Fire Earth

Earth is fighting to stay alive. Mass dieoffs, triggered by anthropogenic assault and fallout of planetary defense systems offsetting the impact, could begin anytime!

Posts Tagged ‘volcanic unrest’

Klyuchevskaya Volcano Still Active

Posted by feww on March 11, 2010

Hidden Surprises at Kamchatka Peninsula?


Klyuchevskaya Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula underwent  explosive ash and lava eruptions earlier this month, including one on two days ago which ejected a plume of smoke and ash to a height of 6,000 meters. Image acquired March 10, 2010. Credit NASA (Instrument: Terra – ASTER). Click images to enlarge.

Earlier images of Klyuchevskaya Volcano


Lava and Snow on Klyuchevskaya Volcano. “According to the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, Klyuchevskaya Volcano has been displaying a range of volcanic activity over the past week, including gas-steam plumes reaching six kilometers (20,000 feet) above sea level, flowing lava, and Strombolian eruptions reaching 300 meters (1,000 feet) above the summit, ” NASA reported. (date: Feb 13, 2010) Credit NASA.


Lava on Klyuchevskaya Volcano. The dark streams in this satellite image are lava cascading down the southeast flank of Klyuchevskaya volcano. A thin plume of smoke and steam extends due west from the summit. Klyuchevskaya was active throughout most of 2009. (date: Dec 11, 2009) Credit NASA.

Related Links:

Posted in Kamchatka peninsula, Kuriles, Northern Kuriles, volcanic eruption, volcanism | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Nyiragongo Unrest

Posted by feww on July 25, 2009

Plume from Nyiragongo

nyiragongo_ali_2009178
Nyiragongo Volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo released a small plume on June 27, 2009, as the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite passed overhead.

NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors detected hotspots on six different occasions between April 10 and May 4, 2009.  The plume observed by ALI in late June may be a continuation of the low-level activity.

Nyiragongo is a stratovolcano—a steep-sloped structure made of alternating layers of solidified ash, hardened lava, and rocks released by previous eruptions. In contrast to the low profile of neighboring Nyamuragira, Nyiragongo rises to a height of 3,470 meters (11,384 feet) above sea level. Lava flows from Nyiragongo caused substantial casualties in 1977 and 2002.  NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 Team. Caption by Michon Scott. [Edited by FEWW.]

Related Links:

Posted in active volcanoes, lava flow, Nyamuragira, volcanic unrest, volcanoes | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Redoubt Volcano settling down?

Posted by feww on July 1, 2009

Is Redoubt going back to sleep?

After Redoubt’s last explosive eruption about three month ago, the researchers at the Alaska Volcano Observatory say the volcano may be settling down. The aviation alert level has been lowered to code yellow (advisory), however, constant monitoring continues.

Redoubt has been oozing magma and ejecting steam since the last eruption on April 4, 2009.

“The last couple of months at Redoubt, we have been building a mountain,” said one of the researchers, referring to the colossal lava dome.

As of June 9, the giant dome had grown to approximately 67.5 million m3 in volume. the dome is unstable and can collapse  at any time, causing  explosions, and flooding the Drift River valley.


Redoubt from the east. Picture Date: July 01, 2009.  Image Creator: Cyrus Read. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS.


Redoubt photo taken by DFR Webcam. AVO. Camera is co-located with seismic station DFR, approximately 12.2 km NE of Redoubt.

ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 4:38 PM AKDT (Wednesday, July 1, 2009 0038 UTC)
Redoubt Volcano
60°29’7″ N 152°44’38” W, Summit Elevation 10197 ft (3,108 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW

Extended Information Statement

The 2009 eruption of Redoubt volcano began March 15th, 2009 with a steam explosion. Between March 22nd and April 4th, Redoubt produced multiple significant explosions that sent ash and gas clouds to as high as 65,000 feet (19.8 km) above sea level. After April 4th, the eruption continued with extrusion of a lava dome within the summit crater, eventually producing a blocky lava flow that currently extends ~0.6 miles (1 km) down the north flank of the volcano. Redoubt entered its 14th week of eruptive activity the week of June 22nd. More …

Related Links:

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Weekly Volcano Watch: 12 March 2009

Posted by feww on March 12, 2009

Latest U.S. Volcano Alerts and Updates for Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 at 06:40:05 PST

  • 2009-03-11 20:27:47 Okmok Advisory Yellow
  • 2009-03-11 20:27:47 Redoubt Advisory Yellow
  • 2009-03-11 20:27:47 Cleveland Advisory Yellow
  • 2009-03-11 20:07:45 Kilauea Watch Orange
  • 2009-03-03 01:05:40 Mauna Loa Advisory Yellow

Volcano Hazards Program Webcams page links to webcams at 19 of the 169 active volcanoes in the U-S.

