Eruptions

News about eruptions and volcanoes can be found in this category. It is updated frequently. Volcano expert and journalist Marc Szeglat reports live from his expeditions to volcanoes.

Ebeko (Russia) video shows volcanic lightnings

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The Kuril volcano Ebeko is located on the island of Paramushir and has been in permanent eruption for 2 years. Now a first expedition under the direction of Tom Pfeiffer took place there. Geonaut and member of the Vulkanologische Gesellschaft e.V. Martin Rietze was one of the expedition members and brought us a fantastic video showing night shots of the volcano. These are the first night shots of the Ebekos I know. Not only weak red glow is to be seen, but a series of volcanic lightnings, which one would not have expected there. In addition, the team members report that the volcano erupts considerably more often than one would think based on the reports of the VAAC. Due to frequent cloud cover, the satellites can only detect a fraction of the eruptions.

Photographer Martin Rietze was enthusiastic about the rough volcanic landscape of the Kuriles: uninhabited volcanic islets with enormous eruption potential. The few people the expedition encountered were friendly and helpful. There were no bans or controlling authorities. A paradise for volcano spotters! In the far east of Russia one seems to be able to live much more freely than in the western world. So the tide can turn.

Stromboli (Italy) erupts unchanged

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The status of Stromboli volcano (Italy) is relatively unchanged. Small lava flows continue to flow in the upper part of Sciara del Fuoco. The strombolian eruptions are relatively strong. A hornito grows above the most active vent of the western crater, which is already higher than the crater rim. The tremor is slightly elevated. It can be assumed that the ascent to the crater will remain closed until further notice. Nevertheless, visitors can take a look at the eruptions: At an altitude of 290 m there is a lookout point at the edge of Sciara del Fuoco. This can be reached by following the main road through the village towards Pizzaria Osservatorio. From there you also have a beautiful view.

Karangetang (Indonesia) erupts lava flow and ash clouds

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Yesterday a new lava flow was reported at the Indonesian volcano Karangetang. It flows out of the northern crater and has divided into 2 branches which flow over the western flank. Already the day before yesterday a heat radiation with an output of 335 MW was registered. The height of the heat radiation speaks for a still quite short lava flow, which is also confirmed on satellite photos.

Today the VAAC reports volcanic ash, which penetrates up to an altitude of 7600 m. The lava flow is still quite short. The main part of the ash cloud is limited to an altitude of about 3000 m above sea level.

Karangetang lies on the island of Siau, between Sulawesi and the Philippines. The volcano has 2 craters in which sometimes lava domes grow. From these lava domes, viscous lava flows proceed. Pyroclastic flows can develop, which reach inhabited areas and cause destruction. The currently active crater in the north was already active at the beginning of the year. At that time a lava flow reached the coast and caused minor damage. The road to a village was interrupted so that it could only be reached by ship. The picture shows a lava flow from the south crater and comes from the archive.

Piton de la Fournaise (France) with new eruption

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At the Piton de la Fournaise a new volcanic eruption started around 13 pm local time. In the southern part of the Caldera Enclose 3 short eruption fissures opened. Low lava fountains feed lava flows that flow over the flat bottom of the caldera. The eruption can be seen from the visitor car park at Pas de Bellecombe. A rush of visitors can be expected. However, the caldera itself is closed. It is the 3rd eruption this year. The last one began on 11 June.

Great Sitkin (United States) – Report for 10 July-16 July 2019 – NEW

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On 15 July AVO reported that seismicity at Great Sitkin had decreased to background levels during the past few weeks with no evidence of eruptive activity in geophysical or satellite data. The Aviation Color Code was lowered to Green and the Volcano Alert Level was lowered to Normal.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)

Shishaldin (United States) – Report for 10 July-16 July 2019 – NEW

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AVO increased the Aviation Color Code for Shishaldin to Yellow and the Volcano Alert Level to Advisory on 12 July following several weeks of increasing seismicity and elevated temperatures in the summit crater identified in satellite images. In addition incandescence in the crater was visible during an overflight. Seismic tremor continued to be elevated at least through 16 July.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)

Great Sitkin (United States) – Report for 10 July-16 July 2019 – NEW

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On 15 July AVO reported that seismicity at Great Sitkin had decreased to background levels during the past few weeks with no evidence of eruptive activity in geophysical or satellite data. The Aviation Color Code was lowered to Green and the Volcano Alert Level was lowered to Normal.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)

Stromboli (Italy) – Report for 10 July-16 July 2019 – NEW

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INGV reported that the paroxysmal explosive sequence at Stromboli on 3 July changed the morphology of the crater terrace. The rim of the terrace facing the Sciara del Fuoco was removed, and the N1 and N2 vents in Area N (north crater area, NCA) had enlarged and merged into one. After the paroxysmal event explosive activity rapidly decreased, though it remained more intense than normal. The vents of Area C-S (South Central crater area) produced explosions regularly during 8-14 July, and fed lava flows that traveled about halfway down the Sciara del Fuoco. Material from the lava-flow fronts rolled all the way to the coastline. A new lava flow from Area N (north crater area, NCA) began at 1900 on 14 July.

Source: Sezione di Catania – Osservatorio Etneo (INGV)