General Volcanic Activity Thread!

[summer blizzard]

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quote name='karyo' timestamp='1324638115' post='2196569]

This has got it me really interested!

http://www.volcanodi...earthquake.html

I think the Kolumbos volcano is separate to the one in Santorini but too close for comfort! It produced an explosive eruption in 1650 and a tsunami. Ashfall reached as far as Turkey!

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information about the current activity and little is known about previous eruptions (apart from the most recent one in 1650).

Karyo

They are indeed separate volcanoes.

Could be quite interesting as it has been dormant for a while, is historically explosive (and right next to Santorini which we all know goes bang with a capital http://hw.nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png. It is also only 18m below the surface and has reached the surface before.

[john pike]

really good video of sakurajima volcano in Japan dated 27-12-2011

worth watching

[yamkin]

Alaska Volcano Launches Ash Cloud To 15,000 Feet

An ash cloud erupted some 15,000 feet into the air from Alaska's Cleveland Volcano, according to satellite images and the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

The volcano, located in the Aleutian Islands about 45 miles west of the community of Nikolski, has been upgraded and downgraded several times over the last few months, flaring up in July and erupting in the form of a growing lava dome in August. Following several weeks of activity, the volcano was downgraded before being upgraded again to an alert level of "watch" and an aviation hazard color-code of "orange" in early September. Two months later, the alert level was again lowered after the volcano seemed to quiet down.

This latest activity comes six days after the most recent update on the AVO website. The AVO said that satellite imagery from about 5 a.m. Thursday confirmed the presence of a detached ash cloud, about 50 miles away from the volcano and moving southeast.

The last significant eruption of Cleveland occurred in February 2001 and resulted in three ash plumes that reached up to 39,000 feet above sea level and "a rubbly lava flow and hot avalanche that reached the sea."

Aviators in the area are encouraged to exercise caution, but the AVO said that the eruption may be an isolated event.

"Satellite data indicate that this is a single explosion event," the AVO said, "however, more sudden explosions producing ash could occur with plumes exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level. Such explosions and their associated ash clouds may go undetected in satellite imagery for hours." http://www.alaskadis...loud-15000-feet

Cause For Concern: Airlines On High Alert For Violent Eruption As Alaska Volcano Sends Up 15,000-Foot Ash Plume

Alaskan scientists and air carriers are on alert as one of the state’s volcanoes belched a monstrous ash plume 15,000 feet in the air Thursday.

Cleveland Volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands sent up an ash cloud that prompted scientists to increase the alert level for commercial aircraft traffic, as an eruption could happen soon.

Once plumes reach 20,000 feet, the airline industry and the Federal Aviation Administration really start to worry.

Spewing and sputtering: The remote volcano in Alaska's Aleutian islands spouted an ash cloud 15,000 feet into the sky, prompting an air-traffic alert

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2080130/Cause-concern-Airlines-high-alert-violent-eruption-Alaska-volcano-sends-15-000-feet-ash-plume.html

Edited December 30, 2011 by yamkin

[yamkin]

Volcano Watch: Kilauea Activity Update For Thursday (Dec 29)


This skylight provided a clear view of the lava stream inside the lava tube on today'€™s overflight, and a swiftly moving current could easily be seen. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO
(Activity updates are written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)

This near-vertical view from the helicopter shows the surface of the lava lake at Halemaumau. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO
A lava lake present within the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent over the past week resulted in night-time glow that was visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook. The lake, which is about 75–100 m (245–330 ft) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater and is visible by HVO’s Webcam, rose and fell slightly during the week in response to deflation-inflation cycles.
On Kilauea’s east rift zone, surface lava flows continued to be active on the coastal plain, entering the ocean at West Ka`ili`ili, within the National Park. The ocean entry has had a weak, wispy plume. Flows continued to be active in the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision over the past week, as well. The flows traveled through a lava tube fed by the September 21 fissure on the upper east flank of the Pu`u `O`o cone. A deflation-inflation cycle that began on Tuesday, December 27, appeared to have slowed down surface flow activity at the time of writing (Thursday, December 29); flow activity will likely increase within a few days.
One earthquake beneath Hawai`i Island was reported felt this past week. A magnitude-3.8 earthquake occurred at 6:40 p.m., HST, on Tuesday, December 27, 2011, and was located 20 km (13 mi) west and offshore of Kawaihae at a depth of 10 km (6 mi).


