immediately before a fissure vent opened in the southern part of the Enclos caldera.
Unlike after the brief eruption in February, this time, seismicity continues and is concentrated along a line ESE from the summit. A reactivation of the eruption in the near future is considered likely.
