Chaitén bulletins: no. 109 (30 October 2009) and no. 110 (13 November 2009) 24 November 2009
Posted by admin in Chaitén, Chile, activity reports, eruptions.Tags: Chaitén, Chile, South America, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions
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In a remarkable development, SERNAGEOMIN has just released not one but two Chaitén bulletins to the public. Now available on the OVDAS ‘informes’ page are Chaitén bulletins 109 (PDF here, covering 16-30 October) and 110 (PDF here, covering 31 October to 13 November). Translations as follows.
CHAITÉN VOLCANO
TECHNICAL BULLETIN NO. 109
16-30 OCTOBER 2009
OVDAS-SERNAGEOMIN
1. Visual monitoring
During this period the volcano has remained obscured and only occasionally on 25 and 30 October has it been possible to observe the dome complex and its column of gas and ash. In general, the base of the column has appeared much wider, although the altitude has not exceeded 1.5 km above the domes (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. View from the DGAC camera in Chaitén on 30 October.
Toba eruption deforested India 24 November 2009
Posted by admin in India, Indonesia, Toba, climate, current research.Tags: current research, India, Indonesia, Toba, volcanoes and climate
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The Toba eruption of ~73000 years ago is perennially fascinating: the world’s largest known Quaternary eruption, this event registered VEI=8 and had a global climatic impact that may have caused the near-extinction of humanity by creating a ‘population bottleneck’ (or perhaps not). The scientist behind the population bottleneck theory, University of Illinois anthropology professor Stanley Ambrose, is a lead author for a new study in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (click here for the abstract) which explores further the impact of the Toba eruption and concludes that its effects were indeed wide-ranging and (crucially for the claim that contemporary human populations were dramatically affected) long-lasting.
The study looked at pollen from a marine core taken in the Bay of Bengal which includes ash from the Toba eruption and at carbon isotope ratios in fossil soil carbonates from directly above and below the Toba ash in three locations in central India. Both analyses indicated a change in the vegetation cover in central India after the Toba eruption, from forests to more open vegetation conditions with a predominance of grasslands. The change in vegetation suggests that significantly drier conditions were produced by the Toba eruption, and that those conditions lasted for at least a thousand years.
- Martin A.J. Williams, Stanley H. Ambrose, Sander van der Kaarsc, Carsten Ruehlemannd, Umesh Chattopadhyayae, Jagannath Pale & Parth R. Chauhanf, Environmental impact of the 73 ka Toba super-eruption in South Asia, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology [article in press, corrected proof], doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.10.009 (abstract)
Supervolcano eruption – in Sumatra – deforested India 73,000 years ago – EurekAlert, 23 November 2009
Supervolcano eruption in Sumatra deforested India 73,000 years ago – ScienceDaily, 23 November 2009
…. both of the above being essentially regurgitations of this University of Illinois press release.
Popocatépetl ash falls across Tlaxcala 23 November 2009
Posted by admin in Mexico, Popocatépetl, activity reports.Tags: Mexico, Popocatépetl, volcanic activity reports
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Popocatépetl volcano had an active 24 hours over 21 and 22 November, reports CENAPRED, Mexico’s Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED bulletins for November can be found by searching via this archive page). A magnitude 2 volcano-tectonic earthquake was recorded and there were four small eruptive events during the 24 hours preceding 11:00 local time on 22 November, the most significant of which, occuring at 18:31 local time on 21 November, produced an ash column of 3.5 km altitude. The image above, from CENAPRED’s Popocatépetl webcam to the north of the volcano, shows the situation at 18:38 local time, with incandescence and ash emissions clearly visible.
Ashfall was reported to the north and east, across the state of Tlaxcala. The Mexican press (see links below) reports that ash covered vehicles and roads in 38 municipalities in Tlaxcala, but that ash quantities were ‘minor’ and that no problems resulted. Following this event, CENAPRED reports that the volcano returned to its normal conditions.