Lava has continued to enter the ocean at West Kailiili, with numerous entry points scattered along a broad section of the coast. The small boat in the center of the image provides a rough sense of scale. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

One of the individual streams of lava cascading over the sea cliff, producing a thick steam plume at the water’s edge. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kilauea'€™s ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active. Episodes 1–48b (1983–€“1986) is shown in dark gray; Episodes 48–€“49 (1986–€“1992) is pale yellow; Episodes 50–€“53 and 55 (1992–€“2007) is tan; Episode 54 (1997) is yellow; Episode 58 (2007–€“2011) is pale orange; the episode 59 Kamoamoa eruption (March 2011) is at left in light reddish orange; and the episode 60 Pu‘u ‘O‘o overflows and flank breakout (March–€“August 2011) is orange. The currently active flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red–pink is the extent of the flow from September 21 to December 13, and bright red marks flow expansion from December 13 to December 27. The fissure eruption that started this flow opened on September 21, which was the anniversary of International Peace Day. Thus, we are informally calling this the Peace Day flow. The flow continues to enter the ocean at the West Kaili€˜ili entry site, where a narrow lava delta is being constructed.
http://www.hawaii247...hursday-dec-29/

Edited December 30, 2011 by yamkin

[karyo]

[/

They are indeed separate volcanoes.

Could be quite interesting as it has been dormant for a while, is historically explosive (and right next to Santorini which we all know goes bang with a capital http://hw.nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png. It is also only 18m below the surface and has reached the surface before.

Unfortunately, the Greek authorities don't give much information about the depth of the earthquake which would help understand what's happening inside the volcano. This is hardly surprising to me, as when I lived in Greece I found hard to get any information about volcanoes - the only volcano I knew about was Santorini which has had small eruptions in the middle of the 20th century.

Karyo

[The PIT]

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHZTmIaORQI&context=C3613259ADOEgsToPDskKFUV11bcLKy2tYbbZnhHqr

really good video of sakurajima volcano in Japan dated 27-12-2011

worth watching

Must be very distracting driving past when it does that. Bet the Japense just take it for granted though.

[yamkin]

Is A Super-Volcano Just 390 Miles From London About To Erupt?

• It's similar in size to Mount Pinatubo, which in 1991 gave us the biggest eruption of the 20th century
• Billions of tons of ash and magma would be ejected
• Southern England would be covered in ash

A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up.

It's lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See lake near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma.

This monster erupts every 10 to 12,000 years and last went off 12,900 years ago, so it could blow at any time.

Hidden menace: Laacher See looks tranquil, but beneath its waters lies a volcano that could devastate Europe

http://www.dailymail...rmany-blow.html

Edited January 2, 2012 by yamkin

[summer blizzard]

Daily Fail strikes again.

Not a supervolcano, just a submarine volcano.

[cyclonic happiness]

Daily Fail strikes again.

Not a supervolcano, just a submarine volcano.

Like the Red October?

[karyo]

Is this volcano similar in power/explosive potential to Pinatumbo or is DM making stories again?

Reading the comments below the article makes me realise how stupid some of the DM readers must be!

Karyo

[cyclonic happiness]

Is this volcano similar in power/explosive potential to Pinatumbo or is DM making stories again?

Reading the comments below the article makes me realise how stupid some of the DM readers must be!

Karyo

I'm a daily mail reader! what a sweeping statement!

We don't all believe everything/anything they print you know?

It's interesting non the less, for readers to learn there's even a potentiel threat from such a nearby volcano, don't you think?

[yamkin]

Increased Seismic Swarm At Santorini Volcano, Greece

The seismic unrest beneath Santorini which had started in July 2011 continues into 2012, greeting the world with a small swarm of quakes beneath the caldera.

The slightly increased number of quakes is concentrated on the volcano-tectonic Kameni line, which stretches SW-NE through the caldera and extends outside, especially to the NE where the submarine volcano Kolumbo is located 8 km off the coast. The alignment defines a tectonic graben structure underlying Santorini and has been used for rising magma for nearly all past eruptions of the volcano.

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/santorini/seismic-activity-2011.html

[The PIT]

Brilliant smack down here of the alarmist Daily Fail article http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/fearmongering-gets-started-in-2012-laacher-see-is-not-ready-to-blow/

Now if they had come up with increased seismic activity rising towards the surface they would have a reason for the article.

[The PIT]

Increased Seismic Swarm At Santorini Volcano, Greece

The seismic unrest beneath Santorini which had started in July 2011 continues into 2012, greeting the world with a small swarm of quakes beneath the caldera.

