Geothermal schemes abandoned in Switzerland and California 14 December 2009
Posted by admin in volcanoes.Tags: geothermal energy
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There’s news that two geothermal energy schemes have been abandoned in the last few days, one in Switzerland because of safety fears, the other in California because … well, we don’t really know why: those involved are being very cagey. It seems that the triggering of more earthquake activity than expected has been a factor in both cases.
In Switzerland, deep drilling for a pilot geothermal project in Basel has caused earthquakes that have alarmed local residents and caused damage: the company involved has had to pay out 9 million Swiss Francs in compensation, and their project designer and geologist is facing court action on charges of property damage. Last week, the Swiss authorities decided enough was enough and pulled the plug on the project.
Meanwhile, at a site in northern California called the Geysers, a company called AltaRock Energy has told the US Government’s Energy Department that it is abandoning exploratory geothermal drilling, but isn’t saying exactly why, or whether the project might be resumed in the future.
More ash erupted at Mayon 14 December 2009
Posted by admin in activity reports, Mayon, Philippines.Tags: Mayon, Philippines, volcanic activity reports
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A news report from the Philippines says that more ash has been thrown up by Mayon volcano this morning:
Mayon Volcano in Albay province spewed more ash on Monday, raising fears of an imminent eruption.
Alex Baloloy, science research specialist of the local Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology office, said minimal amount of volcanic ash drifted downwards facing the northwest portion of the volcano.
He said the ash explosions occurred at 7:04 a.m., 1038 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 12:21 p.m. and 1:04 p.m.
Mayon is still at alert level 2. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) says that the current eruptive activity is normal for this alert level, ‘but they are not discounting the possibility of a major eruption’.
42 high-frequency earthquakes have been registered at Mayon over the last 24 hours.
For all our Mayon coverage: Mayon « The Volcanism Blog.
News
Mt. Mayon spews more ash – ABS-CBN News, 14 December 2009
Information
Global Volcanism Program: Mayon – summary information for Mayon (0703-03=)
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology – website for Phivolcs, when it’s working
Mayon erupts ash to 0.5 km 12 December 2009
Posted by admin in activity reports, Mayon, Philippines.Tags: Mayon, Philippines, volcanic activity reports
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Mayon volcano had a minor ash eruption on the evening of Friday 11 December, according to reports from the Philippines. The eruption happened at around 19:59 local time, and was preceded by rumbling sounds and about 50 earthquakes, detectable by people living in nearby villages. Ash was ejected to an altitude of 0.5 km above the crater.
According to the Philippine Star, staff at the Lignon Hill observatory of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that three minutes of harmonic tremor was detected around 20:00 local time, but ‘admitted that they failed to observe the actual explosion’.
On the preceding day (Thursday 10 December) Phivolcs registered 29 earthquakes including ‘low- and high-frequency harmonic quakes, indicating magma was forming and climbing up the volcano’s vent’.
For all our Mayon coverage: Mayon « The Volcanism Blog.
News
Mayon volcano acting up again – Manila Standard Today, 12 December 2009
Mayon shoots up ash anew – Philippine Star, 13 December 2009
Information
Global Volcanism Program: Mayon – summary information for Mayon (0703-03=)
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology – website for Phivolcs, when it’s working
Hazard Level raised to 4 at Soufrière Hills 12 December 2009
Posted by admin in activity reports, Caribbean, eruptions, Soufrière Hills.Tags: Caribbean, Montserrat, Soufrière Hills, volcanic activity reports
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The hazard level applying to Soufrière Hills volcano on Montserrat was raised on 10 December by NDPRAC, the National Disaster Preparedness and Response Advisory Committee, to the second-highest level of 4 (click here for an explanation of the extremely complicated Montserrat hazard level system). Pyroclastic flow activity associated with the growth of the lava dome has increased in intensity, with flows reaching a point 3.5 km from the lava dome. Still larger pyroclastic flows are a possibility: a partial dome collapse ‘could involve several million cubic metres of material’.
For more information see this bulletin on the Montserrat Volcano Observatory’s information-rich but very cumbersome website.
