Volcano watch

[Sevan Makaracı]

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

Active volcanoes (Sep 28, 2012)

Source

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"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

[Juan F Martinez]

Mystery of Weird Hum Heard Around the World Solved
https://www.livescience.com/underwater-volcano-hum.html

Mysterious seismic hums detected around the world were likely caused by an unusual geologic event — the rumblings of a magma-filled reservoir deep under the Indian Ocean, a new study finds. 

These odd hums were an unconventional geologic birth announcement. A few months after the sounds rippled around the Earth, a new underwater volcano was born off the coast of the island of Mayotte, located between Madagascar and Mozambique in the Indian Ocean.

Mysterious Hum Identified as the Formation of a New Underwater Volcano

https://www.ecowatch.com/new-underwater-volcano-hum-sounds-26446660...

Mysterious hums that were heard around the world in 2018 have now been identified as the rumblings of a magma-filled reservoir deep under the Indian Ocean, announcing the birth of an underwater volcano, according to a new study, as CNN reported.

Researchers started to detect seismic movement from the birth of the volcano in May and June of 2018, which eventually led to a humming noise that radiated thousands of miles away from where the volcano was born about 22 miles off the coast of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, one of several in the Comoros archipelago found between Mozambique and Madagascar, as CNN reported.

For months, the forming volcano produced tiny earthquakes and a slight humming too weak to feel. That changed on Nov. 11, 2018 when the new volcano announced its birth by sending seismic waves all over the world that were felt in Kenya, Chile, Canada and Hawaii, nearly 11,000 miles away. For almost half an hour, the seismic waves produced a humming that got louder and louder, as The Washington Post reported.

Researchers developed new seismological methods to create a year-long timeline to reconstruct what happened during the formation of the new volcano. They published their results this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.

[M. Difato]

'Our people are panicking': Taal volcano in Philippines gushes lava, spews ash more than 60 miles into Manila

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/01/12/taal-volcano-p...

TAGAYTAY, Philippines – Red-hot lava gushed from of a Philippine volcano on Monday after a sudden eruption of ash and steam that forced villagers to flee and shut down Manila’s international airport, offices and schools.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from Taal volcano’s eruption south of the capital that began Sunday (January 12, 2019). But clouds of ash blew more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) north, reaching the bustling capital, Manila, and forcing the shutdown of the country’s main airport with more than 240 international and domestic flights cancelled so far.

An alternative airport north of Manila at Clark freeport remained open but authorities would shut it down too if ashfall threatens flights, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.

The government’s disaster-response agency reported about 8,000 villagers have moved to at least 38 evacuation centers in the hard-hit province of Batangas and nearby Cavite province, but officials expect the number to swell with hundreds of thousands more being brought out of harm’s way. Some residents could not move out of ash-blanketed villages due to a lack of transport and poor visibility. Some refused to leave their homes and farms, officials said.

“We have a problem, our people are panicking due to the volcano because they want to save their livelihood, their pigs and herds of cows,” Mayor Wilson Maralit of Balete town told DZMM radio. “We’re trying to stop them from returning and warning that the volcano can explode again anytime and hit them.”

 Images: https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/world/2020/01/12/taal...

Maralit, whose town lies along the coastline of Taal Lake surrounding the erupting volcano, appealed for troops and additional police to be deployed to stop distraught residents from sneaking back to their high-risk coastal villages.

After months of restiveness that began last year, Taal suddenly rumbled back to life Sunday, blasting steam, ash and pebbles up to 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) into the sky, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The government volcano-monitoring agency raised the danger level around Taal three notches to level 4, indicating “an imminent hazardous eruption.” Level 5, the highest, means a hazardous eruption is underway and could affect a larger area with high-risk zones that would need to be cleared of people, said Renato Solidum, who heads the institute.

Ma. Antonio Bornas, the agency’s chief volcanologist, said lava spurted out in fountains from the volcano early Monday while its ash and steam ejections eased. It’s hard to tell when the eruption would stop, she said, citing Taal’s similar restiveness in the 1970s that lasted for about four months.

The volcanology institute reminded the public that the small island where the volcano lies is a “permanent danger zone,” although fishing villages have existed there for years. It stressed that the “total evacuation” of people on the volcano island and coastal areas “at high risk to pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami within a 14-kilometer (8.7-mile) radius from Taal.”

Authorities continue to detect swarms of earthquakes, some of them felt with rumbling sounds, and a slight inflation of portions of the 1,020-foot (311-meter) volcano, officials said and advised residents to stay indoors and wear masks and goggles outdoors.

Government work and classes in schools in a wide swath of towns and cities were suspended Monday, including in Manila, to avoid health risks posed by the ashfall.

