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.

Merapi with pyroclastic flow

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Already the day before yesterday, a pyroclastic flow was generated on Java at the Merapi. Local media reported about the event, which is called Awanas Panas in Indonesian. However, the dome growth is relatively low. Vulcanotectonic earthquakes, however, indicate that magma continues to rise.

Fuego in Guatemala

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Fuego is erupting ash clouds. These clouds reach an altitude of 4600 m above sea level and drift up to 20 km. According to INSIVUMEH, glowing tephra are ejected up to 400 m above crater height. Every hour between 15 and 18 explosive eruptions are registered, whose pressure waves cause vibrations in villages. There are loud gas eruptions that last up to 12 minutes. Such gas eruptions can become very loud and the neck hairs of the observers can be raised.

Popocatepetl erupts volcanic ashes

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In Mexico, Popocatepetl is still active and produces ash clouds. The VAAC reports volcanic ash at an altitude of 6700 m above sea level. CENAPRED reports 13 explosions, 162 exhalations and 711 minutes of tremor. This has increased continuously in recent weeks and indicates that magma is rising. The eruptions could increase further.

Sangeang Api still active

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The house volcano is still active on the Indonesian island of Sangeang. The VAAC reports eruptions in which ash is extracted up to an altitude of 3000 m above sea level. From last week’s satellite images only one thermal anomaly can be seen in the crater area, but one more lava flow. It is unclear whether the dome in the crater is still growing.

Piton Fournaise: Eruption stopped

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The Piton de la Fournaise stopped its activity yesterday evening around 22 o’clock local time again. Already in the night on Thursday the volcano paused for 4 hours. It is unclear whether the activity will continue or whether it is the final end. The last phase of the eruption was documented on video. This time there were not many recordings to see, that La Réunion was firmly in the grip of the clouds. This eruption was the 4th in this year and probably not the last.

Piton de la Fournaise: Eruption continues after pause

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After a 4 hour break, the Fournaise eruption on La Réunion continues. At first, the eruption was declared over as the tremor dropped towards zero. Then it began to rise again and a new lava flow started to flow from the previously active fissure. Yesterday, only 2 cubic meters of lava per second were produced. The lava front stagnated in the area of the cinder cone Piton Tremblet at 1900 m altitude. In 2007, Piton Tremblet was the scene of a large eruption in which the lava reached the sea. Whether this spectacle will be repeated in the current eruption is questionable. However, 63 volcanotectonic earthquakes have been recorded since the beginning of the eruption, indicating that magma is rising.

Etna emits ash clouds

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This morning, Mount Etna was emitting ash clouds. The site of eruption was the Northeast Crater. On 2 days old satellite pictures, you can see a weak heat signature at the New Southeast Crater. Today MIROVA registers a weak thermal anomaly. The LGS indicates the warning level “yellow” as an advance alert of a possible impending eruption: Yesterday a phase with tremor was registered. The seismology is otherwise quite discreet. The data provide an inconsistent picture and make a prediction difficult. A new eruptive phase is likely in the medium term. The ash emissions from the Northeast Crater, which were also observed a few days ago, speak in favour of an imminent eruption in the short term. However, Etna is always good for a surprise.

Stromboli: Activity high

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The activity at Stromboli is still high. The LGS Florence reported yesterday about strombolian explosions ejecting the tephra more than 200 m high. The day before, the eject height was reported to be more than 300 meters. While these eruptions take place in the northeastern crater area, lava continues to flow from the northwestern sector. 2 lava flows move in the upper part of Sciara del Fuoco and reached a height of 600 m above sea level the day before yesterday. At that time MIROVA registered thermal radiation with a power of 133 MW. Yesterday the value was reduced to 22 MW. Today there are no usable measurements due to clouds. On the thermal cam of the LGS you can see that the lava flows have become very short and only little lava flows. But for at least 24 hours the slope in the summit area of the volcano has been increasing: The magma accumulates in the conveyor system. The tremor is still clearly elevated, which also indicates that there are magmatic fluids inside the volcano.

 

Piton de la Fournaise: Lava flow approaches coastal road

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The eruption at Piton de la Fournaise continues into the third day and the lava flows continue. Volcanologists of the OVPF were able to make observation flights by helicopter and get a clear picture of the situation: On Sunday 2 eruption fissures opened. They are located on the outside of the east flank, below the edge to Grandes Pentes, at 1700 and 1500 m altitude. The fissures are 1400 m apart. At the time of the flight only the lower fissures were active. Several cinder cones had already formed on the fissure. The lava flowed in multiple arms from the cones and joined to 2 wider streams. They were still about 2 km away from the coastal road RN 2. Their flow velocity decreased in the last hours, because they flowed through densely wooded areas and the vegetation slowed down the lava. Moreover, the slope in this region is less steep. Although the flow velocity decreased, it is quite possible that the lava will interrupt the road. The last time this happened was during the big eruption in 2007.

During the surveillance flight, the researchers also discovered a fumarolic active area in the lower flank area. Lava could have attempted a breakthrough here. If a fissure were to open there, the lava would reach the coast in an instant.

The tremor fluctuated or the eruption strength fluctuated and is now moving sideways at a stable level. Values for heat radiation are not available, because the satellites are blind due to the cloud cover.

Piton de la Fournaise: New eruption has begun

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At Piton de la Fournaise the 4th volcanic eruption began this year. The eruption started on Sunday afternoon. Seismic data indicated that a fissure opened on the eastern flank. It is at a much lower altitude than the 3 previous ones. The volcanologists suspect the eruption centre at the edge of the caldera, where the steep slope of the Grand Brûlé begins. On the steep slope, lava flows reach high speed and have the potential to reach the ocean, provided enough lava is extracted. Thick clouds have so far prevented visual observation of the event, but I assume that the first images will soon reach us.