Vikings Volcanic Activity Thread

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Continuing much as before but with one bit of good news, the AVO have had field teams out over the last couple of days and the seismograph near the summit (station RSO) has been repaired and is fully operational again. A team from AVO was set down on the volcano by helicopter to carry out repairs.

Summit webicorder

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - ARENAL - COSTA RICA

As previously mentioned, there has been an increase in activity at Arenal volcano in Costa Rica and this continues. Seismicity is elevated and includes earthquakes associated with the fracturing of rock due to the movement of magma within the system.

Monitoring of the volcano has been stepped up and tourists were warned to keep away from the volcano over the Easter Holiday, warnings which aparrently wen unheeded by some. Foreign tourists have been deliberately avoiding the Police/Park Rangers and going on to the mountain despite the many signs warning them not to.

Volcan Arenal webicorder

Edited April 18, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

ERUPTION! - MOUNT PAGAN - MARIANAS ISLANDS - PACIFIC OCEAN

Mount Pagan, on the island of the same name, which is in the Marianas group of Islands in the Pacific has erupted. The eruption seems to have begun on 15 April, with satellite images showing an ash plume emanating from the volcano.

The last known eruption of Pagan was in 2006. Most of its eruptions tend to be small (VEI 2 usually or thereabouts) but there was a VEI4 event in 1981 with lava flows, pyroclastic flows and fissure vent eruptions which resulted in the evacuation of this sparsely populated island.

The picture below is a satellite image from NASA's MODIS instrument on the Terra Satellite (courtesy NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team):

MODIS satellite picture

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

Similar to the past week or so with elevated seismicity and continued growth of the new lava dome. A gas/steam plume, sometimes with ash content, is rising to several thousand feet above the volcano.

AVO is hoping to get field crews onto the mountain and surrounds today to repair instruments and to take pictures.

Summit webicorder

Very clear views of the lava dome and plume in the Hut webcam today:

Hut webcam

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

ADVANCE WARNING OF POSSIBLE ERUPTION - SEMERU, KARANGETANG & IBU - INDONESIA

Three Indonesian volcanos are now at the second highest alert state, ORANGE, they are Semeru, Karangetang & Ibu.

Two further Indonesian volcanos have had their alert status raised from GREEN to YELLOW, Rokatenda & Slamet.

There are now 13 volcanos in Indonesia, including Anak Krakatau, now at yellow alert. The whole areas seems to be highly active at the moment and something may be brewing.

Edited April 22, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - FERNANDINA - GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

The fissure eruption continues with lava flows still pouring into the sea. There is a piece of video of the eruption available at the BBC website:

Fernandina eruption

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

The size frequency and amplitude of earthquakes at the volcano seeems to be on the increase. I wonder if we're getting close to the point where the lava dome collapses again and we have another explosion.

Summit webicorder

[karyo]

UPDATE - REDOUBT

The size frequency and amplitude of earthquakes at the volcano seeems to be on the increase. I wonder if we're getting close to the point where the lava dome collapses again and we have another explosion.

Summit webicorder

I hope so! I am visiting the webcams almost every day and i am eager to see another explosion!

Mind you even without an explosion, the webcams are a pleasure to my eyes - full of beautiful snow covered slopes! :lol:

Karyo

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT - ALASKA

Seismicity remains elevated with frequent volcanic earthquakes and continued lava dome growth. AVO had field teams out on 21st April and the pictures from this trip can be found here:

Redoubt latest pics

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

ERUPTION! - NW ROTA 1 -= MARIANAS ISLANDS

The undersea volcano, NW Rota 1, in the Marianas Islands, approx 100km NW of Guam, has been observed erupting by scientists studying the volcano. The scientists observed yellow and white sulphur clouds billowing from the volcano, CO2 bubbles rising from the vent, ash and "pebble sized" rocks being carried up in the plume. The volcano is currently some 520m below the surface and measurements indicate it has grown by over 40m since 2006. Video of an earlier eruption on 30 March can be found here:

Underwater volcanic eruption - NW Rota 1

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

ADVANCE WARNING OF POSSIBLE ERUPTION - REVENTADOR - ECUADOR

Ecuadors IG-EPN is warning of a potential erutpion of Reventador, following a sharp increase in activity at the volcano. Seismicity has increased markedly, including periods of harmonic tremor and long-period earthquakes and the volcano is emitting a steam plume up to 2-3km in height. A persistent thermal anomaly has been detected in satellite imagery.

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - GALERAS - COLOMBIA

There was another explosive eruption at Galeras yesterday. This took the form of two blasts, the first the most powerful, but also short lived followed by a second some 40 minutes later which was of longer duration. The alert state was immediately raised to RED but has now been lowered to ORANGE again as things have quietened down somewhat.

The first explosion resulted in lava bombs being hurled north of the volcano and ashfall was reported in areas north-west of the volcano, up to 20km away. The second event resulted in the ejection of incandescent material around the crater.

Volcanic bombs ejected from the volcano have been observed to have landed some 2-3kms away from the volcano. The volcano continues to be in an agitated state and further explosions are expected.

Edited April 26, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[MR EXTREMES]

ive just gone through the last month or so of volcanic activity in this forum and im amazed at the amount of activity thats going on.

some brillant pictures excellent posts seems theres plenty to watch out for :huh: .

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

ive just gone through the last month or so of volcanic activity in this forum and im amazed at the amount of activity thats going on.

some brillant pictures excellent posts seems theres plenty to watch out for :lol: .