Since then things have indeed been quieter, with Popocatépetl producing a number of low-intensity eruptions of water vapour and gas with little no ash . The alert level for Popocatépetl remains at Level 2, Yellow (Amarillo). The webcam image above shows the volcano releasing a thin, mainly steam, plume at 10:41 local time today.
News
Caen cenizas del Popocatépetl sobre al menos 40 municipios de Tlaxcala – La Jornada, 23 November 2009
Cae ceniza volcánica en 38 municipios de Tlaxcala – Milenio, 23 November 2009
Reportó el Cenapred la caída de ceniza en Atlixco, Huejotzingo y Tlaxcala el sábado pasado – La Jornada de Oriente, 23 November 2009
Registra Don Goyo fumarola de 3 kilómetros de altura – El Sol de Cuautla, 23 November 2009
Information
Global Volcanism Program: Popocatépetl – summary information for Popocatépetl (1401-09=)
CENAPRED – volcano monitoring information from CENAPRED
Saturday Volcano Art: back in the new year 23 November 2009
Posted by admin in Saturday volcano art, volcano art, volcano culture.Tags: Saturday volcano art
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The Volcanism Blog’s Saturday Volcano Art feature will be taking a break for the remainder of 2009, returning in January 2010.
In the new year I plan to feature more volcano images by modern and contemporary artists (although great volcano art of the past will of course continue to appear). I already have some great modern works of volcano art lined up, but I am keen to know of more … so, if you would like to suggest contemporary artists you know of for inclusion, please get in touch.
It’s important to note that in the case of modern and contemporary artists I must have the permission of the artist or rights holder to feature their work on this blog* so I can’t guarantee that your favourite modern volcano painting (or drawing, sculpture, mural, engraving, installation, cartoon, happening or whatever) will appear here, but please feel free to make suggestions and I will do what I can.
* And for free, what’s more.
For all ‘Saturday volcano art’ articles: Saturday volcano art « The Volcanism Blog.
Galeras update, 22 November 2009 22 November 2009
Posted by admin in Colombia, Galeras, activity reports, eruptions.Tags: Colombia, Galeras, South America, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions
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Following yesterday’s eruption, the INGEOMINAS observatory at Pasto has lowered the alert level to the second-highest level of Orange, ‘eruption probable within days or weeks’. A bulletin released at 19:40 local time yesterday evening reporting the following:
Since the eruptive event of last night and following the notable increase in seismicity, the seismic activity has shown a gradual decline both in frequency and energy released. The earthquakes registered are associated principally with processes of [gas] escape although events related to the fracturing of crustal material have also been recorded. The seismicity occurs in the upper levels.
The measurements of sulphur dioxide (SO2) today show levels between low and moderate (with a maximum value of 700 tonnes/day), explicable in part to an opening of the system as a consequence of the eruption.
The eruptive event recorded yesterday reflects partial easing of forces and reduction of overpressures.
The bulletin concludes that ‘the volcanic process at Galeras remains unstable, with the presence of magmatic material in upper levels’, and warns that the volcano’s behaviour has shown that ‘in relatively short periods of time consecutive explosive events can be generated’.
Evacuation orders affecting around 7000-8000 local inhabitants were issued following the eruption yesterday. Local news sources reported that between 900 and 1000 people actually responded to the evacuation and went to the shelters.
For all our Galeras coverage: Galeras « The Volcanism Blog.
News
Mil personas se encuentran en albergues por erupción del Galeras – El País, 21 November 2009
Volcán Galeras amanece en alerta Naranja ante eventual erupción – Caracol Radio, 22 November 2009
Sigue alerta roja por erupción del Galeras – El Tiempo, 22 November 2009
Information
Global Volcanism Program – Galeras – summary information for Galeras (1501-08=)
Portal Corporativo de INGEOMINAS – Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería
Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Pasto – Pasto volcanological observatory main page
Volcanic origin for nickel ore deposits 21 November 2009
Posted by admin in volcanoes.Tags: current research, iron-nickel sulphides, undersea volcanism, volcanoes and the atmosphere
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Some 10% of the world’s nickel production comes from iron-nickel sulphide (or, if you prefer, sulfide) deposits laid down on seafloors between 2.5 and 3 billion years ago and found in those interesting ultramafic volcanic rocks called komatiites. How these deposits came to be there, however, has always been something of a mystery, for the ore requires sulphur to form and neither the magmas hosting the ore nor the seawater contained sufficient sulphur for the process. Clearly, if the sulphur doesn’t come from the magma or the seawater it must come from the substrate: because of the very high temperatures at which the magma was erupted (greater than 1500oC) it was able thermo-mechanically to erode its substrate, thus acquiring sulphur in areas where the substrate was sulphur-rich. But how did the sulphur come to be there in the first place?
In a paper entitled ‘Atmospheric sulfur in Archean komatiite-hosted nickel deposits’ (abstract) in the new issue of Science a team of scientists from the Carnegie Institution, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the universities of Manitoba and Western Australia argue that it all starts with volcanoes. Sulphur dioxide was erupted by volcanoes into an anoxic atmosphere, where high levels of UV sunlight broke down the gas and allowed sulphur to descend via rainfall and accumulate on the seabed. There geothermal action formed it into sulphide which was combined with nickel in magmas to produce the iron-nickel sulphides found in komatiites. The unusual isotope sulphur-33, produced by the atmospheric breaking-down of the volcanic sulphur dioxide, has turned up in rocks found in Western Australia, providing scientists with the key to recreating the sulphur’s complex ancient journey.
- Andrey Bekker, Mark E. Barley, Marco L. Fiorentini, Olivier J. Rouxel, Douglas Rumble, Stephen W. Beresford, ‘Atmospheric sulfur in Archean komatiite-hosted nickel deposits’, Science, Vol. 326. no. 5956 (20 Nov 2009), pp. 1086 – 1089. DOI: 10.1126/science.1177742. (abstract)
Early volcanoes minted nickel – ScienceNow Daily News, 21 November 2009
Rich ore deposits linked to ancient atmosphere – RedOrbit, 21 November 2009
Explosive eruption at Galeras 21 November 2009
Posted by admin in Colombia, Galeras, activity reports, eruptions.Tags: Galeras, history of volcanology, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions
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After some three weeks of simmering at the second-highest alert level of Orange, the Colombian volcano Galeras erupted last night, producing a 10 km eruption column and extensive ashfall.
The INGEOMINAS volcanological observatory at Pasto reported ‘an eruption of Galeras volcano of an explosive character’ yesterday evening at 20:37 local time. The picture to the left is a thermal image of the plume associated with that eruption (copyright INGEOMINAS: original image is here). The alert level was raised to Red, ‘eruption imminent or in progress’. At 22:53 local time INGEOMINAS published a bulletin on the eruption, which reports that ‘five explosions’ were reported from the town of San Cayetano near the volcano, that the sound waves produced by the event were ‘audible in the form of a rumble’ in various nearby areas, and that ‘the incandescence associated with the eruption was visible for some minutes’. The bulletin also notes that Washington VAAC reported that the eruption plume reached an altitude of around 10 km (see the Washington ash advisory here) and that ash was dispersed mainly towards the north, with ‘reports of ashfall in sectors of the municipalities of Nariño and La Florida and in the Bellavista district of Pasto municipality’.
The bulletin reports that the seismic signal of the 20 November eruption ‘had energy levels less than those registered during the eruption of 30 September 2009′, and that since the eruption (and the removal of the solidified material that had blocked the conduit) seismicity has increased in terms both of energy and frequency.
Local evacuation and emergency plans have been put into action, although whether those living around the volcano will pay any attention is another matter: 7000 people are affected by the evacuation orders, but only 800 were in the shelters last night, according to local officials.
For all our Galeras coverage: Galeras « The Volcanism Blog.
News
Declaran alerta roja en el volcán Galeras – El Espectador, 20 November 2009
Colombia: Volcán Galeras en alerta roja – ReliefWeb, 21 November 2009
Declararon nuevamente la alerta roja en el volcán Galeras (Nariño) – El Tiempo, 21 November 2009
Information
Global Volcanism Program – Galeras – summary information for Galeras (1501-08=)
Portal Corporativo de INGEOMINAS – Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería
Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Pasto – Pasto volcanological observatory main page
Catching up with Chaitén (and Llaima) 20 November 2009
Posted by admin in Chaitén, Chile, Llaima, activity reports, eruptions.Tags: Chaitén, Chile, Llaima, South America, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions
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While we wait for SERNAGEOMIN to get around to publishing the latest Chaitén bulletins (which eventually appear as PDFs at the OVDAS site), two brief reports have appeared on the press page of SERNAGEOMIN’s main site, dated 9 November and 16 November, the latter economically combined with a report on Llaima. Translations as follows.
SERNAGEOMIN bulletin on Chaitén volcano
9 November 2009 [original here]
Between 16 and 30 October the eruptive activity of Chaitén volcano, both visually and seismically, has shown no large changes, continuing the developments of the last period. The preceding indicates that the eruptive activity continues with the growth of the dome complex.
On the other hand, the quantity of pyroclastic material both from rock falls and emitted by the block-and-ash flows and lateral explosions has created large accumulations in the adjacent valleys and particularly the valley of the Chaitén river, so that the occurrence of lahars towards Chaitén during periods of intense rain cannot be ruled out.
In consequence, given that the seismicity remains at elevated levels – an effect of the growth of the dome complex – and that the eruptive activity continues with the possibility of the generation of block-and-ash flows in random directions, which may affect surrounding valleys with the generation of new lahars, SERNAGEOMIN suggests maintaining Volcanic Red Alert.
View from the DGAC camera in Chaitén on 30 October. In general, the base of the column appears much wider, although its height does not exceed 1.5 km above the domes.
SERNAGEOMIN bulletin on Chaitén and Llaima volcanoes
16 November 2009 [original here]
The images observed through the DGAC camera located in Chaitén to the south of the volcano show that during 31 October and 1 November the eruption has continued to produce one column, principally consisting of water vapour with occasional gas and ash. Because of the predominant winds in the area the height of the column has not exceeded 1000 metres above the dome complex. During the rest of the reporting period the continuing [cloud] cover has prevented any visual observation of the activity.
Images from the DGAC camera in Chaitén on 31 October (left) and 1 November (right).
Between 31 [October] and 1 November the seismicity has remained relatively stable compared with the preceding weeks indicating that the eruptive activity continues with the growth of the dome complex, only rarely observable recently because of the poor weather conditions in the area.
In consequence, given that the seismicity remains at elevated levels, an effect of the growth of the dome complex, and that the eruptive activity continues with the possibility of the generation of block-and-ash flows in random directions which may affect surrounding valleys with the generation of new lahars, SERNAGEOMIN suggests maintaining Volcanic Red Alert.
Llaima volcano
The poor meteorological conditions did not permitt visual observation of Llaima up to 10 November when it was possible to observe that the weak emissions of water vapour around the principal crater and on the east side of the volcano continue, probably due to the melting of snow deposited in these locations.
Although the seismic activity has shown a slight decline in the number of LP earthquakes, its general characteristics have shown the same behaviour as during the preceding period and apparently the principal crater remains obstructed. Given these conditions, it is not possible to rule out a reactivation of the volcano.
In consequence, SERNAGEOMIN maintains Alert Level Green 2 and continues with permanent monitoring of the volcano, and suggests keeping the 4 km radius of exclusion around the principal crater.
Additionally it is reiterated that this alert could change suddenly, depending on the activity observed/registered at the volcano, so that it is recommended that community preparations are maintained along with the revision and updating of emergency plans.
[End of SERNAGEOMIN bulletins.]
For all our Llaima coverage: Llaima « The Volcanism Blog.
For all our Chaitén coverage: Chaitén « The Volcanism Blog.
Information
Global Volcanism Program: Chaitén – summary information for Chaitén (1508-41)
Erupción del Volcán Chaitén – extensive coverage of the Chaitén eruption
Global Volcanism Program: Llaima – summary information for Llaima (1507-11=)
Proyecto Observación Visual Volcán Llaima – Llaima Visual Observation Project
SERNAGEOMIN – Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería, Chile
SI/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report 11-17 November 2009 19 November 2009
Posted by admin in Arenal, Bagana, Caribbean, Chaitén, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fuego, Galeras, Guatemala, Hawaii, Japan, Kamchatka, Karymsky, Kilauea, Kizimen, Kliuchevskoi, Mayon, Mexico, Nevado del Huila, Papua New Guinea, Popocatépetl, Rabaul, Reventador, Russia, Sakura-jima, Sangay, Santa María, Shiveluch, Soufrière Hills, Suwanose-jima, United States, activity reports, eruptions.Tags: Global Volcanism Program, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions
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Click on the map for a larger version (1280 x 898 pixels).
The Smithsonian Institution/United States Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 11-17 November 2009 is available on the Global Volcanism Program website. The following is a summary and not a substitute for the full report.
- The current report: Weekly Volcanic Activity Report.
- Previous reports: Weekly Reports Archive.
- The SI/USGS map of volcanoes discussed this week.
New activity/unrest: Galeras (Colombia), Mayon (Philippines).
Ongoing activity: Arenal (Costa Rica), Bagana (Papua New Guinea), Chaitén (Chile), Fuego (Guatemala), Karymsky (Russia), Kilauea (Hawaii, USA), Kizimen (Russia), Kliuchevskoi (Russia), Nevado del Huila (Colombia), Popocatépetl (Mexico), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Reventador (Ecuador), Sakura-jima (Japan), Sangay (Ecuador), Santa María (Guatemala), Shiveluch (Russia), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Suwanose-jima (Japan).
Note: a.s.l. = ‘above sea level’.
Galeras update, 18 November 2009 18 November 2009
Posted by admin in Colombia, Galeras, activity reports.Tags: Colombia, Galeras, South America, volcanic activity reports
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The latest bulletin for Galeras volcano, covering the week leading up to 17 November, was published by the Colombian state geological service INGEOMINAS yesterday at 18:00 local time.
The bulletin reports fluctuations in both the frequency and the energy of the volcano’s seismic activity, with the majority of the seismicity consisting of a combination of rock fracturing and fluid movement quakes. The rock fracturing events are concentrated around the principal crater and follow a north-west to south-east alignment, and are at depths of less than 2 km and show magnitudes of less than 1.8. A number of tornillo type earthquakes were registered at the end of last week: this is significant because events of this kind have occurred during the periods preceding earlier eruptions of Galeras.
During the 14 November overflight very low levels of gas emission were recorded, along with thermal anomalies in the interior of the principal crater showing temperatures of up to 110 degrees centigrade. No sulphur dioxide emissions have been detected, indicating that the volcanic system is sealed, ‘preventing the escape of this type of gas to the atmosphere’.
The volcano’s behaviour, notes the bulletin, ‘‘is similar to that recorded in the stages preceding some of the eruptive events which have taken place during the last twenty years’.
Galeras remains at the second-highest level of Orange, ‘eruption likely within the next few days or weeks’.
For all our Galeras coverage: Galeras « The Volcanism Blog.
Information
Global Volcanism Program – Galeras – summary information for Galeras (1501-08=)
Portal Corporativo de INGEOMINAS – Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería
Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Pasto – Pasto volcanological observatory main page
