Tungurahua Eruopts, Baños Evacuated

VOLCANIC HAZARD
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City of Baños evacuated amid Tungurahua’s spectacular eruption

Tungurahua erupted on Friday, ejecting a massive plume of smoke and ash 10km into the air during a 5-minute episode.

The 5,023-m volcano has been active since 1999, and has shown signs of increased activity since February 1, 2014.

“Throat of Fire,” as it’s known in the in the local Quechua language, is one of nine or so active volcanoes in Ecuador, located about 140 km  south of the capital, Quito.

Photo showing Tungurahua volcano eruption associated with an explosion at 18:10 (local time) on April 4, 2014. Source F. Vásconez – OVT/IGEPN

Baños de Agua Santa

Baños de Agua Santa, or Baños, as it is commonly referred to, is located in central Ecuador on the northern foothills of the Tungurahua volcano. It is the second most populous city in Tungurahua Province with a population of about 10,000.

Volcano Location Map

Freeze frame from a local news video clip showing Friday’s eruption.

Related Links

• Hundreds Evacuated as Ecuador’s Tungurahua Erupts July 16, 2013
• State of Emergency‎ Declared in Ecuador March 9, 2012
• Volcano Ash Threatens Ecuador’s Ambato City January 29, 2010

Hundreds Evacuated as Ecuador’s Tungurahua Erupts

The “Throat of Fire” Erupts

Hundreds of people were evacuated on Sunday as Tungurahua volcano [“Throat of Fire” in Quichua] in central of Ecuador erupted.

The volcano ejected “ashes and hot solids into the air,” said the National Risk Management Secretariat, as they raised the volcano alert level to “orange.”

“The explosion from the volcano could be heard from various cities such as Riobamba, Ambato, and Guayaquil [which is 250 km from the volcano] and the tremor was felt in volcano’s region, ” said the Ecuadorian Geophysics Institute.

The eruptions and smoke could be seen from the capital, Quito, some 140 km  north of the volcano.

The 5,023-m “Throat of Fire” has been active since 1999.

Tungurahua eruption viewed from the city of Banos in this AFP photo dated December 17, 2012. Image may be subject to copyright.

-oOo-

Volcanic Activity Continues at Popocatépetl

Latest Activity at Popocatépetl. Image Credit: CENAPRED

Close-up of Popocatépetl Summit Crater – July 15,2013. Image Credit: CENAPRED – Mexico

Latest statement issued Mexico’s CENAPRED, as Popocatépetl continued to spee ash and volcanic matter Late Monday.

July 15 18:00 h (July 15 23:00 GMT)

During the last 7 hours the monitoring system at Popocatepetl volcano registered 6 low intensity exhalations, which were probably followed by emissions of gases and ash, although this could not be corroborated due to the prevailing cloud cover. Aditionally, two volcanotectonic microseisms of Mc 2.0 and 2.1 were detected at 12:03 and 15:32, respectively.

Today an overflight was made with the aid of the mexican Navy, in which it could be seen that the dome reported on the previous overflight was destroyed by the explosions which ocurred and were reported on the last few days. In its place a new crater 200 m in diameter and 20 to 30 m deep was seen (see image) (see image) (see image) (see image).

The Volcanic Alert Level is at Yellow, Phase 3.

Blizzards Blast Half of the US, Temp Dips to Minus 58 in Russia

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,178 Days Left 

[December 20, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,178 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Three weather systems pound the U.S., as freezing temperatures kill/ injure hundreds in Russia

The storms have knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers across Nebraska and Iowa, reports said.

“Significant snow will impact all or parts of 21 states—five by a storm in the Pacific Northwest, two by a storm in New England and 14 by the storm in the middle of the country.” NOAA reported.

One storm is winding down in Northern New England after dropping 8-14 inches on northern Maine. The system moving into the Rockies and Central Plains will gain strength today and a new system is moving onshore in the Pacific Northwest, where another 12-20 inches are in the forecast.

The northwest storm will affect parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Montana. The New England storm has affected mostly Main and New Hampshire. The monster storm taking over much of the Plains will impact significant parts of Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.

Russia

Hundreds of people are dead or injured, as Russia endures its harshest winter in more than 7 decades, with temperatures dipping to as low as minus 50ºC (-58ºF).

“The country has not witnessed such a long cold spell since 1938, meteorologists said, with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees lower than the seasonal norm all over Russia.” RIA Novosti reported.

• Russia’s Emergency Ministry has issued warnings throughout 15 regions, as  record cold temperatures are forecast to linger for several more days.

• The temperatures  fell to -18ºC  Moscow region and -50 degrees in Siberia on Wednesday.
  • The temperatures will plunge to as low as -25ºC in the Moscow-2 region, forecasters said.

• “Across the country, heat pipelines have broken down due to the cold. In southeastern Russia’s Samara, the cold has broken down many heat pipelines, leaving hundreds of homes without heating, including an orphanage and a rest house. Many schools and kindergartens have been closed for almost a week.” RIA Novosti reported.

• “The cold spell, along with snowfalls, has disrupted flights all over the country, and led to huge traffic jams. In the southern city of Rostov-on-Don some highways were closed due to snowfalls over the past two days, triggering a traffic collapse.”

Ecuador: Tungurahua volcano

Seventy-two hours after the Tungurahua alert level was raised to ‘orange,’ the activity level remains between ‘moderate’ and ‘high.’

Tungurahua eruption viewed from the city of Banos in this AFP photo dated December 17, 2012. Image may be subject to copyrights.

