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Waking supervolcano in North Korea prompts rare collaboration with Western scientists

Mount Paektu in North Korea
© Raymond Cunningham/GettyThe crater atop Mount Paektu

Rare example of collaboration with isolationist regime's researchers helps reveal secrets of one of the world's largest volcanoes


If it blows again, it could make Vesuvius look like a tea party.

Now, in a ground-breaking collaboration between the West and North Korea, vulcanologists are gaining new insights into Mount Paektu, on North Korea's border with China, and whether it might blow its top any time soon.

If it does, the outcome could be catastrophic. Paektu's last eruption, a thousand years ago, is the second largest ever recorded, topped only by the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815.

"If it erupted, it would have impacts way beyond Korea and China," says James Hammond of Birkbeck, University of London, one of the scientists involved.

In 946 AD, the eruption of Mount Paektu, Korea's highest mountain, blasted 96 cubic kilometres of debris into the sky, 30 times more than the relatively puny 3.3 cubic kilometres that Vesuvius spewed over Pompeii in AD 79.

Yet despite is size and the potential impact of an eruption, little is known about this enigmatic volcano.

Bizarro Earth

Mount Aso volcano erupts after deadly earthquakes in Japan

Mount Aso
© Associated Press
After a series of deadly earthquakes in Japan, a "small-scale" eruption of Mount Aso has been recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency. However, it decided to keep the alert level at 2, as it was not immediately clear whether the natural disasters were related.

Plumes of smoke rose some 100 meters into the sky, according to local media and videos captured by witnesses. The eruption of Mt. Aso, located in southern Japan, was recorded at around 11:30pm GMT Friday.


Arrow Up

Increased activity at Fuego volcano, Guatemala

Fuego volcano eruption
© Clima Guatemala / TwitterFuego volcano explosion observed from Acatenango
The volcanic activity of the Fuego volcano is increasing in Guatemala. The last loud eruption on April 12, 2016 was heard over an area of 15km, rocked the roof and windows of houses located 15 km from the volcanic peak and sent a column of ash and gases 4km in the air.

It's not only the Santa Maria volcano, but also the Fuego volcano that shows an enhanced explosive activity in Guatemala these days .

According to Insivumeh, the National Institute for Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology of Guatemala, the Fuego volcano heavily exploded four to 6 times on April 12, 2016 sending a column of ash 4800 meters above sea level.

Here a timelapse video showing the explosions:


Fire

Rumbling Africa volcano Nyiragongo has Goma Observatory experts concerned

volcano Africa Nyirangongo
© The Weather NetworkNyirangongo volcano in new phase of activity
The question I keep getting when I tell people that I jumped into Nyiragongo, an active volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo is: "What did you do to the mountain!?"

It's an odd question, but it makes sense when you realize that Nyiragongo is suddenly undergoing a new, more active phase. And it's got the volcanologists at the Goma Observatory worried.

New activity in the crater over the last few weeks has spurred the scientists into action as a new vent has opened up on the ledge just above the lava lake. This was preceded by a series of earthquakes that knocked large rocks off the crater walls that I had only recently scaled.

The ledge that the vent opened on is the one that I didn't make it down to, but the rest of the team did. However, I did stand directly above the area in which it opened, but, at the time, I took no notice of the nondescript ground far below me. I had zero inkling that less then 10 days after I left, magma would boil out of a newly formed crack in the earth.

The vent has formed on the side of the caldera closest to the city of Goma at the base of the mountain. In addition, new fumoroles (gas and steam vents) have opened up on the flank of the volcano close to where lava erupted in the 2002 eruption. In that eruption, 147 people lost their lives and over a third of Goma was destroyed.

Comment: Though Africa get far less publicity than other parts of the world, Mother Nature has been very active there . This map only shows Earth change activity since January of 2016. Click play to view.




Bizarro Earth

Yellowstone Volcano: "Whole lot a shakin' goin' on"

Yellow Stone Chart
© SuperStation95
Less than 48 hours after public display of volcanic activity at Yellowstone was intentionally taken OFFLINE from public view, we now know why: Looks like "there's a whole lot a shakin' goin' on!"

Take a look at this reading from Bore Hole 944 inside the super-volcano at Yellowstone National Park:
Yellowstone Bore Hole 944
© SuperStation95Yellowstone Bore Hole 944
Folks within 500 miles of Yellowstone National Park may want to keep close watch on the super-volcano there. With readings like you see above, now closed-off to the public, it seems there's something taking place at the deadly volcano.

Fire

Amazing eruption at Sakurajima Volcano, South Japan - multiple static lightning discharges

Sakurajima Volcano erupts with lightning
© Youtube/dutchsinse (screen capture)
A large blast occurred overnight (April 3 2016 early AM) at Sakurajima Volcano in South Japan.

The volcanic eruption produced large flows of lava, and plumes of ash reaching multiple kilometers into the sky.

The ascending ash produced multiple impressive displays of static discharge lightning, ranging in color from blue and green, to white, purple and yellow.

The lightning is produced by friction between the hot billowing clouds of ash, and the colder moist air surrounding the volcano which resides in South Japan near the ocean.

Watch the volcano on live stream here.


Comment: Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano also lit up the night sky with a spectacular eruption on the same day.


Alarm Clock

Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano lights up night sky with spectacular eruption

Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano erupts
© Youtube/Mizzuri Inaba (screen capture)
Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano violently erupted over the weekend, launching ash and burning rocks into the air after weeks of increased activity.

Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention last week raised the environmental alert level to the second degree out of three, meaning nearby residents should be prepared to evacuate.

Officials have warned nearby residents to avoid the area, adding that low-level to intermediate-level explosive activity is expected. Falling ash may affect nearby towns.

Sunday's eruption occurred at 8:31 p.m., which led to an ash cloud reaching 1.2 miles in height and the raining down of burning rock fragments.

Volcanic activity has recently increased in Popocatépetl, which is in central Mexico -- about 43 miles southeast of Mexico City. Sunday's eruption has been the most significant in the past month.

The alert level was not raised after Sunday's eruption.


Alarm Clock

Volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupts in Colombia

Nevado del Ruiz volcano eruption
A strong explosion occurred at the volcano Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia on March 31, 2016. Just prior the eruption increased seismic activity was captured by seismometers around the volcano.

The resulting ash column rose 3,500 m to 30,000 ft (9 km) altitude and drifted NW. Ash fall is likely in nearby areas.

The Manizales volcano observatory reported that over the past days, a number of similar, but weaker tremor pulses were recorded at the volcano recently.

When the summit of the volcano was not in clouds, it could be observed that at least some of these weak volcanic earthquakes also produced small to moderate ash emissions.

And the volcanic unrest continues...

Arrow Up

Copahue Volcano in Chile erupts, seen from space

Copahue volcano eruption fron space
© Astro_Jeff/TwitterAstronaut Jeff Williams shared a photo of a volcano erupting in Chile
The volcanic peak Copahue, which sits at the border of Argentina and Chile, erupted today after weeks of gradually increasing activity. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams posted this photo of the volcano going nuts from the International Space Station, from which the eruption was clearly visible.

The volcano had been exhibiting increased ash emission for months, and especially within the past week.

The region remained at a Yellow Alert in the days leading up to the eruption. Authorities also reported on March 22 that there was no danger from Copahue's ash emissions to the surrounding population (a rough translation is below):

Cloud Precipitation

Best of the Web: Signs of Change: Earth changes, extreme weather and meteor fireballs in March 2016

signs of change March 2016
© Youtube/HawkkeyDavis (screen capture)
Sea life washing up dead - Earth opening up to swallow rivers and vehicles - Record rainfall in Peru, flooding in Rio de Janeiro - Loud booms of unknown origin shaking homes - Strongest earthquake so far in 2016 hits Indonesia - Meteors lighting up the night sky - Yet another '1-in-1,000-years' rain event flooding central and southern US - Heavy snow in Mexico - A year's worth of rain in one day flooding Persian Gulf states...

This series does not mean the world is ending! These are videos showing a series of extreme weather events that are leading to bigger Earth Changes. If you're following the series, you're seeing the signs. It's much more than one video...