FIRE-EARTH Alert – March 3, 2015

CJ Members:

Fire-Earth Alert: 332015

Details of the Alert ‘332015’ will be broadcast on FIRE-EARTH Channels on March 4, 2015 at the following times:

• 03:32, 04:32, 05:32 then 10:32, 12:32, 14:32 and 20:32UTC

 

Strong Earthquake Rattles Siberut Island, Indonesia

M6.4 quake strikes offshore Sumatra

Centered at 0.767°S, 98.708°E the quake occurred at a depth of 37.6 km, said USGS/EHP.

There were no reports of casualties or damage, as of posting.

EQ Details
Magnitude: 6.4Mw
Event Time: 2015-03-03 at 10:37:31 (UTC)
Nearby Cities:

• 50km (31mi) NW of Sikabaluan, Indonesia
• 158km (98mi) W of Pariaman, Indonesia
• 184km (114mi) W of Padang, Indonesia
• 191km (119mi) WSW of Bukittinggi, Indonesia

Tsunami Evaluation: This quake has not generated a destructive tsunami. NO tsunami Warnings, Advisories or Watches are currently in effect.

Siberut (population: ~ 3,550) is the largest of the Mentawai Islands, located in the Indian Ocean about 150km west of Sumatra. About 90 percent of the population are the native Mentawai.

Villarrica Volcano Erupts Forcing Thousands of Evacuations

“House of the spirit” spews ash, smoke and lava high into the sky

Villarrica volcano, aka “House of the spirit,” one of Chile’s most active volcanoes, erupted at about 3am Tuesday, sending ash, smoke and lava high into the sky, and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in nearby communities.

Volcano Details

Summit Elevation: 2,846m
Location: 39.42°S, 71.93°W
REGION: Araucanía, Chile

Current Warning Level

The National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) and its National Network for Volcanic Monitoring, at the Volcano Observatory of the Southern Andes (OVDAS),  has raised the volcanic alert level for Villarrica volcano  to “RED” effective 02:30CLST on March 3, 2015.

Eruptive History

During a 1964 eruption, a lahar flow from Villarrica destroyed the town of Coñaripe, then located on the northwestern shores of Calafquén Lake. The town (population: ~1,500) was later rebuilt further east.

After the 1971 eruption, a series of lahar flows and toxic gas emissions from the volcano affected several communities in the Trancura River’s basin, leaving up to 30 people dead.

The volcano has a volume of about 250km³ currently, with its base occupying an area of about 400 km².