© Earth Observatory / NASA
SOTT
SIGNS
OF THE
TIMES
OF THE
TIMES
Welcome to Sott.net
The World for People who Think
VolcanoesS
Despite being classified as a "minor" (menor, in Spanish) eruption, Chile's Puyehue Cordón-Caulle Volcano continues to pump out large amounts of ash. This natural-color satellite image shows the pale plume blowing to the northeast of the active vent.
According to SERNAGEOMIN, the Chilean National Service of Geology and Mining, ash rose to a height of 5 kilometers (3 miles), and blew as far as 300 km (190 miles) from the volcano. Wide-area satellite images show the full length of the plume, and ash covering the Argentinian plains to the east of Puyehue Cordón-Caulle.
The submarine volcanic eruption that began in mid-October in the Canary Islands continued in early November 2011. The volcanic island of El Hierro sits on a tectonic hot spot in the Atlantic Ocean off of North Africa and Spain.
The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this natural-color image of El Hierro and a plume of volcanic material in the surrounding waters on November 2, 2011. The waters south of the island have been bubbling and fizzing with heat, sediment, bits of volcanic rock, and minerals for weeks, with the plume stretching tens of kilometers.
The eruption is believed to be venting about 50 to 100 meters below the water surface, and it is warming the waters by as much as 10 degrees Celsius, according to geologist and blogger Erik Klimetti. The temperature of erupting basalt can be as hot as 1100 to 1200 degrees C, he notes.
The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this natural-color image of El Hierro and a plume of volcanic material in the surrounding waters on November 2, 2011. The waters south of the island have been bubbling and fizzing with heat, sediment, bits of volcanic rock, and minerals for weeks, with the plume stretching tens of kilometers.
© NASA, Jesse Allen and Robert SimmonALI data from the EO-1 Team, November 2, 2011.
© USGS
However, had he added, people should be held in compliance with the rules of hygiene to protect against such volcanic ash released by the volcano.
During the last eruption of this volcano in January 2010, the lava had burned over 11 hectares of the forest of the Virunga Park, which extends over 790,000 ha. World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1979, the Virunga National Park is home to various species of mammals (hippos, gorillas ...), reptiles and birds.
The eruptions of Nyamulagira May 2004 and November 2006 had made the most active volcano in Africa.
Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo volcanoes are two of eight active volcanoes that make up the Virunga chain, located in the Virunga National Park in eastern DRC.
A 3.8 magnitude earthquake occurred at 13.41 hours, in latitude 27.7886, longitude -18.0469 with an estimated depth of 21 kilometers, in line with those that occurred during late Thursday night and Friday morning. In this way, and during the day Friday, El Hierro has produced a total of 24 earthquakes- the 3.8 that has been the strongest. Fear of new and powerful earthquakes continues to spread in El Hierro. This morning, the island has recorded twelve new earthquakes, which have ranged from 2 to 3 degrees of intensity, as reported Canarias 7 citing National Geographic Institute.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the direction of Civil Protection Plan for Volcanic Risk said Border seismic events correspond to the stage of La Restinga underwater eruption, which began on 10 October. Specifically, there have been twelve new earthquakes that have had an intensity of 2 to 3 degrees as reported by sources of IGN Canarias 7 newspaper. On Thursday, officials of the Civil Protection Plan for Volcanic Risk assured the public that the latest seismic events, which have intensified in recent days, corresponds to the scene of the submarine eruption of La Restinga, which began on 10 October.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the direction of Civil Protection Plan for Volcanic Risk said Border seismic events correspond to the stage of La Restinga underwater eruption, which began on 10 October. Specifically, there have been twelve new earthquakes that have had an intensity of 2 to 3 degrees as reported by sources of IGN Canarias 7 newspaper. On Thursday, officials of the Civil Protection Plan for Volcanic Risk assured the public that the latest seismic events, which have intensified in recent days, corresponds to the scene of the submarine eruption of La Restinga, which began on 10 October.
