Volcano watch

[Sevan Makaracı]

Japan: A new island appears in the Ogasawara Islands - November 2013

Active volcanoes (Sep 28, 2012)

Source

Source

"Of course all volcanoes will explode, as this is going to be a very severe pole shift. What about the months and years preceding the pole shift? It is no secret that Mammoth Lake and the caldera of Yellowstone are warming up, and the populace has been prepared for these occurrences by the movie Volcano where there, in the middle of LA, lava is bubbling up. In fact, there is a fault line running from the approximate San Diego/LA area, up into the Sierras, and this is liable to rupture rather violently during one of the quakes that precedes the pole shift by some months. Volcanic eruptions from that area in the Sierras can be expected. Will Mount St. Helen erupt? All volcanoes that have been active within the memory of man will begin spewing and burping and oozing, and many that were not expected to become active will reactive. "   ZetaTalk - Feb 15, 2000

[Howard]

Powerful Explosions Resume at Japan's Sakurajima Volcano (Mar 29)

Vulcanian-type explosions have again picked up in number and size, after only very few events during the first 3 weeks of March.

Ash plumes rose to up to 10-12,000 ft (3-3.6 km) altitude.

The remarkable novelty is that most of the recent explosions occurred from the Minamidake crater, the volcano's old summit vent, and not from the Showa crater on its eastern flank, which had been (an almost exclusive) protagonist during the 10 years since 2006 until very recently.

Source

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/sakurajima/news/57028/Sakurajima-vo...

[Howard]

Major Eruption at Mexico's Popocateptl Volcano (Mar 27)

Popocateptl Volcano shot a column of ash more than a mile high into the sky on Sunday estimated at some 6,500 feet. 

Local officials encouraged residents of the area to cover their noses and mouths with a moist towel.  

A 7.5-mile security ring around the volcano keeps people from getting too close to the eruptfion.

People are being warned to cover their mouths and noses if they go outside.

Officials have also warned anybody within this perimeter runs the risk of being hit by falling debris.

This marks the second major volcanic eruption in North America on March 27.

A powerful eruption at Alaska's Pavlof Volcano sent a towering column of ash 20,000 feet high and over 400 miles into the Alaska interior (see previous post).

Sources

http://www.kristv.com/story/31577240/volcano-erupts-in-mexico

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3512393/CCTV-cameras-captur...

[Howard]

Powerful Eruption at Alaska's Pavlof Volcano Sends Ash 20,000 Feet (Mar 27)

Pavlof Volcano began erupting Sunday afternoon, sending an ash cloud up to 20,000 feet in the air, according to an alert from the U.S. Geological Survey.

"As of 4:18 p.m. AKDT (00.18 UTC), ash was reportedly moving northward from the volcano," officials wrote. "Seismicity began to increase from background levels at about 3:53 pm (23:53 UTC) with quick onset of continuous tremor, which remains at high levels."

The volcano, which is located 625 miles southwest of Anchorage, produced an ash cloud more than 400 miles into interior Alaska.

The Aviation Color Code has been raised to red and the Volcano alert has been raised to Warning.

Mar 28 Update:

Alaska Airlines has canceled 41 flights to and from six cities across the state due to the "massive ash cloud" created by the Pavlof eruption.

"Flights are suspended to Barrow, Bethel, Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Nome and Prudhoe Bay until Alaska is able to assess weather reports after daylight (Tuesday). If weather conditions improve, Alaska will resume its regularly scheduled 54 flights to the affected six cities tomorrow (March 29)."

Moderator Note:

Likely correlated with significant event at buoy 21415 in Alaska waters on March 27.

Sources

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/pavlof-volcano-begins-erupting-sunday...

http://www.youralaskalink.com/news/pavlof-volcano-begins-erupting-s...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pavlof-volcano-erupt...

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2006241-watch-two-volcanoes-in-nort...

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/pavlof-eruption-alaska-village-covere...

