General Volcanic Activity Thread!

[john pike]

Merapi volcano (Central Java, Indonesia) activity update

Thursday Oct 03, 2013 18:41 PM | BY: T

The crater of Merapi volcano (photo: Øystein)

Activity has been low during the past months. In the crater, a small but considerable area was covered by incandescent material caused by escaping hot gas, that made a "hissing" sound very notable to the ear, our friend Øystein Lund Andersen reports who climbed the volcano on 29 Sep.
"The area mentioned is the source of the small eruption that happened a few months back, according to a local volcano-guide." This (explosive) activity had left a small crater, maybe 20-30m deep, surrounded by blocks that had been ejected.
"Another area also emitted a glow, from the western part of the crater, as it did during my visit in May 2012".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Island volcano (New Zealand): increased seismic activity

Thursday Oct 03, 2013 19:06 PM | BY: T

Steaming from White Island's crater

Tremor amplitude during the past 30 days (GeoNet)

Current seismic signal (GeoNet)

 

 

 

Seismic unrest at El Hierro Island (Canary Islands) in 2011-13: updates

Update Thu 03 Oct 18:58

A small earthquake swarm under the center of the island, at about 12 km depth, occurred on 30 Sep.

Map of recent quakes at El Hierro

Depth vs time of earthquakes during the past 7 days

 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/elhierro/current-activity.html

 

A small earthquake swarm under the center of the island, at about 12 km depth, occurred on 30 Sep.

 

 

Edited October 3, 2013 by john pike

[john pike]

Sakurajima volcano (Kyushu, Japan) activity update

Thursday Oct 03, 2013 18:02 PM | BY: T

The volcano is in a particularly active phase. During the past 2 days, about 20 vulcanian explosions occurred, many of which produced ash plumes reaching 10-13,000 ft (3-4 km) altitude.

[*]All news about: Sakurajima volcano

[*]Information about: Sakurajima volcano

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/sakurajima/news/37574/Sakurajima-volcano-Kyushu-Japan-activity-update.html

[john pike]

[john pike]

 

 

Volcanic activity worldwide 5 Oct 2013: Tjörnes Fracture Zone, Santa María / Santiaguito, Pacaya, ...

Saturday Oct 05, 2013 15:55 PM |

The Húsavík-Flatey (HFF) transform faut and location of earthquakes in the TFZ (IMO)

Crater glow and steam plume from Popocatépel early this morning

Aerial view from the NE crater (left ) and the corresponding thermal image (right ) of Sangay (P. Ramon , IGEPN)

Reventador volcano last evening with crater glow and steam/ash venting

The crater of Cotopaxi on 20 Sep (P. Ramon IGEPN)

View of Tungurahua's inner crater (P. Ramón, IG-EPN)

Minor ash venting from Copahue yesterday

Tjörnes Fracture Zone (North of Iceland): The earthquake swarm has decreased in intensity. At least some scientists believe that the cause has been a magmatic intrusion in Iceland's northern rift zone that activated the Húsavík-Flatey (HFF) transform fault at the southern limit of the TFZ where the earthquakes were concentrated.

Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): Ash explosions regularly produce plumes up to about 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude, such as this morning. Activity (strombolian-type) on the remote island remains strong.

Dukono (Halmahera): An eruption produced an ash plume observed on satellite data. Estimated altitude was 6,000 ft (1.8 km). (VAAC Darwin)

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): No changes in the currently low activity have occurred. Moderate steaming, occasional weak ash venting / small explosions (at rates of approx once / 2 hours) and glow at the summit at night characterize the current phase. CENPARED's alert level remains "Yellow Phase 2".

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): INSIVUMEH reported no explosions and no movements at the blocky lava flows on the dome's flanks, but heavy rainfalls inhibit detailed observations. Strong degassing is observed.

Pacaya (Guatemala): (Strombolian) Explosions occur every 3-5 seconds, INSIVUMEH reports.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity is very low. Almost no explosions have occurred recently. The lava flow on the upper south flank seems to be still weakly active.

Sangay (Ecuador): During a recent overflight on 20 Sep, IGP found the crater of the volcano cold and partly covered with snow. No explosions were observed, different from most previous times in the past 11 years when the remote volcano had been surveyed.
The highest temperatures measured in the crater area were about 67°C and the youngest lava flows had temperatures of about 31°C. A large warm zone (part of the summit dome) is located between the central and the northeast crater, which already had been noted during the last overflight in April.
The observations made during the overflight seem to indicate a decrease in the activity of Sangay compared to that observed in the last 10 years. This fits well to ground observations from August and September when no explosions were seen or heard from the volcano.

Reventador (Ecuador): Activity has remained unchanged at moderate levels. Weak glow from the summit, intense steaming and few ash explosions occur.

Cotopaxi (Ecuador): IGPEN surveyed the volcano on 20 Sep. Maximum temperatures in the active crater were found at 55.7 °C and no unusual signs of activity or significant morphological changes compared to recent years were observed.

Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity has been low. During an overflight on 20 Sep, IGPEN staff measured the diameter of the inner crater to be slightly larger (230 m) than compared to August, likely as a result of landslides from its walls.
Temperatures at fumaroles inside the crater were relatively low and their activity weak. Low seismic activity and snow inside the crater also suggests that the volcano is currently "sleeping".