Volcanic Activity Report: 4 March – 10 March 2009

Source: SI / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

New activity/unrest:

VoW: Rainier


Mount Rainier, at 4392 m the highest peak in the Cascade Range, forms a dramatic backdrop to the Puget Sound region. Large Holocene mudflows from collapse of this massive, heavily glaciated andesitic volcano have reached as far as the Puget Sound lowlands. The present summit was constructed within a large crater breached to the north during the a mid-Holocene eruption as a result of the collapse of a once-higher edifice. Several postglacial tephras have been erupted from Mount Rainier; tree-ring dating places the last recognizable tephra deposit during the 19th century. The present-day summit cone was formed during a major mixed-magma explosive eruption about 2200 years ago and is capped by two overlapping craters. Extensive hydrothermal alteration of the upper portion of the volcano has contributed to its structural weakness; an active thermal system has caused periodic melting on flank glaciers and produced an elaborate system of steam caves in the summit icecap. Photo by Lee Siebert, 1983 (Smithsonian Institution). Caption: GVP

  • Country: United States
  • Region: Washington
  • Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
  • Last Known Eruption: 1894
  • Summit Elevation: 4392 m (14,409 feet)
  • Latitude: 46.853°N (46°51’10″N)
  • Longitude: 121.760°W ( 121°45’37″W)

Seattle_Rainier
Mount Rainier photographed from Seattle, WA. Photo dated July 2005. Source. Image may be subject to copyright.

Monthly report (subject to change) from

06/1969 (CSLP 53-69) Increased seismicity since September 1968

“Local activity has been increasing each month for the last three months. We have been averaging about 1-3 ‘Mt. Ranier Events’ per 5-day period with an increase to about five per 5-day period last September 1968. This April, the events increased to approximately five per 5-day period. In May, it increased to about six per 5-day period and as of 15 June the increase is to approximately 12 per 5-day period.”

Information Contact: N. Rasmussen, Seismology Station, University of Washington.

Cascade Range Current Update

CASCADES VOLCANO OBSERVATORY WEEKLY UPDATE
Friday, March 6, 2009 09:05 PST (Friday, March 6, 2009 17:05 UTC)

Source: USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington

Cascade Range Volcanoes
Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Aviation Color Code: GREEN

Activity Update: All volcanoes in the Cascade Range are at normal levels of background seismicity. These include Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams in Washington State; Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry Volcano, and Crater Lake, in Oregon; and Medicine Lake volcano, Mount Shasta, and Lassen Peak in northern California.
Mount St. Helens has been at Volcano Alert Level NORMAL (Aviation Color Code GREEN) since July 10, 2008.

Recent Observations: Activity at all Cascade volcanoes remained at background levels. A few tiny earthquakes were detected at Mount St. Helens and Mount Shasta.

The U.S. Geological Survey and University of Washington continue to monitor these volcanoes closely and will issue additional updates and changes in alert level as warranted.

Introduction

Mount Rainier at 4393 meters (14,410 feet) the highest peak in the Cascade Range is a dormant volcano whose load of glacier ice exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. This tremendous mass of rock and ice, in combination with great topographic relief, poses a variety of geologic hazards, both during inevitable future eruptions and during the intervening periods of repose.