[Howard]

Ecuador's Tungurahua Volcano Increasingly Violent (Mar 8)

A powerful explosion Tuesday morning generated an eruption column that reached an altitude of 36,000 ft (11 km).

Pyroclastic flows descended over 2000 m towards the Mandur and Achupashal areas.

Similar explosive activity, with increasing tendency, had already been occurring during the previous days, in particular since Sunday.

Very strong explosions also occurred Monday afternoon at 16:28 local time, two around noon (also Monday), as well as at 19:35 and 05:35 local time on Sunday (6 March).

All of them produced pyroclastic flows into various directions towards the western (Romero and Achupashal) and northern sectors (Mandur).

Violent shock waves that rattled windows and doors and ground rumblings accompanied the explosions and most of the time, a steam and ash column was rising 3-4 km from the volcano. At night, explosions could be seen ejecting incandescent material to great height (many 100 meters) and distances over the volcano's cone, generating spectacular avalanches.

Considerable ash fall has been affecting various areas around the volcano. In particular, the western sectors have suffered most. A team of IGEPN scientists measured a load of 7700 g/m2 of ash had accumulated since the end of February in the areas of Manzano and Choglontus. The area is rich in corn fields which have been severely damaged by the ongoing eruption.

In the El Manzano community, in the shadow of the restive volcano, residents covered their faces as they walked outdoors. Farmer Jose Morocho checked on his animals and said the eruptions had been relentless.

"Since 5 o'clock in the afternoon yesterday (Sunday), we have had an attack from the earth like never before. It has rained down on us up to sunrise. It has rained earth and so now, since we have nowhere to go, we must put up with whatever comes", Morocho said.

Sources

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/tungurahua/news/56804/Tungurahua-vo...

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/ecuador-tungurahua-volcano-continues-fiery...

[Mark]

ERUPTION WARNING issued for Mount Io after 30 volcanic trembles recorded

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/648452/ERUPTION-WARNING-issue...

RESIDENTS of an island in Japan have been put on high alert after a eruption warning was issued for Mount Io.

The 1,317m high volcano is long overdue an eruption having not blown since October, 1936.

However, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has said more than 30 volcanic trembles were recorded before 7PM on Sunday, 28 February.

It is the highest amount of trembles that has been recorded at the site since seismometers were installed in 2013.

As a result, the JMA has issued a warning and said that none of Kyushu island’s 13 million plus residents are allowed within a kilometre of the volcano.
In early February, inhabitants of Kyushu – the most southern island in Japan – were sent into a frenzy when Sakurajima volcano began erupting.

The volcano, in south-west Japan, was seen with lava flowing down the mountain.

Last time it erupted in 2013, it coated the nearby city Kagoshima in ash.

[Howard]

Increasingly Frequent Explosions at Sumatra's Sinabung Volcano (Feb 28)

Over the past days, activity at the volcano seems to have picked up. The frequency and size of explosions from the summit have increased and generated several ash plumes that rose up to approx 3 km height above the summit.

In addition, collapses of parts of the lava lobe generated small to moderate pyroclastic flows that traveled up to 3 km down on the ESE side. One of them on Saturday reached again the (already mostly destroyed and abandoned) village of Simacem on the ESE flank at only 3 km distance from the crater.

For the local population, this means the long-lasting (more than 2 years now) crisis has no end in sight: the exclusion zone of 4-5 km radius around the volcano (depending on which sector) remains in place. More than 9500 people evacuated from villages in this risk area continue to live in a total of 9 now semi-permanent shelters.

Source

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/sinabung/news/56582/Sinabung-volcan...

[Howard]

Continuing Explosions at Nicaragua's Momotombo Volcano (Feb 28)

After 110 years of relative calm - 70 eruptions have been registered since December 1, 2015.

Nicaragua remains attentive to two strong explosions occurred Sunday in the volcano Momotombo, located in the western Department of León, reports Today Nicaragua. The explosions were perceived by residents of that territory and Managua.