© Noah FinneganUturunca volcano in southwestern Bolivia.
So far, they know the inflation is surprisingly fast: the center of the patch has risen 7.9 inches (20 centimeters) in the past 20 years. What is more, the uplift extends about 43 miles (70 kilometers) across -- similar in size to the caldera that formed in the wake of the latest eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano, which blanketed half of the U.S. in ash 640,000 years ago.
At the center of all recent intrigue is Uturuncu, a nearly 20,000-foot (6,000 meter) ancient volcano long given up for dead. Based on the spewage from its last eruption, 300,000 years ago, it would not qualify as a supervolcano on its own. (Its peers are far tamer, including Mount St. Helens in Washington state). But Uturunca could be drawing magma from a dense swarm of nearby volcanoes, many of which are currently active.
The big question is how much magma has accumulated so far. Based on Uturunca's rate of inflation, scientists calculated the magma chamber has been growing by about 27 cubic feet (1 cubic meter) per second. But for how long? Amassing magma at that rapid clip for thousands of years would make for a serious amount of fuel for an eruption. Or maybe its only just begun gathering steam. The rate measurements are based on satellite data the go back only 20 years.
The warning came just over a week after the end of the first eruption, which forced a village on the island to be evacuated.
The offshore eruption began at a depth of over 100 meters below sea level on Oct. 10 off the southern coast of El Hierro, the smallest and most westerly of the Canary Islands, a group of islands off the western coast of Africa, which are governed by Spain.
It led to the creation of a stain caused by emissions of sulphur, pumice stone and magma which extended beyond El Hierro.
Although the first eruption died down and seismic activity began to fade, it has gained momentum again in recent days with El Hierro suffering over 120 earth tremors with the strongest reaching 3.9 on the Richter scale on Sunday.
In contrast to the first eruption, there are signs that a second eruption could happen off the northern coast of El Hierro.
© AP Photo/Aysen Regional GovernmentOct. 27, 2011: Chile's Hudson Volcano released three huge columns of steam and ash that combined in a cloud more than 3 miles high.
Chilean officials evacuated 119 people from the immediate area, and other nearby residents prepared to flee as melting snow and ice caused the Aysen river to overflow its banks.
The steam and ash was coming from three craters, ranging from 650 feet to 1,600 feet wide, and with earthquakes shaking the mountain, a major eruption could occur within hours or days, Chile's national geology service said. Already, a plume of ash and steam spread 7.5 miles to the southeast, toward Argentina.
A second, more intense swarm of tremors erupted shortly thereafter; including two 3.0 magnitude tremors - one inside the caldera of the volcano and one erupted on the parameter under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.
Unrest at Katla has been intermittent but almost continuous since April. Geologists are monitoring activity at the volcano closely for any changes which could produce a hazardous flood-threat scenario for people living within the vicinity of the summit.
© RapidEyeA satellite image taken on Oct. 23 shows a sea of underwater ash off the coast of El Hierro that is already bigger than the island itself.
It hasn't yet reached the surface, but residents of the Canary Islands have taken to the internet to suggest names for a potential new islet. There are already more than 500 suggestions. Favorites include "The Discovery," "Atlantis" and "The Best." Meanwhile Spanish newspapers are taking a different approach to the subject, debating who would take responsibility for the new territory.
© n/aHudson volcano erupts in Chile
It notes that 15 events recorded magnitudes (ML) greater than 3.0 and three (3) of these magnitudes (ML) greater than 4.0, all characterized by having more to do with broken rock (VT) at 00: local 20 hours today, Wednesday, October 26, an earthquake associated with fluid movement and characterized by very low frequency (long period - VLP), located in the same area at a depth of 15 km, with a magnitude (ML) equal to 4.3. The seismic swarm continues at the time of issuance of this report with less intensity. The preceding activity indicates that the volcanic system has experienced changes in their dynamics, possibly associated magmatic activity at depth, which in the future the system can lead to imbalance. (Source: Sernageomin -translated)