Copahue (Chile/Argentina): The volcano is emitting a weak plume of gas and steam. Minor ash venting could be observed yesterday evening. No glow was visible on night-time webcam images. SERNAGEOMIN has not posted new activity reports.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2013 by john pike

[john pike]

The local authority has temporarily closed Mount Tangkuban Parahu, a popular tourist destination in Bandung regency, West Java, following increased minor phreatic eruptions on Saturday. The Geological Disaster Mitigation and Volcanology Center (PVMBG) at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has called on residents and visitors to not come within a 1.5 kilometer radius of the craters, especially its Ratu crater. The PVMBG has also raised the mountain's status from "normal" to "caution". "We advise people to not visit the craters at Mt. Tangkuban Parahu. People, however, are still allowed to visit [nearby tourist spots] Maribaya or Ciater hot springs complex," PVMBG head M. Hendrasto said as quoted by Tempo.co in Bandung on Saturday. He said that his team had detected a minor eruption in the Ratu crater at around 6:21 a.m., adding that further eruptions might possibly occur. He also reminded the public of the potential discharge of toxic gas from the mountain. After the eruption, Hendrasto went on, Ratu crater had emitted thick white gas clouds about 300 meters into the sky. He said that his office also detected increasing seismic activities during that hour. After the findings, officers at the Tangkuban Parahu monitoring post immediately forbade people from venturing in the area around the crater. The eruption occurred at the same spot where the 2,076-meter high mountain erupted in February. Earlier in February, Mt. Tangkuban Parahu was also closed to the public after it spewed volcanic ash from its Ratu crater. "If the situation worsens, we will take further steps," Gede Swandika, a monitoring officer at the PVMBG, said as quoted by Tribunnews.com. The crater's volcanic activity, Swandika said, had left 5 to 10 millimeters of volcanic ash around the crater. Meanwhile, Subang regency administration secretary Abdurakhman has called on nearby residents to remain alert. "Don't panic," Abdurakhman said, adding that he had instructed all district and subdistrict heads around Mt. Tangkuban Parahu to inform residents about the increasing volcanic activity. Asep Setia Permana, a Ciater village resident, said that he had gotten used to hearing news on eruptions. "It has happened several times so we remain calm, but we are staying alert," said Asep.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=VE-20131006-41175-IDN

[john pike]

Etna volcano current activity: ash emissions from New SE crater

Update Sun 06 Oct 12:17

The New SE crater has resumed weak, sporadic strombolian activity with small ash emissions. This goes along with an increase of the tremor signal today. The situation is certainly worth following!

Ash emission from Etna's New SE crater this morning

Current tremor signal (ESLN station,

 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/etna/current-activity.html

[john pike]

Monday, 7 October 2013, 2:00pm - White Island activity update;  Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 1 and the Aviation Colour Code remains Green.

 

Volcanic unrest continues at White Island (WhakÄri). Volcanic tremor levels have remained slightly elevated since the eruption on 20 August. A further small energetic steam venting event occurred on 4 October around 4.30 pm. This generated a steam plume above the island that was seen from the mainland. The Volcanic Alert Level remains at 1 and the Aviation Colour Code at Green.

Volcanic tremor levels have been elevated since about 24 September, but are at lower levels than those during eruptive activity during the January to April period this year.

GNS Science volcanologists visited the island on 4 October to make gas measurements, repair equipment damaged by the recent storms and record observations.

The 20 August 2013 eruption has created a new basin that is now filled with water. The lava dome area appears unchanged except for some small ponds in the area.

Recent activity has moved the focus of activity within the active crater area. The newly established lake is further to the north-east by a few tens of metres. There has also been several landslides from the Main Crater walls. The landslides are most likely related to the recent weather events.

Video compilation from the web camera on the North Rim shows activity at 03:36h 57s (UTC) pulsing above the crater rim, while the camera at Whakatane shows the general increase of emissions from around 03:35h (UTC) on 4 October. Note times in the video clips are in UTC (Co-ordinated Universal Time, 13 hours behind local time). The video clips can be seen at White Island North Rim: http://youtu.be/NGviBdjanXY and White Island Whakatane http://youtu.be/iMeMA6shgt0.

Gas flux from the volcano also remains slightly elevated and is consistent with the small scale unrest occurring on the island. Daily sulphur dioxide (SO₂₎ gas flux for the last month has ranged from 117 to 662 tons per day. These are typical of the last 12-18 months but are higher than those measured before the unrest started in July 2012.

While the eruptive activity at White Island is currently at a low level, eruptions similar to those experienced over the last 15 months are possible with no prior warning. The larger eruptions can eject mud and rocks and may impact the crater floor area to which visitors have access.