The slightly increased number of quakes is concentrated on the volcano-tectonic Kameni line, which stretches SW-NE through the caldera and extends outside, especially to the NE where the submarine volcano Kolumbo is located 8 km off the coast. The alignment defines a tectonic graben structure underlying Santorini and has been used for rising magma for nearly all past eruptions of the volcano.

http://www.volcanodi...ivity-2011.html

Just wait to the daily mail gets wind of it. World Disaster looms as med is wiped off the planet.

At the moment Santorini is in shield building effusive state so a huge eruption is unlikely however another session dome building is possible http://geosphere.gsapubs.org/content/2/5/253.full

[john pike]

The Laacher is a potentially active volcano, proven by seismic activities and heavy thermal anomalies under the lake. Carbon dioxide gas from magma still bubbles up at the southeastern shore, and scientists believe that a new eruption could happen at any time

taken from rsoe

not sure who is correct here but this is certainly showing as a supervolcano

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/read/index.php?pageid=svolcano_index&svid=10

[Paranoid]

I'm not sure about the VEI 7 classification, Pinatubo was on the low end of VEI 6 and i only know of one eruption from from Laacher See. Doesn't look like there's much information on it out on the interweb.

[karyo]

I'm a daily mail reader! what a sweeping statement!

We don't all believe everything/anything they print you know?

It's interesting non the less, for readers to learn there's even a potentiel threat from such a nearby volcano, don't you think?

If you go back to my post and read it you will see that I said 'some DM readers', not all of them. So I stick with what I said!

Karyo

[karyo]

Just wait to the daily mail gets wind of it. World Disaster looms as med is wiped off the planet.

At the moment Santorini is in shield building effusive state so a huge eruption is unlikely however another session dome building is possible http://geosphere.gsa...nt/2/5/253.full

Thank you for this, it's a very interesting and informative read!

It is good that the volcano is expected to give warning signs of some days to weeks in advance of an eruption.

Karyo

[Hurricane Debby]

Is A Super-Volcano Just 390 Miles From London About To Erupt?

• It's similar in size to Mount Pinatubo, which in 1991 gave us the biggest eruption of the 20th century
• Billions of tons of ash and magma would be ejected
• Southern England would be covered in ash

A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up.

It's lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See lake near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma.

This monster erupts every 10 to 12,000 years and last went off 12,900 years ago, so it could blow at any time.

Hidden menace: Laacher See looks tranquil, but beneath its waters lies a volcano that could devastate Europe

http://www.dailymail...rmany-blow.html

Heh Yamkin, Have to say I love all your posts and this is a relatively new area of interest to me, not quite but getting into it some more, and grateful I have a totally devoted thread on here devoted to it. This article in the good old DM (can't slate them as I am a DM reader but love to hate them if that makes sense) really did get me rivoted, at first, but thanks to the likes of you my fears are allayed (although got a bit excited there I have to confess !! Why is beyond me !)

Keep up the good work. Love your You Tube page btw. Been totally riveted to that as well !!

[karyo]

^{There's never a shortage of interest in Indonesia! http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsworld.php?id=638164}

^{Currently 7 volcanoes are on high alert!}

^Karyo

[Coast]

Don't panic Yamkin!!!!

Eruption Update: New Etna Eruption, Kilauea Anniversary, Busy Indonesia, Zubair Video and Callaqui in Chile

Etna

After taking the holidays off, Italy’s Etna decided to start off 2012 with another paroxysm, this one producing an impressive eruptive plume after some smaller explosions. The eruption itself (see image above) was very similar to the paroxysms of 2011, with a mix of lava fountaining and flows – you can see it all in the timelapses of the eruption (put together by Eruptions readers) but this time we had the added bonus of significant snow on the volcano adding to the explosivity of the eruption. The eruption was vigorous enough to even grow its own small pyroclastic cone as well. As usual, Dr. Boris Behncke’s Flickr stream is full of images and video from the eruption as well. Eruptions readers (and others) caught a lot of the action overnight and into the morning on the many webcams surrounding Etna.

Kilauea

This week marks the 29th anniversary of the start of the eruption at Kilauea. Hard to believe we’ve almost completed 3 decades would of eruptions. The activity is still going strong according to the latest status report of the volcano from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.

Indonesia

There was a statement from the PVMBG saying that out of Indonesia’s 127 known active volcanoes, 7 are on alert status III (of IV), including Papadayan, Lokon-Empung, Karangetang, Ijen, Anak Krakatau, Gamalama and Lewotolo. The biggest dangers lie in an eruption of Ijen, which has over 9,000 people living close to the volcano, but Indonesian officials are also watching Lewotolo and Gamalama closely.