One of the world’s smallest volcanoes, Taal is among two dozen active volcanoes in the Philippines, which lies along the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

About 20 typhoons and other major storms each year also lash the Philippines, which lies between the Pacific and the South China Sea, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

[Juan F Martinez]

MEXICO: 01-09-2020 The National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED) reported that at 06:33 am local time, an explosion with moderate ash content was detected in the Popocatepetl volcano, the column presented a height of 3 km, with a northeast direction. 

[Derrick Johnson]

Up to 20 people are injured with some fighting for life after a volcano erupts off the coast of New Zealand - as horror photos show tour group INSIDE the crater moments before it blew

• White Island, 48km from the Bay of Plenty region, began erupting about 2.15pm
• Thick, white plumes of smoke are filling the sky around the New Zealand island
• Up to 100 people were reportedly on or near the island when it erupted

Up to 20 people have been injured - some critically - after a volcano erupted off the coast of New Zealand. 

Dramatic footage has emerged of the eruption, which happened at Whakaari/White Island, just off New Zealand's coastline, at about 2.15pm local time on Monday. 

Tourists on a boat travelling toward the island were rushed inside as plumes of thick, grey smoke billowed out of the caverns and in their direction.

A man with an American accent could be heard saying 'we've got to get out of here' in the clip.  

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern initially said there were about 100 people on or around the island at the time of the eruption and not all were accounted for. 

Police have since confirmed that number is closer to 50, and said while some have been transported to shore, others are still missing. 

'Of those transported to shore, at least one has been critically injured,' a spokesman said.

'Emergency services are working to ensure the safety of everyone involved, including rescue staff.'

A rescue operation is currently underway to save people who were pictured inside the crater at 2.10pm, minutes before the explosion, on the White Island Crater Rim camera.  

Other shots from the camera, displayed online every 10 minutes, showed the blast before the camera went black. 

A second, slightly smaller eruption went off at 3.45pm, according to local fishermen. 

Tourists from cruise liner Ovation of the Seas were visiting the island on Monday morning, according to the company's chief executive Mark Cairns.

He said the majority of those injured in the eruption are from the ship.

Judy Turner, the Mayor of Whakatane also confirmed tourists on the island have been injured.  

A spokeswoman for Tourism Bay of Plenty said Volcanic Helicopters and one boat have still not been accounted for. 

A White Island Tours boat carrying visitors was also close to the island, which is 48kms from the Bay of Plenty. 

Calvin Kingi, who works for the tour company, posted on Facebook saying his group got out just in time.

'White Island just erupted as we left, we have our work mates and a tour still on the island, I hope they okay,' he wrote. 

An emergency operation centre has reportedly been established at Whakatane Hospital. 

Family members of people who were on the island at the time are slowly arriving on the wharf, waiting for any updates, according to local media. 

Seven rescue helicopters are on the way to the island while others situated nearby are on standby.

Thick, black plumes of smoke are still filling the sky around the island.

There is a 'possibility of a very large eruption' under the level four coding, as well as a further chance of a flank eruption, which is when simultaneous explosions occur around the volcano rather than from the summit alone.

Whakaari is New Zealand's only active marine volcano, and is also the nation's most active, with regular eruptions since 2012.

The most recent eruption prior to today was minor, and occurred in 2016.

At least 70 per cent of the volcano is under sea level, and a single crater makes up most of the island, which is frequently visited by tourists. 

Geological hazard trackers GeoNet had registered moderate volcanic unrest on the island for weeks, before the eruption began at 12:10pm AEDT. 

The local council says New Zealand Police and Bay of Plenty Civil Defence are working together to respond. 

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7770695/Volcano-erupts-coa...

[Gerard Zwaan]

A spectacular week for volcano activity: Sakurajima and Aso volcanoes in Japan: Klyuchevskoy Volcano in Russia: Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano and Fuego volcano all active

Smoke was seen rising from the Sakurajima Volcano in Japan

Smoke was seen rising from the Sakurajima Volcano in Kagoshima, Japan, on November 28, with the area impacted by a number of days of volcanic activity. In total, “nine eruptions and eight explosions were detected between November 25 and 29 November 2019,” according to VolcanoDiscovery.com. The same report, which cites the Japanese Meteorological Agency, stated that the plume of smoke from the volcano reached 14,400-feet in altitude, resulting in a large amount of sulfur dioxide being released. The Japanese Meteorological Agency forecasted ashfall in the area on the same date. The dramatic scene comes three weeks after the largest explosion at the volcano in three years. Yahoo