Nico Fournier
Duty Volcanologist

Contact: Brad Scott

 

 

http://info.geonet.org.nz/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=6750294

[john pike]

Volcanoes Today, 7 Oct 2013: Fuego, Tangkubanparahu, Veniaminof, White Island, Copahue

Monday Oct 07, 2013 18:03 PM |

View of active vent area from the summit on 4 October 2013. Note how the active vent area in the centre has moved to the left and the pinky-red landslide debris in the foreground. (GeoNet)

Current seismic recording from Veniaminof (VNHG station, AVO)

Seismic signal showing the increase of Fuego's activity this morning

Steam (with ash?) plume from Copahue this morning (SERNAGEOMIN webcam)

 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcanoes/today.html

 

Tangkubanparahu (West Java): (6 Oct) Phreatic eruptions occurred from the crater on Saturday and Sunday morning (at 06.21 and 03:37 WIB, respectively). The eruptions lasted about 10 minutes and produced small ash plumes. Volcanologists measured strong tremor accompanying the eruptions.

Access to the crater (a popular tourist spot in the vicinity of the regional capital Bandung) was closed within a radius of 1.5 km.

White Island (New Zealand): The latest report of GNS/GeoNet comments on the recently increased tremor amplitude and mentions that a small steam eruption occurred on 4 October, but does not think a larger eruption is on its way.

This is the full report:

... [read more]

Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): (6 Oct) The eruption of Veniaminof resumed this morning, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reports.

"The Aviation Color Code has been increased to Orange and the Volcano Alert Level to Watch. Seismic tremor increased over the past several hours, and highly elevated surface temperature were observed in satellite images this morning. Lava effusion has likely resumed, but no ash emissions have been observed in satellite images. Web camera images are obscured by clouds. This is a similar level of eruptive activity that first began in June 2013." (AVO)

Fuego (Guatemala): In the past hours, activity has increased and might be heading towards another paroxysm. The frequency and size of explosions rose significantly and has been creating an ash plume about 1 km high and drifting 8 miles south and southwest. Many of the explosions generate shock waves, rattling roofs and windows of houses in the villages Panimaché, Morelia and Panimaché II.

Constant degassing produces locomotive-like sounds and incandescent material ejected from strombolian activity reaches 125-200 m height and produces avalanches on the upper slopes. The lava effusion increased as well starting at 05:15 local time, and the flow towards Trinidad canyon reaches now 400 meters in length, generating avalanches. A second flow has started to move towards Ceniza canyon and avalanches from it reach 800 m length.

Copahue (Chile/Argentina): Sporadic weak ash venting continues to be observed from time to time.

The local press has commented on this, citing volcanologist Alberto Caselli that there is no associated change in seismic activity suggesting an impending new eruptive phase, but that the emissions are caused by decompression gas/steam release from a still hot, degassing magma body inside the inner conduits of the volcano.

[john pike]

Mount Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture on the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu erupted on Monday, sending a plume of ash and smoke to a height of 3 km, local meteorological observatory announced. According to the Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory, the 1,117-meter volcano towering in the center of Kagoshima Bay, and one of the most active volcanoes in Japan, erupted at 9:20 a.m. local time, throwing out large rocks over a distance of about 800 meters. It's the 702nd explosive eruption observed at the Volcano this year. Local media also said ashfall has been widely confirmed in Kagoshima City which is located about 10 km west of the volcano since the eruption in the morning. But there were no reports of injuries. The meteorological observatory said that the recent volcanic activity of Mount Sakurajima has been continuing since the night of October 3, adding that further eruptions of the same scale may occur.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=VE-20131008-41196-JPN

 

 

Volcano Activity in Guatemala on Tuesday, 08 October, 2013 at 04:47 (04:47 AM) UTC.

 

In the past hours, activity has increased and might be heading towards another paroxysm. The frequency and size of explosions rose significantly and has been creating an ash plume about 1 km high and drifting 8 miles south and southwest. Many of the explosions generate shock waves, rattling roofs and windows of houses in the villages Panimaché, Morelia and Panimaché II. Constant degassing produces locomotive-like sounds and incandescent material ejected from strombolian activity reaches 125-200 m height and produces avalanches on the upper slopes. The lava effusion increased as well starting at 05:15 local time, and the flow towards Trinidad canyon reaches now 400 meters in length, generating avalanches. A second flow has started to move towards Ceniza canyon and avalanches from it reach 800 m length.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=VA-20131008-41197-GTM

[john pike]

Volcanoes Today, 9 Oct 2013: White Island, Veniaminof

Wednesday Oct 09, 2013 23:03 PM |

Tremor amplitude during the past 30 days (GeoNet)

White Island (New Zealand): A small steam and mud eruption occurred yesterday, following the small energetic steam venting on 4 Oct and another increase in seismic activity during 7 Oct. Since then, seismic activity has decreased again.

GeoNet reports: "This afternoon (8 Oct) from about 3.05 pm until 3.20 pm there was a period of strong seismicity, which was accompanied by acoustic signals and a minor steam and mud eruption. This generated a steam plume which might have been seen from the mainland. Because these small eruptions have become more frequent the Aviation Colour Code has been raised from Green to Yellow but the Volcanic Alert Level remains at 1."

... [show less]

"Volcanic tremor levels have been elevated since about 24 September, but are at lower levels than those during eruptive activity during the January to April period this year."

Video compilation from the web camera on the North Rim shows activity at 3.05 pm to 3.20 pm with jets of steam and some small slugs of mud pulsing above the inner crater rim.

Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The eruption of Veniaminof continues with the effusion of lava from the cone in the summit caldera.