Cheers badboy, theres quite a lot going on isn't there! The Pacific Ring of Fire seems particularly active at the moment. :lol:

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

ERUPTION! - SHEVELUCH - KAMCHATKA - RUSSIAN FAR EAST

Sheveluch volcano in Kamchatka in the Russian Far East has erupted. The alert state is now at RED. Seismic activity is highly elevated with shallow tremor and volcanic earthquakes. An ash column extends up to almost 16,500ft and the plume from this extends some 155 miles NE of the volcano.

According to Alexei Ozerov, of the Russian Institute of Volcanology, a new 30m deep fissure has opened on the Molody Sheveluch lava dome and this is where the activity is emanating from.

The picture below is from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite (courtesy Jeff Schmaltz - MODIS Rapid Response Team):

[chionomaniac]

Great work once again SC. How powerful on the VEI scale is the Sheveluch eruption?

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

Great work once again SC. How powerful on the VEI scale is the Sheveluch eruption?

Hi cm. KVERT haven't said but given that its mildly explosive with a plume up to 5kms or so I would say top end of VEI2, perhaps bottom end of VEI3.

[chionomaniac]

Hi cm. KVERT haven't said but given that its mildly explosive with a plume up to 5kms or so I would say top end of VEI2, perhaps bottom end of VEI3.

Thanks SC. So we are still waiting for a really big one.

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

INCREASING FEARS OF DOUBLE ERUPTION IN DR CONGO

Officials and aid agencies are becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility that both Nyiragongo and nearby Nyamuragira volcanos,which lie in the eastern part of the DR Congo, in Africa,may both be about to erupt. Elevated seismicity in the area was originally thought to be concentrated below Nyamuragira but now it seems that seismicity is affecting both volcanos and the fear is they may both be about to erupt.

As a consequence aid agencies such as the Red Cross have activated emergency plans to evacuate the tens of thousands of refugees in the area. It is thought these plans will be ready within the next two months. Scientists are warning that an eruption of either or both volcanos can be expected within the next few months.

Edited April 30, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT - ALASKA

Elevated seismic activity continues as does the growth of the lava dome. A vigorous steam plume up to 18,000ft was observed all day yesterday. The volcano seems to be in this pattern of small but extremely frequent volcanic earthquakes of the type that was observed before the last explosive eruption. It may be that this process is underway again.

A persistent thermal anomaly exists which suggests continued magma feed into the lava dome so it may be at the point of explosive collapse again.

Redoubt summit webicorder

Edited May 4, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

FURTHER HEIGHTENED ACTIVITY IN INDONESIA

Slamet volcano has joined the list of volcanos at ORANGE alert in Indonesia and Rinjani has gone to YELLOW alert. That now makes 4 at ORANGE, the second highest alert stage and a further 13 at YELLOW. Mount Rinjani is the latest addition to the list of volcanos on YELLOW alert with a couple of small explosions on Sunday which led to the national park surrounding the volcano to be closed to visitors.

Whilst Indonesia does have a lot of volcanos this does seem to be rather a lot of activity all at once.

Edited May 4, 2009 by Shetland Coastie

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - CHAITEN - CHILE

2nd May 2009 saw the 1st anniversary of the eruption of Chaiten. The fact this volcano last erupted in approximately 7420BC (+ or - 75 years) is testament to the fact that some volcanos can lie dormant for milennia before springing back to life again.

To date, there is no sign of this eruptive episode coming to an end. According to experts at SERNAGEOMIN and USGS, Chaiten is still as active today as it was one year ago. Chaiten is the largest eruption of rhyolitic lava since the VEI6 event at Novarupta in Alaska in 1912.

Much of the town has been destroyed by repeated lahars produced by lava dome collapses and the Chilean Government has decided to abandon the town to its fate, work starting on a new town some 10km north of the original at Santa Barbara. The work on the new towns administrative facilities began on March 3rd of this year.

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

UPDATE - REDOUBT - ALASKA

SHES GONNA BLOW!!!

As I stated before, the seismic trace is showing repeated , frequent small volcanic earthquakes and was exactly the pattern seen before the last blast. AVO are in agreement, saying;

"Seismic and rockfall activity remains at an heightened level. Explosive eruption likely in coming days; could occur at any time with little or no warning.

The growing lava dome is becoming increasingly unstable and should a dome failure occur it likely would result in a significant explosion producing high altitude (>30,000 ft ASL) ash plumes, trace to minor ash fall in parts of south-central Alaska, lahars in the Drift River Valley, and pyroclastic flows in the immediate vicinity of the volcano."

So, any time soon folks. Links below to the webicorder and the webcams:

Summit webicorder

Hut webcam

Flank webcam

[James M]

UPDATE - REDOUBT - ALASKA

SHES GONNA BLOW!!!

As I stated before, the seismic trace is showing repeated , frequent small volcanic earthquakes and was exactly the pattern seen before the last blast. AVO are in agreement, saying;

"Seismic and rockfall activity remains at an heightened level. Explosive eruption likely in coming days; could occur at any time with little or no warning.

The growing lava dome is becoming increasingly unstable and should a dome failure occur it likely would result in a significant explosion producing high altitude (>30,000 ft ASL) ash plumes, trace to minor ash fall in parts of south-central Alaska, lahars in the Drift River Valley, and pyroclastic flows in the immediate vicinity of the volcano."

So, any time soon folks. Links below to the webicorder and the webcams:

Summit webicorder

Hut webcam

Flank webcam

Some really good view on the webcams today.

[ukweathergirl]

Can't wait to keep an eye out for Redoubt again