Red Sea

If you’ve been following the new about the eruption in the Zubair Group off the western coast of Yemen, you’re going to love this new video of the eruption. It shows truly Surtseyan activity where towering black-and-white plumes (sometimes called rooster tails) are erupting from the sea, all indicating an active mixing of water and magma. This is already an island building up around the vent as the volcanic tephra piles up. It is hard to get a good sense of scale, but my guess is the plume is at least a few hundred meters tall over the sea surface.

Chile

I’ve interspersed some of the updates from this week’s USGS/Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program’s Weekly Volcanic Activity Report into the post above, but I wanted to also point out an eruption, or at least a plume, from Callaqui in Chile. This is one of the many volcanoes in central Chile and one that hasn’t made much noise since 1980 (except for an unconfirmed explosion in 2009). However, a pilot noted an “ash plume†from the volcano last week, but nothing was noted on any satellite images of the area. Sounds like another Chilean volcano to watch over the coming months.

http://www.wired.com...laqui-in-chile/

[pottyprof]

Oh well that's it then Coast.. It's true about 2012 being the end........

[Argyllcraig]

That word again.... super.

Always switch off when I see it, especially when it's in places like the mail.

[summer blizzard]

Increased Seismic Swarm At Santorini Volcano, Greece

The seismic unrest beneath Santorini which had started in July 2011 continues into 2012, greeting the world with a small swarm of quakes beneath the caldera.

The slightly increased number of quakes is concentrated on the volcano-tectonic Kameni line, which stretches SW-NE through the caldera and extends outside, especially to the NE where the submarine volcano Kolumbo is located 8 km off the coast. The alignment defines a tectonic graben structure underlying Santorini and has been used for rising magma for nearly all past eruptions of the volcano.

http://www.volcanodi...ivity-2011.html

Brilliant.

Is this classed as a 'decade' volcano given its history?

Recent eruptions have been relatively weak and it appears that whatever fueled the cataclysmic eruption is not present (Santorini is only 100m+ high whereas Krakatoa is already back to 300+ in a little over a century) or at least signs are that it is relatively subdued.

If Santorini does go into an eruptive phase soon then i would be suprised if the eruption is more than VEI4.

Is this volcano similar in power/explosive potential to Pinatumbo or is DM making stories again?

Reading the comments below the article makes me realise how stupid some of the DM readers must be!

Karyo

There are plenty of volcanoes with the potential for massive eruptions (Vesuvius has a magma chamber big enough for a VEI7) but most do not empty their magma chambers in one eruption.

As far as i know there are no major signs of an impending eruption from this volcano and given that it does not erupt on a regular basis i would be surprised if there was a major eruption.

[yamkin]

Brilliant.

Is this classed as a 'decade' volcano given its history?

Recent eruptions have been relatively weak and it appears that whatever fueled the cataclysmic eruption is not present (Santorini is only 100m+ high whereas Krakatoa is already back to 300+ in a little over a century) or at least signs are that it is relatively subdued.

If Santorini does go into an eruptive phase soon then i would be suprised if the eruption is more than VEI4.

There are plenty of volcanoes with the potential for massive eruptions (Vesuvius has a magma chamber big enough for a VEI7) but most do not empty their magma chambers in one eruption.

As far as i know there are no major signs of an impending eruption from this volcano and given that it does not erupt on a regular basis i would be surprised if there was a major eruption.

Hi Summer Blizzard, The last eruption of Santorini volcano was in 1950

Ash Cloud Fears As Italy's Mt Etna Erupts - Update

Europe's highest active volcano has erupted, spewing a column of hot ash high into the sky.

The 3,295m (10,810ft) peak on the Mediterranean island of Sicily regularly awakens to blast out lava and ash.

Eruptions sometimes last for days at a time and can force the closure of Catania airport.

The volcano rumbled back to life on Wednesday night, prompting a crisis meeting at Catania as a column of ash up to 5,000m (over 16,000ft) above sea level filled the sky.

However, flights have not had to be cancelled so far.

Lava was also seen flowing from a new crater on the southeast side of the summit toward the uninhabited Valle del Bove region, according to the Catania Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology.

http://news.sky.com/...rticle/16143493

Volcanic Smog Adds To Oahu Emergency Room Crowding - Hawaii

Medical officials say patients affected by volcanic smog are taxing Oahu's emergency rooms after the recent closures of two hospitals.