Seismic activity remains elevated, but constant. Elevated surface temperatures consistent with the continued extrusion of lava were observed in several images during clear periods over the past day. No ash detected. (AVO daily update)

 

 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcanoes/today.html

[john pike]

Eurasia's highest volcano, Klyuchevskoi, on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, churned out ash to a height of six kilometers (3.7 miles) on Thursday morning, local Emergencies Ministry's department reported. "The cloud of ash moved in the eastern direction from the volcano," the department said in a statement adding that the cloud of ash posed no danger to residential areas. The statement warned all tourism companies operating in the region against holding tours in the areas located near the volcano, which can also pose threat to aircraft.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=VE-20131010-41225-RUS

 

 

 

Volcanoes Today, 10 Oct 2013: Etna, Tungurahua

Thursday Oct 10, 2013 21:03 PM |

Map of yesterday's earthquakes under Etna (marker shows one of the two mag 2.7 events)

Strombolian activity of Tungurahua today (OVT/IGEPN)

 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcanoes/today.html

 

 

ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE Thursday, October 10, 2013 11:22 AM AKDT (Thursday, October 10, 2013 19:22 UTC)

VENIAMINOF VOLCANO (CAVW #1102-07-)
56°11'52" N 159°23'35" W, Summit Elevation 8225 ft (2507 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

The eruption of Veniaminof continues with the likely effusion of lava from the cone in the summit caldera. Seismic activity remains elevated, but the amplitude of the activity has been on a gradual downward trend over the past day. It is unclear how this downward trend relates to eruptive activity as satellite and web camera images have been obscured by clouds over the past day. No ash has been observed in this most recent phase of the eruption, which began on October 6. AVO will continue to monitor the volcano closely.

CLEVELAND VOLCANO (CAVW #1101-24-)
52°49'20" N 169°56'42" W, Summit Elevation 5676 ft (1730 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW

Satellite and web camera images mostly obscured by clouds over the past day. AVO has received no reports of activity.

VOLCANO INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET: http://www.avo.alaska.edu
RECORDING ON THE STATUS OF ALASKA'S VOLCANOES (907) 786-7478

 

however information is likely to be rather limited at present

 

 

Recent Kilauea Status Reports, Updates, and Information Releases HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE Thursday, October 10, 2013 6:49 AM HST (Thursday, October 10, 2013 16:49 UTC)

The U.S. Volcano Observatories will remain operational during the lapse of federal government appropriations. Basic volcano monitoring will continue, as will forecasts and regular updates of volcanic activity. However, because of reduced staff, instrument network maintenance will cease, meaning that our monitoring capability will degrade over time. Our websites will remain functional, but only those pages containing information about current volcano hazards will be maintained.

This report on the status of Kilauea volcanic activity, in addition to maps, photos, and Webcam images (available at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php), was prepared by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). All times are Hawai`i Standard Time.

KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-01-)
19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary: Eruption at two locations continued with no significant changes. Summit instruments recorded DI inflationary tilt while the lava lake level rose several meters. At the middle east rift zone, the Kahauale`a 2 lava flow was active as a diminishing number of breakouts burning forest north of Pu`u `O`o. The Peace Day flow southeast of Pu`u `O`o may host at least one small breakout above the top of the pali. Gas emissions remained elevated.

Recent Observations at Kilauea summit: Summit tiltmeters recorded the switch to DI inflationary tilt at 2 pm yesterday. After the switch, the lava lake level rose several meters and was estimated at about 48 m (157 ft) below the Halema`uma`u Crater floor this morning. Gas emissions continued to be elevated: the most recent sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 800 t/d on October 8, 2013 - the higher value represents a period in which spattering activity and gas release from the lava lake were active; however, these values are minimums because the data were acquired close to the vent where the plume is most dense and challenging to fully characterize. Although not measured this morning, a small amount of ash-sized tephra (mostly fresh spatter bits and Pele's hair from the spattering sinks) was probably carried out of the vent with the gas and deposited onto nearby surfaces.

Seismic tremor levels fluctuated with no dropouts after 1 pm yesterday. Eleven earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath Kilauea Volcano in the past 24 hours: 3 south of the summit caldera, 2 within the upper east rift zone, and 6 on south flank faults. GPS receivers spanning the summit caldera recorded line length changes that mimicked the short-term changes in tilt (DI tilt events).

 

for more info see link

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php

 

 

http://www.volcanoupdate.com/

 

some fascinating footage from the above link

 

 

minor swarm at

Eyjafjallajökull volcano  iceland

http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/myrdalsjokull/

 

link and images thanks to iceland met office

 

unlikely any concern at present  but odd for a swarm in this area

 

 

 

 

 

yellowstone

 

http://www.isthisthingon.org/Yellowstone/daythumbs.php

 

apart from madison all stations are very quiet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT
Tuesday, October 1, 2013 11:37 AM AKDT (Tuesday, October 1, 2013 19:37 UTC)

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) will remain operational during the lapse of federal government appropriations. The AVO is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. The staffing levels of the USGS have been greatly reduced, but the functions of the University and State partners are unaffected by the lapse in appropriations. The minimal required level of routine checks of data will be continue, but the additional examination and analysis of data typically performed by the AVO staff will be reduced during the lapse in appropriations. Forecasts and regular updates of volcanic activity will continue to be issued. Instrument network maintenance will cease, meaning that our monitoring capability will degrade over time. The Alaska Volcano Observatory website (www.avo.alaska.edu) is operated by a partner agency and will remain functiona

 

Etna (Sicily, Italy): A swarm of shallow earthquakes occurred yesterday under the SE flank, below Monte Arcimis near Tarderia (Pedara) at depths of 2.7-5.6 km. The two largest events were magnitude 2.7 and felt by local residents.