The Coordinator of the Nicaraguan Council for Communication and Citizenship, Rosario Murillo, said in a special intervention through press media that both explosions were accompanied by the spewing of gases, ash and incandescent material.

The first explusion was at 11:37am, the second at 12:38, material and ash reachin  500 to 1000 metres above the crater.

Commenting that the authorities and doctors are deployed to assist communities affected by the fall of ash and sand, Murillo called the population to be calm, and to maintain themselves informed, though the media.

Murillo said that the disaster prevention system is activated in the Department of León.

The volcano continues to produce on average 2-3 vulcanian-type explosions per day. Some of them seem to generate small pyroclastic flows.

The above video showing spectacular footage of the erupting volcano was recorded last week.

Sources

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/momotombo/news/56587/Momotombo-volc...

http://qcostarica.com/nicaraguas-momotombo-volcano-spews-ash-and-sand/

[Mark]

Fears over 'red alert' Volcano as it erupts TWICE in one day sending ash 3KM high

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/648038/Fears-over-red-alert-V...

THERE are major concerns a deadly huge volcano could be about to face a massive eruption after two explosions the same day saw a 3km (1.8 mile)-high smoke and ash cloud hurled into the sky.

Officials have placed the 2,460-metre Sinabung volcano on the Indonesia island of Sumatra under a high risk warning since it started erupting after 400 years of laying dormant.

However, this week's blasts have been some of the biggest and closest apart since it woke up in 2010.

Authorities are now closely monitoring the magma mount.

Agus Salihin, a volcanologist at the Sinabung observation post, said the eruption was one of the biggest since early 2015.

It has been erupting continually since 2010, but there are fears the frequency is increasing.

The Indonesian government has placed an area of 3.5 km (2.1 miles) radius around the peak under a red-alert high-risk danger zone.

The government has an evacuation plan in place for the area and evacuated everyone about 10,300 villagers in the most high-risk danger zone.

[Howard]

Strong Explosions at Ecuador's Tungurahua Volcano (Feb 26)

Two large explosions occurred at the volcano yesterday noon from 12:12 local time. The first and larger explosion produced an ash plume that rose approx. 5000 meters above the summit.

The ash plume dispersed mainly to the west and northwest where ash fall occurred in areas including Choglontús, Pillate, Cahuaji and El Manzano.

The explosion itself, a typical so-called "vulcanian"-type eruption, was preceded only by a short (lasting little more than an hour), but intense seismic swarm of shallow earthquakes caused by internal fluid movements and rock fracturing as pressurized gasses started to disintegrate the overlying plug.

Source

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/tungurahua/news/56574/Tungurahua-vo...

[Howard]

International Experts Sent in to Monitor Erupting Nicaragua Volcanoes (Feb 23)

Volcano experts from the US, UK, Costa Rica and local geologists are observing activity at four active peaks in Nicaragua after a flurry of explosions.

The biggest, and most active, is the enormous 1,297-metre Momotombo stratovolcano, near the city of León.

Momotombo, on the north of Lake Managua 25 miles from Nicaragua’s capital Managua, blew for the first time in 110 years in December, and has been active ever since.

In a post about the situation Costa Rican English-speaking news site The Tico Times wrote it had sent "geologists and local townspeople into a tizzy"

"In fact, there’s been so much volcanic and seismic activity in Nicaragua lately that experts from the United States, the United Kingdom, Nicaragua and Costa Rica are carefully studying and observing the situation."

Geologists from the US Geological Survey announced last week they are studying and assessing risks from Momotombo and the other active volcanoes in the country.

Both Télica and Masaya began erupting at the same time as Momotombo, and continue to do so.

Meanwhile, Cerro Negro, which has so far not erupted, recorded bursts of seismic activity last week.

Source

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/646744/Experts-sent-in-to-mon...