 On the 30th of Nov 2019 Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Tokyo (VAAC) issued an ash advisory warning at the Aso volcano in Japan. Volcano Discovery

Explosive activity continues at the Klyuchevskoy Volcano in Russia. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Tokyo warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 18000 ft (5500 m) altitude or flight level 180 and is moving at 15 kts in SE direction. Volcano Discovery

Guatemala’s most dangerous colossus the Fire, or Fuego volcano has been showing violent and eruptive behaviour since November the 19th. The latest eruption has spewed ash and gas emissions  This activity originates ash columns that reached approximate heights of 4,800 meters above sea level (15,748 feet) and travelled 20 km west and southwest. Full story

A spectacular explosion was caught on film on November the 28th at the Mexican colossus Popocatepetl Volcano, see video below.

 

Source: https://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/11/a-spectacular-week-for-volcano...

[Recall 15]

Guatemala´s Santiaguito Volcano presents seismic activity,

registering avalanches that go from moderate to strong, with a route to the base of the volcano, these original ash rising towards the Southwest flank.
From: Conred/INSIVUMEH

https://twitter.com/ConredGuatemala/status/1200472745743663104/phot...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1210495/volcano-eruption-today...

Volcano eruption today: Huge volcano in Guatemala ERUPTS - 3 explosions an HOUR

VOLCANO eruptions at Guatemala’s Santa Maria volcano this month saw up to three explosions per hour at the mountain’s summit, according to recent reports.

PUBLISHED: 13:02, Thu, Nov 28, 2019

According to INVISUMEH, explosions surfaced at Santa Maria one to three times per day from November 20 to 26.

The eruptions sent “avalanches” of material descending towards the east, west and southwest flanks of the mountain.

Explosions also coughed out a billowing plume of smoke into the sky, reaching 1,698-2,952 metres above Santa Maria’s 12,000-foot height and drifting towards the west and southwest.

Some of this ash fell locally, around El Faro, Santa Maria, and Viejo Palma.

At the Pacaya volcano, to the southeast of Santa Maria, activity was much quieter.

During the same six-day period, officials detected only weak strombolian activity, defined by mild blasts and incandescent cinders.

According to INVISUMEH, lava flows are still active to the northwest of the mountain and reach 400 metres.

Material which caused avalanches at the site was ejected 75 metres above the volcano’s summit.

INVISUMEH reported more violent activity at Guatemala’s infamous El Fuego volcano.

From November 20 to 26, the organisation recorded six to 15 explosions per hour ash El Fuego’s crater rim, which generated ash clouds rising 3,600 feet.

INVISUMEH also noted “incandescent“ material ejected from the site to heights of 100 to 450 metres, which caused avalanches of material travelling long-distances.

Lava flows also remain active at the site, and as of November 24, are 300 to 800 metres long.

El Fuego is Guatemala’s most dangerous volcano, and its most recent eruption cycle began in 2002.

The volcano made headlines last year when it violently erupted with little warning.

On June 3, 2018, the volcano sent ash rocketing nearly four miles above its summit and generated a super-heated pyroclastic flow which cascaded down the mountain and into local communities.

Some 200 people are thought to have died in the chaos, as the sudden nature of the eruption left little time for evacuation.

[Juan F Martinez]

Africa is Splitting in Two, Creating Dozens of Volcanoes  November 19, 2019

The process of rifting in Africa means that the continent is slowly breaking apart and with that comes lots of volcanoes, some with the potential for massive explosive eruptions.

The modern geography of Earth is created by the plate tectonic engine that runs in our planet. What we see as familiar maps today would have looked very different 50 million, 500 million, 3 billion years ago. That's because the continents shift over time at rates of centimeters per year.

This might not seem like much, but over geologic time, that means they can collide and separate multiple times. At some points in Earth's history, we had supercontinents, when all the landmasses were one. Today, we're almost at the opposite end of the spectrum, with many continents far apart.

Currently, we only have one location where a continent is busy splitting itself apart, and that's the East African Rift. This part of the African continent extends to the southwest from Eritrea and represents one part of a three-armed rift system. The other two parts have separated to the point where new ocean crust has formed, creating the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This is the boundary between the African and Arabian plates.

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/all-the-volcanoes-mad...

However, the third arm has not produced any new ocean, at least not yet. Instead, we have a valley that extends into the heart of Africa where the continent is spreading apart. This spreading likely started some 25 to 30 million years ago. With the spreading comes volcanism ... and a lot of it. There are only a few places on Earth with as many volcanoes as the East African Rift in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The Terra MODIS image above shows just how extensive that volcanism is. Volcanoes start in the Red Sea itself, with islands like Zukur and Hanish. The tiny dot off the coast of Yemen is Jebal Al-Tair, a volcanic island that last erupted in 2007, with lava flows reaching the sea.