Tungurahua (Ecuador): The increase of activity continues. The Ecuadorian Instituto Geofísico (IGPEN) reported that seismic and visual activity increased since Sunday. The volcano currently produces mild to moderate strombolian activity, ejecting fresh lava bombs onto the upper slopes of the summit cone.
The seismic recordings show in increase in the number of events associated with internal fluid (magma) movements as well as emission/explosion signals.
... [show less]
Ash fall has been reported in localities to the west and south, namely in El Manzano, Bilbao, Chacauco, Choglontus, and Mocha.

[john pike]

Volcanoes Today, 11 Oct 2013: Klyuchevskoy, Soufriere Hills, Jebel Zubair

Friday Oct 11, 2013 21:03 PM |

Lightning inside the eruption cloud above Klyuchevskoy volcano (KVERT webcam)

Steam plume from Zubair in the Red Sea on Tuesday (8 Oct)

Klyuchevskoy (Kamchatka): We posted the following time-lapse video of the eruption this morning (or evening, in Kamchatka time). At 08:30 UTC (17:30 local time), a new vent opened in the saddle between Klyuchevskoy and neighboring Kamen volcano, producing a fountain of lava and ash rising to about 7 km altitude. The KVERT webcam even captured lightning during this eruption:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soufriere Hills (Montserrat, West Indies (UK)): MVO reported that activity at the Soufrière Hills Volcano has remained low over the past week. The dome produced a number of rockfalls and a few volcano-tectonic earthquakes. Volcanic gas emissions were at average levels.

Jebel Zubair (Red Sea): As of today, the submarine eruption continues with the production of a steam plume of variable size, not always easily identifiable on satellite images. A SO2 plume is also visible on satellite data drifting from the eruption site.

No ash can be seen on satellite imagery, only steam, and the area of discolored water (indicator of suspended particles) is small if not has disappeared. That suggests that the eruption is currently rather weak and probably has not yet entered the so-called surtseyan phase where solid fragments (ash, lava blocks) are ejected above the surface of the sea.

[john pike]

A moderately explosive eruption on White Island - the second in a week - would have been life-threatening to anyone on the island, GNS Science says.

White Island volcano, off the Bay of Plenty coast, has erupted for the second time in a week to a level that would have put anyone on the island at risk.

GNS Science says a moderately explosive eruption, lasting about a minute, occurred at 8.09pm on Friday.

It spread an ash cloud column and new mud across the main crater floor, according to camera images from the crater rim.

The latest eruption has prompted GNS to raise the volcanic alert level to two, and the aviation colour code to orange.

It says the latest eruption is larger than other recent events, and would have been life-threatening to people on the island.

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=175320&cat=1033&fm=newsarticle+-+Accident+and+Emergency%2cnur

[john pike]

Reykjanes peninsual (Iceland): shallow magnitude 4.8 earthquake

Sunday Oct 13, 2013 23:39 PM | BY: T

Location of this morning's earthquakes on the SW tip of the Reykjanes peninsula of Iceland

 

A shallow (10 km) magnitude 4.8 earthquake with many pre- and aftershocks (or a seismic swarm) occurred this morning (Sun) at 07:34 UTC at the SW tip of the Reykjanes peninsula, on the SW active rift zone. The swarm of earthquakes included several quakes of magnitude 3 and higher. The strongest earthquake was widely felt in SE Iceland.
Whether the earthquakes are related to magma intrusions (a possibility) or purely tectonic is unclear.

 

 

 

 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/reykjanes/news/37973/Reykjanes-peninsual-Iceland-shallow-magnitude-48-earthquake.html

 

Volcanic activity worldwide 13 Oct 2013: Klyuchevskoy, White Island, Sakurajima, Karymsky, Popocaté...

Sunday Oct 13, 2013 19:03 PM |

Eruption from Klyuchevskoy volcano, Kamchatka (KVERT webcam)

Explosion from Sakurajima early this morning (Tarumizu webcam)

Comparison of the eruption site in White Island before (l) and after the eruption on Friday evening®

Ash eruption from Reventador last Friday (IGPEN webcam)

Gorely (Southern Kamchatka): No changes in activity (strong degassing, moderate seismic activity) have occurred.

Klyuchevskoy (Kamchatka): The eruption continues with increasing strength from two locations, both at the summit vent, and at the flank vent between Klyuchevskoy and Kamen where a cinder cone is growing. Webcam images show violent strombolian activity and/or lava fountains at the summit vent, large lava flows on the NW, W and SW flanks and a continuous ash plume drifting to the SE (see video below).
KVERT reports strong seismicity with increased tremor (81.6 mcm/s amplitutde). Satellite data showed a big thermal anomaly over the volcano. Ash plumes extended 263 mi(425 km) to the south-east of the volcano.