The volcano’s past behavior is the best guide to possible future hazards. The written history of Mount Rainier encompasses the period since about A.D. 1820, during which time one or two small eruptions, several small debris avalanches, and many small lahars (debris flows originating on a volcano) have occurred. This time interval is far too brief to serve as a basis for estimating the future behavior of a volcano that is several hundreds of thousands of years old. Fortunately, prehistoric deposits record the types, magnitudes, and frequencies of past events, and show which areas were affected by them. At Mount Rainier, as at other Cascade volcanoes, deposits produced since the latest ice age (approximately during the past 10,000 years) are well preserved. Studies of these deposits reveal that we should anticipate potential hazards from some phenomena that only occur during eruptions and from others that may occur without eruptive activity. Tephra falls, pyroclastic flows and pyroclastic surges, ballistic projectiles, and lava flows occur only during eruptions. Debris avalanches, lahars, and floods commonly accompany eruptions, but can also occur during dormant periods.

This report (1) explains the various types of hazardous geologic phenomena that could occur at Mount Rainier, (2) shows areas that are most likely to be affected by the different phenomena, (3) estimates the likelihood that the areas will be affected, and (4) recommends actions that can be taken to protect lives and property. It builds upon and revises a similar document prepared by D.R. Crandell in 1973. Our revision was motivated by the availability of new information about Mount Rainier’s geologic history, by advances in the field of volcanology, and by the need to assess hazards in a more quantitative manner than in Crandell’s pioneering report. —R.P. Hoblitt, J.S. Walder, C.L. Driedger, K.M. Scott, P.T. Pringle, and J.W. Vallance, 1998, Volcano Hazards from Mount Rainier, Washington, Revised 1998: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-428

REPORT:
Volcano Hazards from Mount Rainier, Washington, Revised 1998

Mount Rainier at 4,393 meters (14,410 feet) the highest peak in the Cascade Range is a dormant volcano whose load of glacier ice exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. This tremendous mass of rock and ice, in combination with great topographic relief, poses a variety of geologic hazards, both during inevitable future eruptions and during the intervening periods of repose. … This report (1) explains the various types of hazardous geologic phenomena that could occur at Mount Rainier, (2) shows areas that are most likely to be affected by the different phenomena, (3) estimates the likelihood that the areas will be affected, and (4) recommends actions that can be taken to protect lives and property. It builds upon and revises a similar document prepared by D.R. Crandell in 1973. Our revision was motivated by the availability of new information about Mount Rainier’s geologic history, by advances in the field of volcanology, and by the need to assess hazards in a more quantitative manner than in Crandell’s pioneering report. —Hoblitt, et.al., 1998

Ongoing Activity:

FEWW Forecast: Mount Rainier could erupt in the next 36 months with a probability of 0.65 [and in the next 18 months with a probability of >0.5]

Posted in Cleveland, Koryaksky, Mauna Loa, Okmok, Redoubt | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weekly Volcano Watch: 5 March 2009 [Take 2]

Posted by feww on March 5, 2009

Latest U.S. Volcano Alerts and Updates for Thursday, Mar 5, 2009 at 06:40:05 PST

Volcano Hazards Program Webcams page links to webcams at 19 of the 169 active volcanoes in the U-S.

Volcanic Activity Report: 25 February-3 March 2009

Source: SI / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

New activity/unrest:

Volcano of the Week: Jan Mayen


Remote Jan Mayen Island, located in the Norwegian Sea along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge about 650 km NE of Iceland, consists of two volcanic complexes separated by a narrow isthmus. The large Beerenberg basaltic stratovolcano (Nord-Jan) forms the NE end of the 40-km-long island, which is ringed by high cliffs. Beerenberg is a large 2277-m-high glacier-covered stratovolcano with a 1-km-wide summit crater and numerous cinder cones that were erupted along flank fissures. It is composed primarily of basaltic lava flows with minor amounts of tephra. Historical eruptions at Beerenberg date back to the 18th century. The Sor-Jan group of pyroclastic cones and lava domes occupies the SW tip of Jan Mayen. The Holocene Sor-Jan cinder cones, tephra rings, and trachytic lava domes were erupted from short fissures with a NE-SW trend. Photo by Gernot Hecker, 2005 (Wikimedia Commons). Caption: GVP.

