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.

Lewotolok: Forest fire caused by eruption

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Date: 18.04.2021 | Location: -8.272, 123.505| Eruption: Strombolian

On the Indonesian island of Lembata, vegetation is burning on the slope of the Lewotolok volcano. This volcano has been active for months and erupts Strombolian. Yesterday, there was a somewhat larger eruption that threw glowing tephra out onto the slopes. There, the lava reached vegetation and sparked the fire. “Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency said in a newspaper interview, “The hot spots are in areas that are difficult to access and dangerous, and firefighting equipment is inadequate.” Thus, it seems that people will have to wait for nature to extinguish the fire. Compared to previous weeks, the volcano -except for the strong eruption yesterday- has been comparatively quiet in recent days: VSI recorded a total of 3 eruptions, 25 degassings, 1 tremor, and 8 volcanotectonic earthquakes. In the previous week, the values were twice as high.

Pagan: Island volcano is evacuated

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State: USA | Coordinates: 18.13, 145.80 | Eruption: Fumarolic

Pagan volcanic island is currently under evacuation. The reason for the measure is increased seismicity. Some earth tremors could be felt by the inhabitants. In addition, the volcano emits a cloud of steam, which also contains some volcanic ash. Volcanologists fear an imminent volcanic eruption.

Pagan is a small island in the Pacific Ocean, which belongs to the archipelago of the Marianas. Precisely, the island consists of 2 stratovolcanoes that formed in a caldera. The volcano is monitored in close cooperation between the local authorities and the USGS. The alert status was raised to yellow. 2 ships were dispatched to evacuate the residents.

Etna: Paroxysm No. 51

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State: Italy | Coordinates: 37.73, 15.00 |Eruption: Paroxysm

Yesterday morning Etna produced another paroxysmal volcanic eruption. The eruption started in the early morning hours and ended around 8:30 am. The tremor trembled through the yellow range for many hours, slowly increasing until it finally took off: strombolian eruptions merged into a lava fountain. Volcanic ash rose to an altitude of 6100 m. Lava flowed and MIROVA registered thermal radiation with 1835 MW power. The measurement was made after the end of the eruption. After the paroxysm, strombolian eruptions continued. Currently, the tremor is low.

Fagradalsfjall: Lava flows into Meradalir

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State: Iceland | Coordinates: 63.903, -22.273 | Eruption: Hawaiian

Activity at Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano continues to fluctuate: this morning the tremor has increased again and flowing lava can be seen on LiveCams. Multiple lava flows are visible on the surface and are flowing into the Meradalir valley. This continues to be filled. MIROVA detected yesterday a very high thermal radiation with more than 5000 MW power. This value is in the peak range of thermal radiation since the beginning of the eruption and illustrates how strong the lava output is at present and how much hot lava has accumulated in Meradalir.

Nyiragongo erupts

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Currently, media reports are doing the rounds, according to which the volcano Nyiragongo in Congo has erupted. Eyewitnesses describe high “flames” shooting out of the volcano. Photos show a red illuminated night sky above the volcano’s flank. Many residents of the city of Goma are fleeing in panic toward Rwanda. They fear that a lava flow could reach the city and leave a new swath of devastation, much like what last happened in 2002.

Local volcanologists have been warning for months that a flank eruption could occur. a team is on its way to the volcano to investigate the situation in more detail. According to initial statements by the researchers, there has not been a stronger earthquake. This would speak against a large fissure formation and the leaking of the lava lake, because such a process would have to be reflected on the seismometers, if there are any.

Some voices suggest that the eruption could also occur at the neighboring Nyamuragira volcano. It had last erupted in 2011 in the lower flank area. MIROVA yesterday detected a slight increase in thermal radiation with 1600 MW power, but new values should come in soon, which would allow a more accurate attribution.

Etna: Paroxysm No 23

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Tonight another paroxysmal spectacle occurred at Mount Etna, the most powerful volcano in Europe. The 23rd paroxysm -since December 2020- started around 1:00 UCT and lasted almost 2 hours. In terms of strength, it was comparable to the May 19 eruption, just did not last as long. New Southeast Crater produced a comparatively small lava fountain along with an ash cloud. According to VAAC, it rose up to an altitude of 6100 m. A lava flow headed south, emitting extremely high thermal radiation with more than 11,000 MW of power. As before, no lava flowed into the Valle del Bove. The vents to the east of NSEC were apparently not involved in the eruption. What will happen next is completely open. At the moment, it looks as if the eruption interval will shorten again.

Stromboli with pyroclastic flow

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Stromboli experienced a collapse event at noon today that resulted in a pyroclastic flow. It flowed over Sciara del Fuoca and slid a good 1000 m out to sea. A few minutes earlier, INGV registered an increase in explosive activity.

It is reported that a lava flow is on the way on Sciara del Fuoco. A helicopter has left on an observation flight to gather more information. Slight inflation is registered in the area of the fire slide. It amounts to 0.2 microrad. Apparently there were several pyroclastic flows. The situation is still somewhat obscure.

Pacaya: New lava flow

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For a good 10 days, it looked like things were easing at Pacaya in Gautemala, but since yesterday a new lava flow has been flowing. It is again coming from a fissure on the volcano’s southwest flank, and the flow rate currently looks like it has the potential to produce a long lava flow again. INSIVUMEH also reported strombolian activity from McKenney crater. Incandescent tephra rises up to 225 m above crater level. There were no major ash eruptions.

Fagradalsfjall: Lava fountain higher

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Fagradalsfjall: Lava fountain higher

Since yesterday, activity at Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano increased. The rise of the lava fountain has increased significantly and the crater cone is growing. The same is true for the lava flow. Seismicity along the dyke is moderate. On the other hand, yesterday there was a magnitude 3.8 quake at the Hengil volcanic system, associated with a swarm quake. Already in the last days there was an increased seismicity there.

Fagradalsfjall: crater cone grows

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Activity continues at the Icelandic volcano Fagradalsfjall. It is increasingly confined to the hornito on fissure 5, whose main vent has grown significantly in size. It produces a permanent lava fountain and feeds a lava flow. The hornito has the potential to develop into a cinder cone. Seismicity along the fissure system continues to be moderate, with a slight downward trend. IMO recorded 95 quakes on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the last 48 hours. In addition, there was also a small swarm under Katla.