Volcanoes
Scientists say lava flow and ash and gas emissions have intensified at a second Ecuadorean volcano, Reventador, as the full-bore eruption of the Tungurahua cone continues. Ecuador's Geophysics Institute says the lava flow on Reventador's southern flank has increased since Saturday but poses no immediate threat to villagers in the region 60 miles (100) kilometers) east of the capital, Quito. The 11,400-foot (3,475-meter) volcano is nearly three times that distance from Tungurahua to the southwest. It has been roaring since Sunday, when 200 people were evacuated from its flanks and one pyroclastic blast was heard as far away as the coastal city of Guayaquil. Tungurahua is 16,480 feet (5,023 meters) high and has been active since 1999. Reventador had its last big eruption in November 2002. - Big Story
The Tungurahua Volcano, located in Ecuador's central Andean region, registered a major explosion on Sunday with a stronger eruption that spewed ash and rocks into the atmosphere, according to the Geophysics Institute of the National Polytechnic School (IGEPN).
The explosion caused a boom that could be heard in several cities, including Riobamba and Ambato in central Ecuador and Guayaquil in the southwest, and communities close to the volcano also felt ground tremors, said the IGEPN which is in charge of monitoring volcanic activity in a report.
The eruption scattered ash, rocks and other volcanic fragments into the sky, but due to cloud cover over the region it was impossible to determine how high the column of ash rose, the IGEPN said.
However, eyewitnesses said the ash could be seen as far away as the capital Quito.
The 5,016-meter-high volcano has been active since 1999, with alternating periods of increased activity and relative calm.
© Associated Press
A man walks on rocks and ashes spewed by the Tungurahua volcano in the outskirts of Cusua, Tungurahua province, Ecuador
A man walks on rocks and ashes spewed by the Tungurahua volcano in the outskirts of Cusua, Tungurahua province, Ecuador
The eruption scattered ash, rocks and other volcanic fragments into the sky, but due to cloud cover over the region it was impossible to determine how high the column of ash rose, the IGEPN said.
However, eyewitnesses said the ash could be seen as far away as the capital Quito.
The 5,016-meter-high volcano has been active since 1999, with alternating periods of increased activity and relative calm.
Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano is keeping up its recent activity, emitting 39 exhalations of "low to moderate magnitude" over the last 24 hours, according to El Universal. Ash, gases and steam expelled out of the volcano's crater this morning reached well over a mile in the air, said Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center (Cenapred) in a statement. The lava dome on "El Popo" - the mound of viscous magma which, being extruded from the crater's vent, dries and piles up not far from it - continued to swell. Overnight, glowing fragments expelled from the inside of the volcano could be seen on its slopes. El Universal wrote that one of the most significant emission of ash, steam and gas occurred today at 7:00 this morning. The volcano also registered tremors of "high and low frequency" as well as medium-sized micro-tremors occurring as a result of the movement of magma over the course of several hours.
"El Popo," one of several nicknames by which the Popocatépetl volcano is known by nearby residents, is located in Puebla state, about 43 miles southeast of Mexico City. With roughly 25 million people living in the region around the volcano, the Mexican Government is keeping an eye on this one. Ash from recent fits of activity in the past few weeks have reached as far as Milpa Alta, one of the southernmost boroughs of the capital. - Latin Times
The intensity of the current eruptive phase for Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano remains high. A phase of particularly strong tremor accompanying continuous explosions and ash emissions occurred this morning. As a consequence of the elevated activity, CENAPRED raised the alert level to Yellow, Phase 3. An exclusion zone of 12 km radius around the volcano is in place. During the (intermittent) eruptions, a steam and ash plume is rising about 3 km above the crater. A giant SO2 plume can be seen drifting north from Popocatepétl, which is notorious of its large SO2 output during eruptions. -Volcano Discovery
Comment: To put things in perspective, we have decided to put these video summaries in one place. For context on recent weather and geological changes, listen to our podcast on the subject:
Ice Age Cometh? Extreme Weather Events and 'Climate Change'
The massive earthquakes that struck Japan and Chile in 2011 and 2010, respectively, sank several big volcanoes by up to 6 inches (15 centimeters), two new studies report.
This is the first time scientists have seen a string of volcanoes drop after an earthquake. Even though the mountains are on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean, their descents look remarkably similar. The two teams have different explanations for why the volcanoes sank, according to the studies, published today (June 30) in the journal Nature Geoscience. However, both groups agree it's likely scientists will discover more examples of drooping volcanoes after big earthquakes, and find a single mechanism that controls the process.
"It's amazing, the parallels between them," said Matthew Pritchard, a geophysicist at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and lead author of one of the studies. "I think it makes a really strong case that this is a ubiquitous process."
Volcanic eruptions rage in Alaska: Geologist, "for some reason we can't explain, activity picked up"
According to scientists at the federal-state Alaska Volcano Observatory, the latest phase of Alaska volcano eruptions started late on Monday and continued through the night into Tuesday. The blasts emanate from the crater of a 8,261 foot volcano. Tina Neal, an geologist at the observatory said, "For some reason we can't explain, it picked up in intensity and vigor.' In May, Alaska volcano eruptions sent a smaller ash cloud 15,000 feet into the air. The ash was visible for miles. Residents were worried that it would damage power generators. The ash plume has so far topped of at an altitude of 28,000 feet, which is too low in the air to affect major air traffic, but high enough that small planes have to fly around it.
Energy shift? Popocatépetl volcano growing more violent, Philippine volcano shaken by 15 earthquakes
A Supermoon, a geomagnetic storm from a CME, and the advent of the summer solstice- did these forces create a energy shift in planetary processes within Earth’s interior? Volcanoes across the planet have suddenly become more agitated.
Seismic activity has picked up, suggesting that the volcano could be headed for more vigorous activity soon. SO2 emissions on NOAA recent satellite data have been relatively high as well. A magnitude 3.6 volcanic quake occurred on Tuesday night 23:57 local time and was located SE of the crater at 2 km depth. Over 3 hours of low frequency and short amplitude tremor were recorded. An earthquake swarms occurred yesterday as well and another one seems to have started an hour ago. The rate of small to moderate steam and ash explosions was reported to about 2 per hour during yesterday, with ash plumes reaching up to 1-2 km height above the crater. Ashfall has been reported at Tepetlixpa and Ecatzingo. On 25 June, with the support of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Navy of México, a reconnaissance flight over Popocatepetl´s crater was carried out. It could be observed that the inner crater has grown to 250 m in diameter and 60 m depth, as a result of the explosions of recent days. No other changes could be seen. (CENAPRED) - Volcano Discovery
Showers of ash were reported in the village of Klyuchi in the Ust-Kamchatsky district forcing authorities to distribute gas masks among residents, Interfax said.
Local residents said that the streets are covered with a layer of ash and that there is a strong smell of sulphur in the air. The village is located 47 kilometers away from the volcano.
The plume of ash, spewed into the air by the Shiveluch volcano Thursday morning, reached a height of 10 kilometers above sea level.
All public facilities in the village continue to function despite the ashfall, while local firefighters and rescuers are sending out text messages warning people to stay inside.
The Emergency Situations Ministry's local office said the lives of local residents were not in danger.
Comment: SOTT.net can explain it: the recent localized heatwave is probably the result of increased underwater and land-based volcanic activity, which in turn is the result of Earth Changes brought on by the grounding of the electrical current running through the solar system. Listen to this episode of SOTT Talk Radio to find out more!