Volcanoes

Mount Etna erupts for the 11th time in 3 weeks

Nicole Bonaccorso
The Weather Channel
Wed, 10 Mar 2021 14:00 UTC

Europe's largest active volcano, Mount Etna in Sicily, has seen a very active past three weeks. On Wednesday, the volcano erupted for the eleventh time in under a month.

Wednesday's early morning eruption sent rocks and lava spewing into the dark sky and created a large river of lava that cascaded down the volcano's slopes. According to local reports, the eruption occurred in the southeast crater at about 4:30 a.m.

Photos above show the spectacular lava fountains of Etna's most recent eruption, as well as the eruptions that have occurred since mid-February.

34,000 quakes in two weeks near Fagradalsfjall volcano, Iceland - 900% increase in activity compared with whole of 2020

Volcano Discovery
Wed, 10 Mar 2021 15:29 UTC

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) announced earlier today, that the total number of earthquakes in the region has exceeded 34,000 since the onset of the seismic swarm about 2 weeks ago.

For comparison, it had about 3,400 quakes in the whole of 2020, which also had shown elevated activity, while the average during the previous years was in the range of 1,000-3,000 quakes per year.

Comment: It certainly seems that seismic and volcanic activity have increased recently:

Also check out SOTT radio's:

Strombolian & lava fountain eruptions at Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano, Russia

DBXY News
YouTube
Tue, 09 Mar 2021 12:10 UTC

The highest active volcano in Russia Eurasia and one of the world's most active volcanoes.

It has a large active crater with frequent strombolian and lava fountain eruptions.

Spectacular view March 09, 2021.

Powerful eruption of Sangay volcano in Ecuador

YouTube
Wed, 10 Mar 2021 11:49 UTC

The eruption of Sangay volcano in Ecuador - 06/03/2021.

Nicaragua's San Cristobal volcano erupts, showering nearby city in ash

ABC News
Wed, 10 Mar 2021 00:57 UTC

Nicaragua's San Cristobal volcano erupted Tuesday, showering the northwestern city of Chinandega in ash.

Video from the scene showed dramatically reduced visibility in Chinandega early Tuesday afternoon and the sound of cinders falling onto homes, cars and streets.

"I was having lunch at home when the great blast came out and the sky started to darken,"said lawyer Pablo Medina, who lives about 4 miles (7 kilometers) from Nicaragua's tallest volcano. He said an intense odor of sulfur engulfed his home and ash coated everything.

"It was a rapid eruption, a single big explosion and then the volcano spent some 30 minutes spewing gases," said writer Jorge Lenín Duarte, a cultural promoter in Chinandega.

Comment: The recent uptick in volcanic activity worldwide continues.

Could Iceland be entering a volcanic period?

Vala Hafstað
Iceland Monitor
Fri, 05 Mar 2021 17:49 UTC

© Map/Vísindavefurinn
Volcanic systems on the Reykjanes peninsula are shown in pink. The red lines indicate the tectonic plate boundary, where earthquakes are common. Geothermal areas are marked in yellow. Black lines indicate fissure swarms.

"If an eruption occurs, it would likely mark the beginning of such a [volcanic] period - lasting a few centuries, I believe," states Magnús Á. Sigurgeirsson, geologist at ÍSOR Iceland GeoSurvey - a consulting and research institute in the field of geothermal sciences and utilization.

"That's at least how it has been the past three times, and even dating further back, but we don't have as exact data available on that," he tells mbl.is . He is referring to the uncertainty regarding whether an eruption can be expected soon on the Reykjanes peninsula, Southwest Iceland.

Magnús assembled data on the past three volcanic periods in the area. These were 3,000-3,500 years ago, 1,900-2,400 years ago, and finally between the years 800 and 1240 AD. His information is based on geological maps of the Reykjanes peninsula and on a comprehensive book on volcanic eruptions in Iceland called Náttúruvá á Íslandi, eldgos og jarðskjálftar.

© Graphic/mbl.is
Although the list of eruptions is in Icelandic, you can see the dates of the eruptions and the corresponding lava fields.

Swarm of 20,000 earthquakes could trigger Iceland's volcanoes to erupt

Joanna Taylor
The Independent
Sun, 07 Mar 2021 16:31 UTC

© AFP via Getty Images
Aerial view of the Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland, some 50 kilometres west of the capital Reykjavik – one of the three most seismically active areas on the planet.

Fiery eruptions spewing from Iceland's volcanoes could follow the tens of thousands of earthquakes that have shaken the nation over the past fortnight, scientists fear.

Experts monitoring underground magma movements in the Reykjanes Peninsula, in southwest Iceland, are on tenterhooks. Seismic whispers and changes in the land's shape mean an "effusive volcanic eruption could occur", according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO). But so far, nothing has happened.

"That's something new. We didn't expect that," Dr Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at Lancaster University said. The researcher told National Geographic that "people started wondering, what the hell is going on here?" when magma moving towards the earth's surface began to die down - after an eruption appeared to be just hours away.

Murmurs in the region, first detected over a year ago, have culminated in more than 20,000 earthquakes since activity began on 24 February, according to the IMO.

Comment: Scientists in Iceland say 'strong signs' volcanic eruption is imminent

Mount Etna erupts for the 10th time in 3 weeks, raining rocks and ash down on Catania, Sicily

Sebastian Kettley
Daily Express, UK
Mon, 08 Mar 2021 15:19 UTC

Ash and rocks rained down on nearby towns in Sicily

Europe's biggest and most active volcano has been erupting since mid-February, raining ash and smoke over Sicily's eastern coast. Mount Etna last erupted at 2am local time (1am GMT) on Sunday, March 7, in a spectacular display of nature's fireworks. The eruption, or paroxysm, saw "impressive lava fountains" shoot into the sky from Etna's northeast crater, according to volcanologists at Volcano Discovery.

Activity picked up in the wee morning hours on Sunday after three days of relative peace and quiet.

Volcano Discovery said: "This marks the 10th paroxysm in a row in a remarkable series since February 16.

"Intervals between individual eruptions have been regular, ranging between 36 hours to 3.5 days only, and there are no signs that this series is ending soon."

Lava fountaining at Etna's crater was preceded by a spike in volcanic tremors - a surefire sign of magma rushing to the surface.

The volcano belched a column of ash and smoke that left nearby towns covered in ash and was even picked up by satellites, according to BBC Weather.

A report issued by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Toulouse (VAAC) on Sunday warned of sulphur dioxide (SO2) mixed with ice and some ash in the clouds around the volcano.

Ecuador's Sangay volcano erupts with ash plume 27000 ft high

Volcano Discovery
Sun, 07 Mar 2021 00:13 UTC

Satellite image of Sangay volcano on 6 Mar 2021

Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Washington warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 27000 ft (8200 m) altitude or flight level 270 and is moving at 15 kts in W direction.

The full report is here.

Comment: Is there a connection between cosmic rays, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?