 

 

 

 

 

Kizimen (Kamchatka): Extrusion of magma at the lava dome has been weak recently, but it remains active.

Karymsky (Kamchatka): Explosive activity of strombolian to weak vulanian type continues as evidenced by the presence of a ash plume that extended about 11 miles (18 km) east of the volcano yesterday. KVERT reports moderate seismic activity.

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): KVERT reports that the "growth of the lava dome continues - strong and moderate ash explosions up to 4-6 km a.s.l., fumarolic activity and incandescence of the dome summit, and hot avalanches accompany this process. Satellite data showed a thermal anomaly over the volcano."

Bezymianny (Central Kamchatka Depression): The nearby strong eruption of nearby Klyuchevskoy volcano obscures any seismic signal from Bezymianny, but according to KVERT, the lava dome remains active.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): After a couple of days with less violent and less frequent explosions, the volcano stepped up its activity again and produced a series of 6 eruptions yesterday alone, culminating in an explosion that sent an ash plume to 12,000 ft (3.6 km).
One of the eruptions during the night (in Japan, 15:22 UTC) is shown on these videos:
... [read more]

White Island (New Zealand): A moderate explosive eruption occurred at around 20:09pm NZDT last Friday, GeoNet writes. "The eruption lasted about 1 minute based on data from acoustic and seismic sensors, and was confirmed by subsequent analysis of web camera images during daylight hours." The Volcanic Alert Level was raised to Level 2 and the Aviation Colour Code to Orange.
"Observations from the web cameras show an explosive eruption producing an ash cloud column that expanded across the Main Crater floor. New mud deposited on the crater floor is evident in the web camera images from the crater rim this morning. The present activity is a continuation of the unrest observed at White Island for the past 15 months and hazardous eruptions of this type may occur with no warning. This eruption is larger than recent events and would have been life threatening to people on the island."
(Source: GeoNet)

Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The eruption continues. Seismicity remains elevated but partially masked by storm noise. Satellite and web camera images are obscured by clouds, but it is likely that lava effusion and minor ash emissions continue.(AVO)

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): No changes have occurred. The volcano produces 1-2 generally weak emissions of steam and sometimes ash on average per hour.

Reventador (Ecuador): Intermittent small to moderate ash explosions continue.

Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity has been comparably mild with strombolian explosions of varying size, steam and ash emissions causing some ash fall in nearby areas.

 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcano-activity/news/37972/Volcanic-activity-worldwide-13-Oct-2013-Klyuchevskoy-White-Island-Sakurajima-Karymsky-Popocat.html

 

 

Edited October 13, 2013 by john pike

[The PIT]

Anybody fancy a stroll round white island crater http://www.saint-thomas.net/uk-news-95-dragon-s-soup.html

[john pike]

Volcanoes Today, 16 Oct 2013: Klyuchevskoy, Barren Island, Galeras, Ubinas, Sotará, Cumbal, Sabancaya

Wednesday Oct 16, 2013 15:03 PM |

Klyuchevskoy volcano this morning (KVERT webcam)

MODIS hot spot data (past 7 days) for Barren Island volcano (ModVolc, Univ. Hawaii)

Klyuchevskoy (Kamchatka): Strong eruptive activity continues. VAAC Tokyo reports an ash plume rising to estimated 33,000 ft (10 km) altitude, i.e. about 5 km tall above the volcano, and drifting SW.

Aircraft should avoid the airspace near as well many miles southwest and east of the volcano. VAAC Tokyo publishes regular updates about the observed and predicted extent of the ash plume.

Galeras (Colombia): Surface and seismic activity have been low recently. A 3.8 magnitude earthquake at 5.5 km depth and 7 km NE of the volcano occurred yesterday at 17:13 local time.

The earthquake was felt in Pasto, and the municipalities of Nariño and La Florida. This event was preceded by 14 earthquakes of smaller magnitude (less than 2.6) recorded between 12:56 am and 16:40 pm, located as well on the NE sector of the volcano at depths 1.2 and 7 km.

Cumbal (Colombia): Seismic unrest continues at low levels with little changes over the past weeks and months. GEOMINAS keeps the volcano at yellow alert level.

Sotará (Colombia): Low-level seismic unrest continues with no significant changes to report over the past months.

Sabancaya (Peru): Seismic unrest continued through Sep-Oct including occasional swarms of volcanic-tectonic quakes (such as on 10 Oct), but overall earthquake activity has been showing a slowly decreasing trend. The volcano remains to be closely monitored.

Ubinas (Peru): Surface and seismic activity have calmed down recently and are near background levels.

Barren Island (Indian Ocean): A NEW eruption occurred this week. This was confirmed by the Indian Navy (via twitter) who reported "smoke" and lava seen on the island from a surveillance plane. A large hot spot is visible on recent MODIS satellite data on the remote volcanic island, located in the Andaman Islands archipelago.

No details about the nature of the eruption are available at the moment, but the description and distribution of the hot spots suggests that it might be an explosive-effusive eruption with lava flows (possibly reaching the sea.