The Geophysical Institute observatory reported volcanic activity as being  between ‘moderate’ and ‘high,’ with regular expulsions, emitting ashes high into the sky.

The roaring sounds from the volcano is rattling windows in nearby towns, where volcanic ashes continue to rain down.

Tungurahua, (“Throat of Fire” in the native Quechua language),  is located about 135 kilometers (84 miles) south of Quito, the capital city of Ecuador  (Group D – see map).

Related Links:

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• Volcano Watch Weekly [6 May 2009]

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GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Tungurahua Erupts Again!

Ecuador’s ‘Throat of Fire’ Explodes Again, Locals Evacuate

Ecuador’s Tungurahua erupted again Saturday, ejecting large clouds ash and gasses into the air up to 3km above the volcano’s summit crater .

A fountain of lava erupted, spewing molten rocks to a height of about 2 km above the crater, Ecuador’s Geophysics Institute in Quito reported.

The authorities have evacuated residents from the slopes of Tungurahua soon after a rapid increase in its seismic activity was reported and the volcano started ejecting ash.

The snow-capped, 5,023-meter (16,478-foot) Tungurahua (“throat of fire” in the native Quechua language) erupted in 1999, forcing a year-long evacuation of the nearby city of Banos.

In May 2010 Tungurahua erupted again, forcing the evacuation of a dozen villages and closing down the airport in Guayaquil, the country’s largest city.

Previously, two major eruptions occurred in August 2006 and February 2008. The most significant historical eruptions were recorded in 1886, 1916, and 1918.

Tungurahua volcano near the city Banos south of Quito, Ecuador. A fountain of lava erupted, spewing molten rocks to about 2 km above the crater, the Geological Institute in Quito reported. Dec. 4, 2010. AFP Photo. Image may be subject to copyright. Click here for more images.

Snow-capped Tungurahua, photographed from near the town of Baños. Photo by Minard Hall, 1976 (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito) via GVP.

Tungurahua is located about 135 kilometers (84 miles) south of Quito, the capital city of Ecuador  (Group D – see map).

Collapse Survivors Note:
Volcanic explosions could play a major role as significant mechanisms of collapse and ultimately depopulation of the planet.

Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog. Click image to enlarge.

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Volcano Ash Threatens Ecuador’s Ambato City

Ambato May Become a Ghost City

Tungurahua Volcano, “Throat of Fire,” Eruption Continues

Volcanic ash from Tungurahua volcano, which has been erupting for the past several weeks, has covered a wide area of central Ecuador, including provincial capital city of Ambato, authorities said.

Tungurahua volcano, located near Baños, Ecuador. Photo Credit: Martin Zeise, Berlin. SEE Official license. Click Image to enlarge.

Authorities fear that the volcanic ash from Tungurahua, will cause heavy crop loss as well as health problems.

“People have to protect their nose and eyes, because the volcanic dust causes problems in the respiratory system,” provincial health Director was quoted as saying.

However, most of the residents of Ambato, located in Ecuador’s central Andean valley, have ignored government advice to done masks, as they swept thick blankets of ash from the streets, health officials said, UPI reported.

“Since the reactivation of the volcano this year, this is the first time that the dust has fallen on the streets of the city,” a city official told Quito’s El Comercio newspaper.

Tungurahua, which means “Throat of Fire,” is located about  180 km south of Quito, capital city of Equador.

After a large eruption on Jan. 11, Tungurahua has continued to eject columns of ash reaching  as high as 4,000 meters above the summit. The volcano erupted more than 20 times on Wednesday, said Daniel Andrade of Ecuadorian Instituto Geofísico (the Institute of Geophysics).

City of Ambato

The city of Ambato (1°14′30″S, 78°37′11″W) lies in the valley of the Central Cordillera and is surrounded by snow-capped volcanoes including Carihuairazo, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua and Chimborazo, the largest mountain in Ecuador.

Ambato has an estimated population of 400,000, has been destroyed by earthquakes several times throughout its history, the last incident occurred on 5 August 1949.

The earthquake completely destroyed the entire city as well as 50 of surrounding towns and villages,  killing at least 6,000, and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

Ambato is also prone to seasonal flooding due to the Ambato River which divides the north side of the city.

Tungurahua erupted on May 16, 2006, covering the city in a thick blanket of ash.

Tungurahua Volcano
Country: Ecuador
Volcano Number: 1502-08=
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Last Known Eruption: 2009
Summit Elevation: 5,023 m  (16,479 feet)
Latitude: 1.467°S  (1°28’1″S)
Longitude: 78.442°W  ( 78°26’30″W)
Source: Global Volcanism Program (GVP)

Snow-capped Tungurahua, seen from near the town of Baños on its northern flank, rises 3,200 m above steep-walled canyons. Historical eruptions, separated by long reposes, have produced powerful explosions, sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows and lava flows. All historical eruptions have originated from the summit crater, and have typically lasted for several years. The largest historical eruptions took place in 1886, 1916, and 1918.  Photo by Minard Hall, 1976 (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito). Caption: GVP. Click Image to enlarge.

A break in the clouds enabled the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite to observe the eruption on January 23, 2010. As the satellite orbited overhead, a tan ash plume stretched 60 km (40 miles) to the southwest of the peak reaching an altitude of 27,000 feet (8,200 meters), more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above the 5,023 m (16,480 ft) summit. Observers from the Ecuadorian Instituto Geofísico reported lava fountains and lava blocks cascading down the flanks of the volcano, as well as loud booms and ashfall in the surrounding communities. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS RRT. Caption by Robert Simmon.  Edited by FEWW. Click Image to enlarge.

Related Links:

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• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities