Small earthquakes and changes in the level of the lava lake are causing concern for scientists monitoring Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano.
“Activity at the summit of Kilauea Volcano continues to change, as shown by a pronounced drop in the level of the lava lake within Halema’uma’u Crater, a change in the summit area deformation pattern, and the concentrated earthquake activity in the southern part of the caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone” spokespersons with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a recent press release.
The pressure inside the volcano is to the level that an eruption is possible. Sensors monitoring the ground show that there is deformation in the surrounding rock.
“The magma storage system within Kilauea is highly pressurized at this time, and future changes in the location of unrest, and the potential for eruption could unfold quickly (in days to hours),” said spokesmen with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
But it’s not just Kilauea that’s becoming a focus. Mauna Loa is also showing activity that indicates magma is on the move.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that Mauna Loa is showing inflation in the Southwest Rift Zone and summit areas. There have also been minor earthquakes in the same area.
The scientists say the activity at Mauna Loa is lower than before eruptions in 1975 and 1984, however, the volcano has had periods of activity since 1984 without an eruption that has allowed pressure to continue to build within the mountain.
The HVO said they do not know how much pressure is involved or how much pressure the surrounding rocks can take before magma would move to the surface.
Costa Rica’s Turriabla Volcano spewed ash from its crater for about an hour which was wind-blown in the Central Valley. Scientists are warning that this is just the beginning of what could be a much more dangerous eruption.
“There is a very high possibility that [the volcano] will reach a higher level of activity,” said Lidier Esquivel, the chief investigator of risk management for the National Emergency Commission (CNE).
The activity Sunday comes less than a week after a tower of ash over a mile and a half into the sky.
Scientists with the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Coast Rica reported to San Jose’s “Tico Times” the volcano is already showing the signs of a major eruption and that eruptions are going to increase in intensity over the next few months.
“The volcano is already throwing lava, it is fragmented lava that is creating the ash,” Guillermo Alvarado, coordinator for volcanic and seismic threats and monitoring for the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, said during a volcano roundtable event last week.
The continuing ash emissions are threatening health of the region. Alvarado said that the lava fragments in ash can significantly cause problems for lungs and create risks for animals and humans.
“At this point there have been very few serious health problems to arise, but ash can cause respiratory problems, throat problems and burning in the eyes or skin.” Esquivel said. “As more people are regularly exposed to volcanic ash, we expect to see these problems in a larger portion of the population.”
The scientists said that the wind could take the ash from a major eruptions over Costa Rica’s capital city and the surrounding metropolitan area.
The partial collapse of a crater wall caused an explosion and eruption Sunday at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said that the small explosion spread lava and debris around the rim of the Halemaumau Crater. USGS geologist Janet Babb compared the blast to striking the top of a bottle of champagne.
“You look at the bottle and you see the liquid, but you don’t see the gas,” she said. “There’s a lot of gas in the lava. And so, when that rock fall hits the lava lake, it’s like the moment you knock the top of the champagne bottle off and that gas is released and it hurls molten lava and rock fragments.”
Babb said the small eruption sent rocks flying about 280 feet into the air.
The lava lake had reached record levels last week, reaching a point where it could be seen from an observation deck for the first time since its construction. The explosion was the first time that a lake similar to his one has been seen since 1974.
USGS scientists say the vent within the Halemaumau Crater has been rising and falling since it first opened. A 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck the area Monday morning.
A team of scientists have made a shocking discovery regarding the supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park.
The magma reserve under the volcano are significantly larger than previously recorded.
Researchers from the University of Utah report in the journal Science that the magma under Yellowstone could fill the Grand Canyon almost 14 times. Most of the magma is in a newly discovered reservoir under the previously discovered reservoir.
“For the first time, we have imaged the continuous volcanic plumbing system under Yellowstone,”says first author Hsin-Hua Huang, also a postdoctoral researcher in geology and geophysics. “That includes the upper crustal magma chamber we have seen previously plus a lower crustal magma reservoir that has never been imaged before and that connects the upper chamber to the Yellowstone hotspot plume below.”
The newly discovered reservoir feeds the magma chamber that heats the geysers and other attractions at Yellowstone. The scientists found that the chambers are made of mostly solid rock with holes through them like a sponge allowing liquid magma to move.
The researchers were quick to point out that the discovery doesn’t mean that an eruption is any more imminent; just that they have a better understanding of the system that would lead to an eruption at some point in the future.
“The actual hazard is the same, but now we have a much better understanding of the complete crustal magma system,” said researcher Robert B. Smith.
The researchers say that the odds of an eruption each year is 1 in 700,000, the same odds as a person being struck by lightning.
Residents around Chile’s Calbuco volcano were stunned when the mountain roared to life yesterday for the first time in over four decades.
The president of the country has declared a state of emergency and officials forcibly evacuated the town of Ensenada and its 1500 residents. Two other smaller communities were also forced to clear out.
Heavy ash was reported through the region and also in neighboring Argentina. The official government metrological service reported the ash cloud reaching a peak of 40,000 feet.
No injuries have been reported but one hiker was reported missing.
Officials say that no hot rocks or lava have been seen coming from the volcano but the high levels of ash are posting a threat to the groundwater in the region. The ash can also cause significant problems to air travel and residents who have breathing problems like asthma.
The mountain is considered one of the three most dangerous volcanoes in Chile.
Chile is located on the eastern edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire. One of the country’s most active volcanoes, Villarica, erupted last month sending lava down its sides and forcing the evacuation of thousands.
Mexico’s Colima volcano is causing local officials to dust off evacuation plans.
The volcano erupted twice in one day and is spewing large plumes of hot ash into the sky. The ash has been raining onto the homes of residents’ miles away from the mountain. The largest of the plumes reached two miles into the sky.
Local officials are preparing to evacuate residents if the mountain continues to increase in eruption intensity. The last time an evacuation was required was in 2005.
The volcano is considered one of the most active in the nation.
The country’s national civil protection agency has a station three miles from the volcano to monitor for severe eruptions.
It may be “sleeping”, but scientists say the volcano within Mount Hood in Oregon is a giant that’s just waiting to wake up.
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey want to place four volcano monitoring stations on the mountain. The stations would be unmanned, take only 105 square feet of space and be painted in a way to blend in with the surrounding environment.
“Seismic, GPS and volcanic gas data collected from the stations would be used as the basis for public communications and early warnings, to ensure the safety of adjacent communities as well as recreationists using the Wilderness and Forest,” Mt. Hood National Forest said in a statement.
Mount Hood was placed on a list of very high threat volcanoes on the 2005 National Volcanic Early Warning Systems list.
The volcano is considered active although it has not erupted. There are frequent earthquakes and it releases steam and volcanic gases near the summit.
Scientists across the Pacific Northwest are investigating a rain that left a residue on cars in two states.
The “milky rain” fell on both Oregon and Washington states, leaving a powdery resident on vehicles and buildings. Samples have been collected by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Benton Clean Air Agency in an attempt to discover what was in the rain.
So far the scientists have competing theories. One is that a volcanic eruption in Japan has resulted in volcanic ash mixing with clouds to create the rain. The other is that dust from central Oregon somehow mixed with a storm.
The National Weather Service has taken a mostly impartial view, stating dust storms were the likely cause but it could not rule out volcanic ash. The NWS says they do not have the equipment necessary to analyze the rain and discover its origin.
Robin Priddy of Benton Clean Air says that air monitoring stations detected nothing during the rain but that they don’t feel it poses a health risk.
“We don’t have any reason to think there’s anything wrong, but there’s no reason not to be cautious if you’re concerned,” she added. “You may want to wash it off your car with water, rather than with your hands, and avoid touching it and breathing it in.”
The two most active volcanoes in Mexico erupted Wednesday, spewing large columns of ash and gas into the air.
Located to the south-east of Mexico City, the Popocatepetl volcano, also known as “Don Goyo,” registered 60 explosions within 24 hours with one of the explosions reaching over 3,000 feet into the air.
Within the same time period, the Colima volcano, known as the “Volcano of Fire” located 430 miles northwest of Mexico’s capital also registered several eruptions.
The governor of the state, Mario Anguiano Moreno, stated on Twitter that there is “no considerable risk for the population, since the wind is taking the ashes to the northeast of the state.”
There has been no calls for evacuations at this time.
Authorities in New Zealand are telling airlines worldwide to avoid Tonga on their international routes following a volcanic eruption.
The Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center says the Hunga Ha’apai volcano near Tonga’s capital city Nuku’alofa is sending a “dark volcanic cloud” 16,000 feet into the air and 10 nautical miles around the island.
Authorities say it’s impossible to know what is happening around the volcano because of the thickness of the volcanic ash cloud.
All flights into Tonga have been cancelled with no announcement as to when they might restart.
Hunga Ha’apai is the same volcano that first appeared roaring out of the Pacific Ocean in 2009 to create an island.
It is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