  • Volcano: Jan Mayen
  • Country: Norway
  • Subregion: Jan Mayen Island
  • Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
  • Last Known Eruption: 1985
  • Summit Elevation: 2,277 m (7,470 feet)
  • Latitude: 71.08°N (71°5’0″N)
  • Longitude: 8.17°W (8°10’0″W)


Ongoing Activity:

Posted in Chaiten, Jan Mayen, Kīlauea, Redoubt, volcanoes | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Volcano Watch No. 42

Posted by terres on October 23, 2008

15 – 21 October 2008

New Activity/Unrest:

Ongoing Activity:

This page is updated on Wednesdays, please see the GVP Home Page for news of the latest significant activity.

Posted in Akan, Batu Tara, Karymsky, Kīlauea, Popocatépetl | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Volcano Watch No. 40

Posted by feww on October 10, 2008

1 – 7 October 2008

New Activity/Unrest:

Karangetang [Api Siau] Photo


Karangetang (Api Siau) volcano lies at the northern end of the island of Siau, north of Sulawesi. The 1784-m-high stratovolcano contains five summit craters along a N-S line. Karangetang is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, with more than 40 eruptions recorded since 1675 and many additional small eruptions that were not documented in the historical record (Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World: Neumann van Padang, 1951). Twentieth-century eruptions have included frequent explosive activity sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows and lahars. Lava dome growth has occurred in the summit craters; collapse of lava flow fronts has also produced pyroclastic flows. Photo by Volcanological Survey of Indonesia. Caption and details: GVP.

Volcano: Karangetang [Api Siau]
Country: Indonesia
Region: Sangihe Islands (Indonesia)
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Last Known Eruption: 2008
Summit Elevation: 1784 m     5,853 feet
Latitude: 2.78°N     2°47’0″N
Longitude: 125.40°E     125°24’0″E

Ongoing Activity:

This Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program.

Posted in Ol Doinyo Lengai, stratovolcano, Tanzania, volcanic activity, volcanoes | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mount Soputan volcano erupts again!

Posted by feww on October 7, 2008

Lava flowed about 1 km from Indonesia’s Mount Soputan crater

Mount Soputan volcano, one of Sulawesi island’s most active volcanoes, erupted again Monday, spewing flames, fiery spark and clouds of hot smoke up to a 1,000 meters into the air.

Lava flowed about 1 km from the crater, according to Indonesia’s volcanology center.”There’s no order to evacuate but people are asked to stay outside a radius of four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the volcano’s summit because it could spew lava and heat clouds down its slopes,” a volcanologist said.

Indonesia, which sits on the so called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” is home to 150 listed volcanoes. [See below for more information on Pacific Ring of Fir. ]


Soputan volcano spews thick smoke and heat clouds in Minahasa. Source: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.

Description

Country: Indonesia
Region Name: Sulawesi (Indonesia)
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Last Known Eruption: 2008
Summit Elevation: 1784 m     (5,853 feet)
Latitude:     1.108°N     1°6’30″N
Longitude: 124.73°E     124°44’0″E

Soputan on a restful day!


The small Soputan stratovolcano, seen here from the west, was constructed on the southern rim of the Quaternary Tondano caldera in northern Sulawesi Island. The youthful, largely unvegetated Soputan volcano is one of Sulawesi’s most active volcanoes. During historical time the locus of eruptions has included both the summit crater and Aeseput, a prominent NE flank vent that formed in 1906 and was the source of intermittent major lava flows until 1924. Photo by Agus Solihin (Volcanological Survey of Indonesia). Image and caption: GVP.

Pacific Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent siesmic activity and volcanic eruptions caused by plate tectonic movements. Encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which contains oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts, the 40,000 km Ring of Fire is home to 452 volcanoes. About ninety percent of the world’s earthquakes including 80% of the world’s major earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire.


Volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The trenches are shown in blue-green. The volcanic island arcs, although not labeled, are parallel to, and always landward of, the trenches. For example, the island arc associated with the Aleutian Trench is represented by the long chain of volcanoes that make up the Aleutian Islands.

Source: http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/fire.html

Posted in Aeseput, Minahasa, Pacific Ring of Fire, stratovolcano | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Volcano Watch No. 39

Posted by feww on October 2, 2008

24 – 30 September 2008

New Activity/Unrest:

Garbuna Group, New Britain

RVO reported ash emissions from Garbuna on 23 September through 1 October. Ash plumes rose to an altitude of about 1.6 km a.s.l. and drifted NW.

Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion Island

OVPDLF reported  lava flows from Piton de la Fournaise 24-30 September ponding at the bottom of Dolomieu crater. Air photos [25 September] showed lava flow was about 180 m long by 100 m wide and 30 m deep. The erupted volume was estimated at 300,000 cubic meters.

Sangay, Ecuador

Having analyzed satellite imagery, information from the Guayaquil MWO, and pilot reports, Washington VAAC reported a minor ash plume rising from Sangay on 24 September.

Garbuna Volcano Complex


The Garbuna volcano group at the southern end of the Willaumez Peninsula rises to the WNW across Stetin Bay. The complex consists of three volcanic peaks, Krummel, Garbuna, and Welcker, along a N-S line. The most prominent peaks, Welcker (right) and Krummel (left), anchor the northern and southern sides of the complex, respectively. The lower peaks of the centrally located Garbuna volcano contain a large vegetation-free area that is probably the most extensive thermal field in Papua New Guinea. Photo by Elliot Endo, 2002 (U.S. Geological Survey). Source of image and caption: GVP.

Country: Papua New Guinea
Subregion Name: New Britain
Volcano Type: Stratovolcanoes
Last Known Eruption: 2008

Summit Elevation: 564 m
Latitude:     5.45°S     5°27’0″S
Longitude: 150.03°E     150°2’0″E

Ongoing Activity:

This Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program.

Posted in Akan volcano, Dukono, Santa María Volcano, Suwanose-jima, Turrialba | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Bezymianny Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula erupts

Posted by msrb on August 20, 2008

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY. The Bezymianny Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula has erupted, Itar-Tass reported.

During the period of unrest, it emitted an ash column with a diameter of about 100 km.

The eruption was forecast prior to the unrest. The Bezymianny Volcano (2,800m high) is one of 28 active volcanoes on the peninsula. Bezymianny erupts explosively once or twice each year. The eruptions can last up to several days.

During its most powerful eruption in 1956, Bezymianny dome exploded collapsing about 280m of its summit (reduced from 3080 to 2800m). It ejected about one cubic kilometer volcanic debris in a very short time. [See VEI below.]

Bezymianny Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula. Photo: Itar-Tass. Image may be subject to copyright. See Fair Use Notice!

More …

Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI)

The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) was devised by Chris Newhall of the U.S. Geological Survey and Steve Self at the University of Hawaiʻi in 1982 to provide a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions.

VEI and ejecta volume correlation. Credit: USGS (Via Wikipedia)

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Volcanic Activity News

Posted by feww on August 2, 2008

For New Volcanic Activity/Unrest See

SI / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

23 July-29 July 2008

New Activity/Unrest:

Anatahan, Mariana Islands (Central Pacific) | Chaitén, Southern Chile | Chikurachki, Paramushir Island | Cleveland, Chuginadak Island | Dukono, Halmahera | Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka | Llaima, Central Chile | Manam, Northeast of New Guinea (SW Pacific) | Okmok, Fox Islands | Reventador, Ecuador | Soufrière Hills, Montserrat


“Garden of the Fugitives.” Plaster casts of some of the victims of Mount Vesuvius eruption [AD79] are still in the ruins of Pompeii. A few hours after Mount Vesuvius exploded Pompeii and its residents were buried under 3 meters of volcanic ash. Photo copyright: Aschwin Prein. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Ongoing Activity:

Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia) | Bezymianny, Central Kamchatka (Russia) | Kilauea, Hawaii (USA) | Krakatau, Indonesia | Rabaul, New Britain | Sakura-jima, Kyushu | Santa María, Guatemala | Semeru, Eastern Java (Indonesia) | Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia) | Suwanose-jima, Ryukyu Islands (Japan) | Tungurahua, Ecuador | Ubinas, Perú


The skeletal remains of a young woman killed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The skeleton, unearthed from the ruins of Herculaneum in 1982, was named the “Ring Lady” because of the emerald and ruby rings found on the woman’s left hand. Two gold bracelets and gold earrings were also found by the woman’s side. (Source: Wikipedia)

Posted in Chikurachki, Herculaneum, Mount Vesuvius, Reventador, Ring Lady, volcanic eruptions | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »