Volcanoes
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Alarm Clock

Large eruption at Sakurajima Volcano in South Japan

Dutchsinse
Youtube
Mon, 28 Mar 2016 07:38 UTC
Sakurajima Volcano eruption
© Youtube/dutchsince (screen capture)
Just before Pavlof volcano in Alaska began erupting, a very large blast occurred at Sakurajima Volcano in South Japan, followed by several other blasts overnight.

Tourists were fairly close to the volcano when it sent off the first blast, also captured on JMA webcams (links below). Luckily for the tourists, the blasts pyroclastic flow (and ash fallout) blew in the opposite direction.

If the wind was blowing towards the tourists, this may have been an entirely different story involving injuries. It might not be too wise to be in close proximity to this active volcano.

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Attention

Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano erupts again

NRT English
Youtube
Sun, 27 Mar 2016 07:34 UTC
Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano eruption
© Youtube/NRT English
Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano erupted on Sunday (March 27) sending a cloud of gas and ash 2,000 meters into the sky.

[Courtesy of webcamsdemexico.com]

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Arrow Up

Pavlof Volcano erupts in Alaska, sends ash 20,000 feet high


ABC News
Mon, 28 Mar 2016 01:28 UTC
Pavlof Volcano
© Craig JacksonPavlof Volcano was seen steaming on March 25 at 10:50 a.m
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a volcano on Alaska's Aleutian Islands erupted Sunday afternoon and sent ash 20,000 feet into the air.

The agency says the Pavlof Volcano, which is about 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted at 4:18 p.m. local time. The agency says the eruption also led to tremors on the ground.

The USGS has raised the volcano alert level to "Warning" and the aviation warning to "Red."

The agency says the volcano, which is about 4.4 miles in diameter, has had 40 known eruptions and "is one of the most consistently active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc."

The USGS says that during a previous eruption in 2013, ash plumes rose 27,000 feet. Other eruptions have generated ash plumes as high as 49,000 feet.

The community closest to the volcano is Cold Bay, which is about 37 miles southwest of it.

Source: Associated Press
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Bizarro Earth

Snake River Plain in Idaho may have produced giant super-eruptions larger than those at Yellowstone


Phys.org
Thu, 24 Mar 2016 00:00 UTC
snake river canyon idaho
© Marc Reichow, University of Leicester Scenic canyon in southern Idaho, USA, which beautifully exposes several cliff-forming, intensely-welded deposits each recording an individual giant eruption.
A number of giant super-eruptions between 8 and 12 million years ago that could be larger than the colossal eruptions known to have taken place at Yellowstone have been identified in the United States through research led by the University of Leicester.

The international research team suggests that while the number of volcanic eruptions thought to have originated from the central Snake River Plain in Idaho, USA is less than previously believed, the 12 recorded giant eruptions were likely 'significantly larger' than research has previously suggested.

Dr Tom Knott, Professor Mike Branney and Dr Marc Reichow, from the University of Leicester's Department of Geology's Volcanology Group, conducted the research with a team of international collaborators from the University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Idaho State University.

Comment: Further reading:

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Attention

Mount Nyiragongo in Congo showing signs of imminent eruption


New Vision
Thu, 24 Mar 2016 14:33 UTC
Mount Nyiragongo's lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history
Mount Nyiragongo's lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history
Rwanda Red Cross has warned of a possible Nyiragongo volcano eruption in the near future, the country's daily The New Times has reported.

Nyiragongo is one of the eight volcanic mountains in the Virunga Massif. The volcano is located near the town of Goma in eastern DR Congo, close to the Rwandan border.

Press reports from Kigali, indicate that local researchers have reported that that since February 28, 2016 Nyiragongo volcano increased signs of imminent eruption.

The New Times quoted, Dr Dyrckx Dushime, the head of Red Cross in Rubavu District, saying that the active volcano has recently released magma from one hole to another of two kilometers that form smoke on the top of it.
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Arrow Up

Costa Rica's Rincón de la Vieja Volcano ejects vapor and ash

L. Arias
The Tico Times
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:43 UTC
Costa Rica volcano erupts
© OVSICORI/Jorge VialesA vapor and ash column on March 9, 2016 was visible from several communities in the surroundings of Rincón de la Vieja National Park, located 270 km northwest of Costa Rica’s capital, San José.
Experts from the National University's Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) on Thursday reported that Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, located in Guanacaste province, has seen increased vapor activity and explosions.

Strong explosions were recorded on Wednesday at 1:54 p.m. On Thursday at about noon, a tall column of vapor and ash was visible on top of the volcano's crater.

Local residents told OVSICORI that ash had fallen on the roofs of their homes in an area six kilometers around the volcano, mainly in communities north of the crater in Upala and Buenos Aires.