Volcanic gas emissions from the Big Island's Kilauea volcano create what's commonly known as vog. If the trade-winds stop or if wind blows in the opposite direction, other islands such as Oahu experience the condition.

Honolulu EMS Director Dr. Jim Ireland told KHON-TV on Wednesday that thick smog this week contributed to numerous calls involving respiratory complaints, headaches and watery eyes.

At one point Tuesday, when the vog rolled in, only two emergency rooms were accepting ambulance patients. Hawaii Medical Center closed two bankrupt hospitals in Ewa and Liliha last month.

http://www.boston.co..._room_crowding/

Renewed Activity At El Hierro In The Canary Islands

Looks like 2012 is trying to start out busy – we got an impressive eruption of Etna the other day and now it seems that El Hierro is showing renewed vigor (see below). New video from INVOLCAN and images from the webcams show that the sea surface is steaming (see below) and reports from people at El Hierro say that new pyroclastic chunks (the “coconutsâ€) have been spotted as well. Diario El Hierro is reporting an increase in seismic tremor at the volcano over the last 24 hours. Not much is showing on the El Hierro webcams, but its never a bad idea to keep an eye on them. You never know if the activity might continue long enough to produce a subaerial eruption (such as the activity at Jebel Zubair in the Red Sea), but right now, we’re still likely a long way from that.

For complete story and video, click on following link: http://www.wired.com...canary-islands/

Hundreds Evacuate As Activity Rises At Indonesia’s Mount Lewotolok

Hundreds of people living near a volcano in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara were evacuated on Thursday because of increased volcanic activity, the Antara news agency reported.

About 500 people residing near Mount Lewotolok in Lembata district abandoned their homes amid the volcano's mounting activity. "Most of them left for the nearest city, Lewoleba," said Lembata Deputy District Chief Viktor Mado Watun, as quoted by Antara. "All related government officials will soon hold a coordination meeting to deal with the latest situation."

"Black smoke columns are coming out of the mountain's crater, the air is filled with the smell of sulfur while rumbling sounds are heard around the mountain," he added.

Residents decided to leave due to the increasing activity of Mount Lewotolok over the past few days, even though the government has not yet announced an evacuation plan. Viktor said ten villages are likely to be affected and suffer material losses if the volcano erupts.

On January 2, the country's Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) raised the alert level at the volcano to level 3. The center uses a warning system with four levels of alerts, with level 1 being the lowest and level 4 being the highest.

Dozens of active volcanoes in Indonesia are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes is Mount Merapi, which is located on the island of Java near Jogjakarta, the country's second-most visited area after Bali. In 2010, more than 300 people were killed in a series of eruptions between October and November which also displaced over 300,000 people.

http://channel6newso...ount-lewotolok/

Elevated Alert Status At Chile’s Lascar

This first came up in the news yesterday, but I thought it deserved its own spot. Lascar, one of the more active volcanoes of northern Chile, was placed on heightened alert status by the ONEMI (Chilean Emergency Management) on advice from the SERNAGEOMIN (Chilean Geologic Survey). The latest report from Lascar says that over 300 small earthquakes (pdf) have occurred at the volcano in the last 26 hours, leading to an elevation of its status to Yellow – however, there have been no indications of increased fumarolic activity at the volcano. Lascar has the potential to produce a large eruptive column – the 1993 eruption sent ash as fall east as Buenos Aires – with pyroclastic flows that could reach nearby towns such as Talabre. The volcano has been through a number of cycles of significant explosive activity over its >43,000 year history. However, recent activity is mostly lava dome formation in the summit crater followed by crater collapse and vulcanian to plinian explosive eruptions such as the major eruption of April 1993. However, it also have the potential to produce small explosions that will only dust ash on the countryside surrounding the volcano as it has done at least 6 times in the last decade. ONEMI is preparing for possible evacuations for people near the volcano – mostly either miners in the area or tourists at San Pedro de Atacama. If anything does occur, there is a webcam pointed at Lascar to see the action.

In other news from Chile, it appears that the activity at Callaqui might have been merely very vigorous fumaroles rather than ash. The news in this week’s GVP Weekly Volcanic Activity Report mentioned a pilot seeing an “ash plume†from Callaqui, but the SERNAGEOMIN said they have seen no change in the seismicity (or lack thereof) at Callaqui. OVDAS (the volcano monitoring arm of the SERNAGEOMIN) mentioned that fumaroles are common at Callaqui, especially in certain weather conditions.

http://www.wired.com...-chiles-lascar/

Edited January 7, 2012 by yamkin