[Thanks go to Boris Behncke.]
For all our Soufrière Hills coverage: Soufrière Hills « The Volcanism Blog.
Information
Global Volcanism Program: Soufrière Hills – information about Soufrière Hills volcano (1600-05=)
Montserrat Volcano Observatory – comprehensive news and information from the MVO
Nicaragua’s Concepción volcano erupts 12 December 2009
Posted by admin in activity reports, Concepción, eruptions, Nicaragua.Tags: Central America, Concepción, Nicaragua, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions
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Concepción volcano in Nicaragua has erupted, with an explosion of gas and ashes that reached 150 metres into the air. The eruption took place at 08:40 local time (14:40 GMT) yesterday. Three villages located on the slopes of the volcano, Los Angeles, Esquipulas and San José del Sur, were affected by ashfall. There are no reports of injuries or serious disruption resulting from this eruption.
Concepción (summit elevation around 1700 metres) is one of two volcanoes making up the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua: the other is Maderas, to which Concepción is connected by a narrow isthmus. Around 35,000 people live on Ometepe, which is one of Nicaragua’s most popular tourist destinations. Concepción is among the most active Nicaraguan volcanoes, with frequent explosive eruptions over the last century.
[Hat tip: commenter Rubén.]
News
Volcán Concepción lanza gases y cenizas – El Nuevo Diario, 11 December 2009
Volcán en lago nicaragüense lanza cenizas – Reuters América Latina, 11 December 2009
El volcán Concepción de Nicaragua registra explosiones y lanza gases y cenizas – EFE, 11 December 2009
Information
Global Volcanism Program: Concepción – summary information for Concepción (1404-12=)
Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales – INETER main page
INETER Comunicados Oficiales – INETER volcano bulletins (hopelessly out of date)
SI/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report 2-8 December 2009 10 December 2009
Posted by admin in activity reports, Ambrym, Caribbean, Chaitén, Chile, Colima, Dukono, eruptions, Fuego, Guatemala, Hawaii, Indonesia, Japan, Kamchatka, Karymsky, Kilauea, Kliuchevskoi, Llaima, Mexico, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Rabaul, Russia, Sakura-jima, San Cristóbal, Shiveluch, Soufrière Hills, Suwanose-jima, United States, Vanuatu, Weekly Volcanic Activity Reports.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 2-8 December 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: Llaima (Chile).
Ongoing activity: Ambrym (Vanuatu), Chaitén (Chile), Colima (Mexico), Dukono (Indonesia), Fuego (Guatemala), Karymsky (Russia), Kilauea (Hawaii, USA), Kliuchevskoi (Russia), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Sakura-jima (Japan), San Cristóbal (Nicaragua), Shiveluch (Russia), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Suwanose-jima (Japan).
Alert level raised to ‘orange’ at Galeras 10 December 2009
Posted by admin in activity reports, Colombia, Galeras.Tags: Colombia, Galeras, volcanic activity reports
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INGEOMINAS has raised the alert level at Galeras to the second-highest level of Orange, ‘eruption probable within days or weeks’, following changes in the volcano’s seismic behaviour over the past 24 hours or so. ‘Tornillo’ type earthquakes have been particularly evident, a type of seismicity that has been characteristic of the lead-up to previous eruptions. As per standard procedure, an evacuation of nearby areas has been ordered.
For all our Galeras coverage: Galeras « The Volcanism Blog.
News
Ordenan evacuar las faldas del volcán Galeras – El Pais, 10 December 2009
Authorities raise Galeras alert level to ‘orange’ – Colombia Reports, 10 December 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
Mountain-munching magma monster menaces Yellowstone – local press 9 December 2009
Posted by admin in volcanoes.Tags: volcanoes in the news, Yellowstone
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In the hands of the headline writers for the Jackson Hole News & Guide, an interesting scientific paper investigating the geodynamics of the Yellowstone hotspot has become ‘Park’s giant magma plume eating up mountains’.