A satellite image from yesterday shows what likely is a steam/gas plume, but doesn't allow to recognize details.

[john pike]

Volcanoes Today, 19 Oct 2013: Klyuchevskoy, Tungurahua

Saturday Oct 19, 2013 10:03 AM |

The large ash plume from Klyuchevskoy drifting east over Kamchatka this morning (Terra satellite image)

Small pyroclastic flow on the upper slope on 15 Oct (image: Pat. Mothes, IGPEN)

 

 

 

Tungurahua (Ecuador): The eruptive phase that had started on 6 Oct, after a quiet interval of 3 months, continues to increase. The volcano observatory reports ash columns rising up to 3 km above the crater and the first occurrence (so far) small pyroclastic flows.

In the early days of this phase, seismic activity was characterized by an increase in the number and energy of the events related to the mobilization of fluids into the volcano such as long-period events, tremor and explosions and emission signals of variable magnitude. Superficially, low intensity strombolian activity and ash emissions could be observed, resulting in ash fall in the areas of El Manzano, Bilbao, Chacauco , Choglontús , Mocha, Pillate and on the upper slopes of the volcano itself.

Seismicity peaked last Friday (11 Oct) when explosions and emissions generated emission columns of 500-2000 meters above the crater, with a low content of ash, causing further ash fall in several areas around the volcano.

Since past Monday (14 Oct), the number of explosions and seismic signals related to fluid movements has increased significantly again. Explosions were small to moderate and generated noises heard in several areas around the volcano. On Tuesday afternoon, two small pyroclastic flows formed during larger emissions, traveling a few hundred meters on the upper slope towards the Achupashal drainage.

 

Klyuchevskoy (Kamchatka): Strong explosive and effusive activity continues. KVERT monitors the situation closely and issues alerts every few hours. Last evening, ash emissions again reached almost 30,000 ft (8-9 km) altitude. "The ash plume this morning has decreased in height to 21,300-24,600 ft (6.5-7 km) a.s.l. but by now, an ash plume dangerous for aviation is extending about 736 mi (1188 km) to the south-east and east of the volcano (satellite data at 0135 UTC on October 19, 2013)." Video of last night's impressive activity with lava fountains and lava flows all over the flanks of the volcano:

[john pike]

 

Hofsjökull ice-cap A new cauldron confirmed

11.10.2013

An excursion on 9 October 2013 has confirmed that a new cauldron has formed in one of Iceland's ice caps, Hofsjökull, as a result of a jökulhlaup from a subglacial, geothermal area.

This image from Landsat 8, NASA USGS, shows the northern half of the ice cap Hofsjökull (enlarge).

A new patch, visible at the bottom of the image (see arrow), has now been confirmed as a cauldron (~64°49,5‘N; 18°52‘W) at around 1700 m above sea level.

Below is a map of Iceland with Hofsjökull tagged (maps.google.com). Travellers are advised to be very careful during journeys on Hofsjökull. Crevasses surround the new cauldron.

 

 

 

http://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/nr/2768

 

link and images thanks to iceland met office

Edited October 19, 2013 by john pike

[john pike]

images of kliuchevskoi volcano eruption from space

 

 

 

 

 

Russian volcano erupts, prompts airspace warnings in Alaska's Western Aleutians

Some of the most active volcanoes in the world were currently erupting on the Kamchatka Peninsula in southeast Russia over the weekend, shooting ash tens of thousands of feet into the air. On Sunday, shifting wind patterns put scientists on alert for ash that may potentially obstruct flight paths across the Bering Sea and Western Aleutians.

 

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20131020/russian-volcano-erupts-prompts-airspace-warnings-alaskas-western-aleutians

 

Kamchatka and the Northern Kuriles volcanoes: Erupting or Restless

 

http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php

Edited October 21, 2013 by john pike

[john pike]

Volcanoes Today, 23 Oct 2013: Ibu, Stromboli, Karymsky, Dukono, Veniaminof, Etna

Wednesday Oct 23, 2013 13:03 PM |

MODIS hot spot data (past 7 days) for Ibu volcano (ModVolc, Univ. Hawaii)

Current seismic recording from Veniaminof (VNHG station, AVO)

 

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcanoes/today.html

 

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): According to the local mountain guides from Magmatrek, activity has increased significantly during the past 3 days, especially at the NW vent. A group of VolcanoDiscovery has arrived on the island and will report in more detail in the following days.

Etna (Sicily, Italy): After about 10 days of near complete quiet, a faint red glow was observed early on 22 Oct at the New SE crater. The origin of the glow seems to have been increased degassing from the summit vent and the at the fumaroles in the saddle between the old and New SE cone.

Karymsky (Kamchatka): An explosion yesterday produced an ash plume rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) and drifting SE, VAAC Tokyo reported.

Ibu (Halmahera, Indonesia): Hot spots at the summit have become larger and more frequently observed on recent MODIS satellite data. This indicates that activity has become more intense at the volcano with its active lava dome.

Dukono (Halmahera): The semi-persistent explosive activity of strombolian to vulcanian type has been at elevated levels recently. The volcano produced ash plumes rising to 9,000 ft (2.7 km) altitude yesterday as well as this morning.

Our friend Aris reported from a recent visit to the volcano that bombs during this activity were ejected to up to 1.5 km distance from the active crater.

Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): No new eruptive activity has been observed recently and MODIS satellite data no longer show hot spots. Seismicity remains above background levels, and AVO maintains alert level yellow.

[john pike]

A new explosive eruption started yesterday night (23 Oct). An ash plume was detected drifting at an estimated 16,000 ft (5 km) altitude and drifting ESE. At least 1 mm of ash have been deposited in the Nalychevo valley, a natural park between Zhupanovsky and Avachinsky volcanoes. Zhupanovsky volcano lies about 70 km northeast of the capital of Kamchatka, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and had its last eruption in 1959. It is a complex volcano composed of several overlapping cones aligned on a roughly east-west oriented axis. The new eruption comes from the same vent that has been also the site of all known historical eruptions, located west of the highest point of the volcanic massif.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=VE-20131024-41396-RUS

 

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A volcano in western Indonesia erupted on Thursday, unleashing a column of dark volcanic material high into the air weeks after villagers were returning home from an earlier eruption, officials said. The explosion at Mount Sinabung, located in North Sumatra province, shot black ash 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) into the air, but there were no reports of injuries or damage, said National Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. He said villages, farms and trees around the 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) -high rumbling volcano were covered in thick gray ash, prompting authorities to evacuate more than 3,300 people. Most were from two villages within 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) of the mountain in Karo district. No lava or debris spewed from the volcano, and nearby towns and villages were not in danger, but authorities warned tourists to stay away from the danger zone located 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the crater, Nugroho said. Last month, more than 15,000 people were forced to flee when the volcano rumbled to life after being dormant for three years, belching ash and smoke and igniting fires on its slopes. The volcano's last major eruption in August 2010 killed two people and forced 30,000 others to flee. It caught many scientists off guard because it had been quiet for four centuries. Mount Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=VE-20131024-41395-IDN

 

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The Peruvian Geophysics Institute (IGP) reports that Ubinas Volcano in Moquegua has once again shown signs of activity. In early September, Ubinas registered a number of small explosions that initially cause alarm in the local population. However, as a column of potentially dangerous silica ash rose as high as two kilometers into the sky, authorities were forced to declare a State of Emergency in the area. The volcano had been quiet for several weeks, but now it has once again released smoke and ash into the air. Andina news agency reports that the incident occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 22, and lasted approximately two minutes. Equipment used by IGP scientists registered movement inside of the volcano before it released the cloud of smoke and ash. However, the incident is not being described as an “eruption,†because it lacked the explosive force necessary to categorize it as such. Andina reports that Ubinas Volcano is the most active volcano in Peru, having registered 24 eruptions over five centuries. Prior to the explosions in early September, the volcano had been dormant since 2009. The silica ash released by the volcano in September caused locals to experience medical problems such as headaches, stomach pain, and vomiting.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=VE-20131024-41392-PER

[john pike]

Volcanoes Today, 25 Oct 2013: Stromboli, Sinabung

Friday Oct 25, 2013 10:03 AM |

Strrong strombolian explosion from the western vent of Stromboli (24 Oct)

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Activity has picked up during the past week. During a visit yesterday afternoon and evening, we observed frequent and often strong strombolian eruptions from the NW vent (Ginostra side), which had enlarged a lot since early this year.

Explosions occurred at 5-10 minutes intervals and produced spatter-rich jets to heights to 200-300 m. Glow from the vent and weak spattering indicates that the magma column inside the western vent has risen high.

In contrast, the central vents were completely inactive and showed no glow, different from what had been observed during most of the past years.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): A new phase of explosive eruptions began Wednesday afternoon at around 16:20 local time and intensified yesterday morning between 6 and 8 am. An ash plume rose about 3 km from the volcano.

[john pike]

Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, has erupted, sending up a towering plume of ash visible in much of eastern Sicily. Etna’s eruptions aren’t infrequent, although the last major one occurred in 1992. Catania airport said the eruption Saturday forced the closure of nearby airspace before dawn, but authorities lifted the order in early morning. Several inhabited villages dot the mountain’s slopes, but evacuations weren’t necessary despite the lava flow.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=VE-20131026-41419-ITA

[john pike]

Etna volcano - eruption update: new paroxysm at New SE crater

Paroxysm at the New SE crater

Update Sat 26 Oct 08:48

Following a slow gradual build-up of increasing strombolian activity at Etna's New SE crater since yesterday, a new paroxysm is now in the progress, with high lava fountains, lava flows, and a tall ash plume.

You can follow this at live at webcams.volcanodiscovery.com/Etna.

This would be the 14th paroxysm in 2013, after the series of 13 eruptions during Jan-April. The eruption was also preceded by a swarm of earthquakes.

Lava fountain from the New SE crater

Current tremor signal (ESLN station, INGV Catania)

A swarm of magnitude 2-3 earthquakes has started yesterday beneath the northern flank at depths around 25-30 km:

Map of recent earthquakes under Etna

[john pike]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/mount-etna-volcano-erupts-in-italy-sending-up-towering-ash-cloud-airspace-briefly-affected/2013/10/26/3e25e5dc-3e48-11e3-b0e7-716179a2c2c7_story.html

 

can only post link due to copyright