Volcanologist Javier Pacheco on Thursday said activity at the volcano had been low in the past 15 years, but monitoring equipment recorded an increase in deposits of volcanic material in the crater.

Comment: There has also been an apparent increase in volcanic activity throughout the whole world in recent times.

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Arrow Up

Nyiragongo volcano in Congo: Fracture opens new vent inside crater - Precursor of possible flank eruption?


Volcano Discovery
Wed, 09 Mar 2016 07:26 UTC
Nyiragongo volcano
© OVGView of the crater of Nyiragongo on 1 or 2 March with the lava lake and the new vent at the NE margin of the crater floor
Some very unusual and alarming events have been taking place at the volcano recently: A new eruptive vent opened at the northeastern end of the lowest crater terrace, outside the active lava lake (which had been in place since 2002) and just beneath the near vertical crater walls..

According to a preliminary report of the Goma Volcano Observatory (GVO) who visited the volcano during 1-2 March, the new vent is now forming a second lava lake. Images from a visit of GVO staff show a spatter cone erupting fresh lava flows that pooled onto the crater floor.

GVO reported that since the end of February, activity at the volcano has been more intense than usual. In particular, starting from 04 am on 29 February, local inhabitants began to hear frequent rumblings coming from the volcano almost every minute. Likely, these were caused by the opening of the new dike (fracture occupied as pathway for the new magma) and associated rockfalls inside the crater (the vent is directly located near almost vertical walls).

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Document

Scientists find giant underwater gas dome between Mt. Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei caldera


Strange Sounds
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:39 UTC
Mt. Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei
© Nature
A giant underwater dome covering an area of 25 square kilometres and having a height of about 15 meters was discovered halfway between the volcano Mount Vesuvius and the active caldera of Campi Flegrei, at depths ranging from 100 to 170 meters just 5 km apart from the port of Naples, Italy.Scientists are actually concerned by the gas released by this new underwater structure and concluded that seabed doming, faulting, and gas discharge are manifestations of non-volcanic unrests potentially preluding submarine eruptions and/or hydrothermal explosions.

Scientists have discovered a dome releasing gases in the Bay of Naples, between the volcano Mount Vesuvius and the active Campi Flegrei caldera during the oceanographic campaigns.

The dome covers an area of 25 square km and has a height of about 15 meters. The new structure sits at depths ranging from 100 to 170 meters.


The findings made on the oceanic research vessel Urania show 35 gas emission spots and 650 small craters linked to the gas emission on the dome, which date back to 12,000 years.

According to the scientists, gas emissions in the Bay of Naples are secondary volcanic phenomena, but are not currently associated with a direct ascent of magma. So we can not talk about magma rising at the surface, but there is evidence in other cases that such gas emissions preceded by hydrothermal explosions and the formation of underwater volcanoes.

Here the abstract of the Nature article:

Comment: See also:

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Fire

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spews smoke and ash in fiery eruption

Adam Justice
International Business Times, India Edition
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:25 UTC
Ecuador's Tungurahua Volcano
© Youtube/Newseen (screen capture)
Ecuadors Tungurahua volcano erupted on Wednesday 2 March, spewing smoke and ash high into the air in several fiery explosions. Volcanologists began registering increased activity at Tungurahua on 27 February and noted the tremors and eruptions intensified in ensuing days. The Secretariat of Risk Management issued an orange alert at that point.

The volcano was shrouded in clouds for most of the week, but volcanologists said the ash column above the volcano at one point reached some 4,000m high. Experts said ground vibrations could also be felt during the eruptions, but they did not have exact measurements for the height of the ash columns. The Geophysical Institute believes ongoing activity and varying degrees of intensity will continue in coming days.

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Alarm Clock

Fuego volcano in Guatemala enters new eruptive phase


GlobalPost
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 21:00 UTC
Fuego volcano eruption
© Josue Decavele/ReutersLava flows from Fuego volcano during an eruption as seen from Alotenango, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Guatemala, March 2.
Guatemalan authorities issued a warning Wednesday as the country's Fuego volcano, located near the capital, spewed ash into the air.

A spokesman for the country's disaster response agency, David de Leon, said the 3,763-meter (12,346-foot) high volcano had entered a new eruptive phase with increasing explosive activity, prompting an orange alert indicating danger.

The volcano sent ash plumes billowing more than 2,000 meters above the crater; they then spread as far as 40 kilometers to the west, southwest and north, the spokesman said.

He added that rural communities surrounding the volcano, as well as the urban municipalities of San Pedro Yepocapa and Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa de Escuintla, reported fine ash particles falling from the sky.

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