The original article: Robert B. Smith, Michael Jordan, Bernhard Steinberger, Christine M. Puskas, Jamie Farrell, Gregory P. Waite, Stephan Husen, Wu-Lung Chang, & Richard O’Connell, ‘Geodynamics of the Yellowstone hotspot and mantle plume: seismic and GPS imaging, kinematics, and mantle flow’, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, vol. 188, issues 1-3 (20 November 2009), pp. 26-56. [doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2009.08.020]
[Thanks go to Boris Behncke.]
Vanuatu’s volcanoes at the NASA Earth Observatory 9 December 2009
Posted by admin in Ambrym, Gaua, NASA Earth Observatory, Pacific, Vanuatu.Tags: Ambrym, Gaua, NASA Earth Observatory, Pacific, Vanuatu
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This image, from the NASA Earth Observatory (click on the image to view the original full-size version) shows the northern part of the Republic of Vanuatu in the south-west Pacific. It was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite on 3 December 2009 and shows two currently active Vanuatu volcanoes: Ambrym (bottom right) and Gaua (top left). Detail views of both are shown below.
The current eruptive phase at Ambrym, which has a history of frequent eruptions over the last 2000 years or so, began in May 2008; an earlier Earth Observatory image showed an instance of the vog that Ambrym’s sulphur dioxide emissions can produce. Gaua, meanwhile, which last erupted in 1982, has been restless since the autumn of this year: evacuations were recently ordered when gas and ash emissions from its active cone (Mt Garat) were making life impossible for the inhabitants of nearby villages. Another very active Vanuatu volcano, Yasur, is out of shot to the south.
Above: Ambrym volcano, Vanuatu, emitting a thin plume to the west on 3 December 2009.
Above: Gaua or Santa Maria island and Gaua volcano, Vanuatu, on 3 December 2009. The lake partially filling the 6 x 9 km caldera has developed a crescent shape because of the construction of the currently active cone of Mt Garat. The brown marking on the western side of the island shows where recent gas emissions from Mt Garat have caused damage to vegetation.
Information
Global Volcanism Program: Ambrym – summary information for Ambrym (0507-04=)
Global Volcanism Program: Gaua – summary information for Gaua (0507-02=)
Vanuatu Geohazards Observatory – official Vanuatu geohazards website
Vanuatu volcanoes and volcanics – information from the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
Llaima update, 8 December 2009 8 December 2009
Posted by admin in activity reports, Chile, Llaima.Tags: Chile, Llaima, South America, volcanic activity reports
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In Chile the state emergencies office ONEMI has issued a new bulletin on the situation at Llaima volcano, which has been on Yellow Alert since 5 December, reporting observations made by OVDAS-SERNAGEOMIN.
Seismicity at Llaima remains unstable ‘with events associated with fluid movements and processes of degasification’, and that numerous fumaroles have been visible when the weather has permitted direct observation.
Low concentrations of sulphur dioxide measured on 5 and 6 December indicate that the main crater remains obstructed. An overflight on 4 December also confirmed the blockage of the crater; fumarolic activity from fissures, mainly of white steam with some blue sulphur dioxide emissions, was observed on the north-east flank of the volcano and the interior north and exterior east and west walls of the crater. The largest fissure, and the seat of the greatest activity, was that situated on the north-east flank of the volcano which was the location of gas and ash emissions during April and June 2009.
Based on these observations ONEMI warns that new eruptive activity cannot be ruled out. Yellow Alert applies to Llaima and the districts of Melipeuco, Vilcún, Curacautín, Cunco and Lonquimay, and the 4-kilometre radius exclusion zone around the volcano remains in force.
The bulletin also announces that from today monitoring of Llaima is to be strengthened with several new broadband seismological stations, and three SERNAGEOMIN fieldwork teams are to be despatched to the area.
For all our Llaima coverage: Llaima « The Volcanism Blog.
Information
Global Volcanism Program: Llaima – summary information for Llaima (1507-11=)
Oficina Nacional de Emergencia – Chilean government emergencies office
SERNAGEOMIN – Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería, Chile
Proyecto Observación Visual Volcán Llaima – Llaima Visual Observation Project