Once you head inland, you run into the beast of Erta'Ale, with its active lava lake at the summit. The volcano is almost 60 miles (100 kilometers) from end to end. Lots of smaller cones on its slopes, like Bora Ale and Gada Ale, have produced most of the lava flows. Ale Bagu, on the other hand, is a basaltic volcano with a much more explosive history.

Just off the shores of the Red Sea is Dubbi, a large stratovolcano that, in 1861, sent lava flows more than a dozen miles (22km) down its slopes, produced 19 craters at the summit and rained ash 180 miles (300km) from the volcano. To the south at the border with Djibouti, Manda-Inakir formed a new cinder cone during eruptions in 1928-'29.

The dark ash plume from Nabro can be spotted just to the east (right) of Erta'Ale. In 2011, Nabro produced an eruption that unleashed lava flows and a large ash and gas plume. Even with its remote location, the eruption killed seven people and may have played a role in slight atmospheric cooling the following year. Nabro is a bimodal volcano that erupts hot and runny basalt as well as sticky rhyolite, so this eruption was much more passive than previous ones at this large caldera volcano.

The dark smudge below Erta'Ale is Alayta, another basaltic volcano. It last erupted in 1915 and its 1907 eruption sent a large lava flow down its slopes. Yet, right next to Alatya is Afderà, a rhyolite volcano that sits on the nexus of three faults. This is another example of the bimodal character of the East African Rift -- a lot of close volcanoes erupting low silica basalt or high-silica rhyolite and not a lot in between. In 2005, there was an ash-rich eruption from Dabbahu, south of Erta'Ale that caused 6,000 people to be evacuated.

Things Get Explosive

Near the bottom of the image, Alutu sits between two lakes and has over 300,000 people living within less than 20 miles (30km) of the volcano. It has a history of explosive eruptions of rhyolite and obsidian flows. The most recent was only about 2,000 years ago. This is joined by Tullu Moje, another rhyolitic volcano to the north of Alutu, that erupted as recently as 1900.

Two calderas lurk to the very south of the East African Rift in Ethiopia. The O'a and Corbetti calderas are both rhyolite volcanoes with very large explosive eruptions in their past. They are also some of the most potentially hazardous volcanoes on the planet, with over 450,000 and 1.1 million people living with a couple dozen miles of each of them, respectively. Neither are known to have erupted in historical times, but both are potentially active volcanoes.

This isn't even all the volcanism of the East African Rift. Volcanoes like Ol Doinyo Lengai, Kilimanjaro and Nyiragongo lie to the south of this shot.

The process of splitting a continent -- or even just trying to -- can be incredibly geologically active. The shear number of volcanoes in the East African Rift show just how powerful it can be.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/11/08/Japans-Mount-Sak...

Nov. 8, 2019 / 1:55 PM

Japan's Mount Sakurajima volcano makes largest eruption in 3 years

Friday's eruption of Japan's Mount Sakurajima volcano sent a plume of ash 3.4 miles into the air. Photo courtesy Japan Meteorological Agency/Kagoshima

Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Japan's Mount Sakurajima volcano erupted again Friday -- only this time sending out its largest plume in three years, officials said.

The eruption ejected smoke and debris more than 3 miles into the air, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The explosions in the mountain's Minamidake crater, at 3,412 feet in elevation, darkened skies over Kyushu island in southwest Japan and formed the largest ash cloud since 2016.

Kagoshima Prefecture officials said there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

"Explosive activity continues," the weather agency's Volcanic Ash Advisory Center warned on Thursday. It referred to an ash plume that rose to 7,000 feet, threatening planes flying nearby.

Pulverized rock in volcanic ash can get stuck inside jet engines and stall airliners in flight. A British Airways Boeing 747 lost all four engines after flying through an ash cloud over waters off Indonesia in 1982. The crew managed to restart the engines on both occasions and landed safely.

The Japanese agency said volcanic activity is expected to continue, although debris flows of lava are expected only around a small radius surrounding the crater.

The Kagoshima branch of the weather agency rated the volcano as Level 2 Friday, indicating "Do not approach the crater."

Japan's most active volcano, Mount Sakurajima sits on a peninsula that was formerly an island. Lava from a 1914 eruption connected it with the Osumi Peninsula on Kyushu island.

[Juan F Martinez]

Underwater Volcano Erupts in Tonga – Ash and Gas Plume Reaches 17,000ft – Aviation VONA Alert Increased to Orange  10-15-2019

https://strangesounds.org/2019/10/tonga-volcano-eruption-aviation-l...