Posted by admin in activity reports, Africa, Alaska, Barren Island, Caribbean, Chaitén, Chile, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Costa Rica, Ecuador, eruptions, Fuego, Guatemala, Hawaii, India, Indian Ocean, Japan, Kamchatka, Karymsky, Kilauea, Kliuchevskoi, Mayon, Mexico, Nyamuragira, Pacaya, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Piton de la Fournaise, Popocatépetl, Rabaul, Redoubt, Russia, Sakura-jima, Santa María, Shiveluch, Soufrière Hills, Suwanose-jima, Tungurahua, Turrialba, United States, Weekly Volcanic Activity Reports.
Tags: Global Volcanism Program, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions
Some of the volcanic activity headlines this week:
- Mayon: alert level lowered to 2
- Redoubt: alert level lowered to Normal/Green
- Tungurahua: gas-and-ash plume rose to 6.5 km altitude
- Shiveluch: ash plumes reported rising to 4.3-6.4 km altitude
- Soufrière Hills: extensive pyroclastic flows

Click on the map for a larger version (1280 x 898 pixels).
The Smithsonian Institution/United States Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 6-12 January 2010 is available on the Global Volcanism Program website. The following is a summary and not a substitute for the full report.
New activity/unrest: Mayon (Philippines), Nyamuragira (Democratic Republic of Congo), Piton de la Fournaise (Réunion), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Turrialba (Costa Rica).
Ongoing activity: Barren Island (India), Chaitén (Chile), Fuego (Guatemala), Karymsky (Russia), Kilauea (Hawaii, USA), Kliuchevskoi (Russia), Pacaya (Guatemala), Popocatépetl (Mexico), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Redoubt (Alaska, USA), Sakura-jima (Japan), Santa María (Guatemala), Shiveluch (Russia), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Suwanose-jima (Japan).
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Posted by admin in activity reports, Africa, Barren Island, Caribbean, Chaitén, Chile, Colombia, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Costa Rica, Ecuador, eruptions, Galeras, Guatemala, Hawaii, India, Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Japan, Kamchatka, Karymsky, Kilauea, Kliuchevskoi, Mayon, Nevado del Huila, Nyamuragira, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Piton de la Fournaise, Rabaul, Rinjani, Russia, Sakura-jima, Sangay, Santa María, Shiveluch, Soufrière Hills, Suwanose-jima, Tungurahua, Turrialba, United States, Weekly Volcanic Activity Reports.
Tags: Global Volcanism Program, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions

Click on the map for a larger version (1280 x 898 pixels). The map title gives the end of the period covered as 6 January 2010, it should be 5 January 2010. Sorry about that.
The Smithsonian Institution/United States Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 30 December 2009 – 5 January 2010 is available on the Global Volcanism Program website. The following is a summary and not a substitute for the full report.
New activity/unrest: Galeras (Colombia), Mayon (Philippines), Nyamuragira (Democratic Republic of Congo), Piton de la Fournaise (Réunion), Rinjani (Indonesia), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Turrialba (Costa Rica).
Ongoing activity: Barren Island (India), Chaitén (Chile), Karymsky (Russia), Kilauea (Hawaii, USA), Kliuchevskoi (Russia), Nevado del Huila (Colombia), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Sakura-jima (Japan), Sangay (Ecuador), Santa María (Guatemala), Shiveluch (Russia), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Suwanose-jima (Japan).
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Posted by admin in climate, current research, India, Indonesia, Toba.
Tags: current research, India, Indonesia, Toba, volcanoes and climate
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.

Posted by admin in activity reports, Barren Island, Caribbean, Chaitén, Chile, Colombia, Dukono, Ebeko, eruptions, Galeras, Hawaii, India, Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Japan, Kamchatka, Karangetang, Karymsky, Kilauea, Kliuchevskoi, Krakatau, Manam, Mexico, Nevado del Huila, Papua New Guinea, Popocatépetl, Rabaul, Sakura-jima, Shiveluch, Soufrière Hills, Suwanose-jima, United States, Weekly Volcanic Activity Reports.
Tags: Global Volcanism Program, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions

Click on the map for a larger version (1280 x 898 pixels).
The Smithsonian Institution/United States Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 28 October – 3 November 2009 is available on the Global Volcanism Program website. The following is a summary and not a substitute for the full report.
New activity/unrest: Ebeko (Russia), Galeras (Colombia), Karangetang [Api Siau] (Indonesia), Manam (Papua New Guinea), Nevado del Huila (Colombia), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat).
Ongoing activity: Barren Island (India), Chaitén (Chile), Dukono (Indonesia), Karymsky (Russia), Kilauea (Hawaii, USA), Kliuchevskoi (Russia), Krakatau (Indonesia), Popocatépetl (Mexico), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Sakura-jima (Japan), Shiveluch (Russia), Suwanose-jima (Japan).
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Posted by admin in activity reports, Alaska, Barren Island, Batu Tara, Caribbean, Chaitén, Chile, Colima, Dukono, Ebeko, Ecuador, eruptions, Fuego, Guatemala, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kamchatka, Karangetang, Kilauea, Llaima, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Rabaul, Redoubt, Reventador, Russia, Sakura-jima, Shiveluch, Slamet, Soufrière Hills, Suwanose-jima, Tungurahua, Ubinas, United States, Veniaminof, Weekly Volcanic Activity Reports.
Tags: Global Volcanism Program, volcanic activity reports, volcanic eruptions

The Smithsonian Institution/United States Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report covering 20-26 May 2009 is available on the Global Volcanism Program website. The following is a summary and not a substitute for the full report.
New activity: Karangetang (Indonesia), Reventador (Ecuador), Slamet (Indonesia)
Ongoing activity: Barren Island (India), Batu Tara (Indonesia), Chaitén (Chile), Colima (Mexico), Dukono (Indonesia), Ebeko (Russia), Fuego (Guatemala), Kilauea (Hawaii, USA), Llaima (Chile), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Redoubt (Alaska, USA), Sakura-jima (Japan), Shiveluch (Russia), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Suwanose-jima (Japan), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Ubinas (Peru), Veniaminof (Alaska, USA).
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Posted by admin in India, miscellaneous.
A volcano is reported to have erupted in the central Indian town of Sendhwa (Madhya Pradesh state), causing panic. Witnesses reported that ‘hot lava along with burning coal’ flowed ‘from a crater of eight inches [20cm] diameter’ and ‘rose up to 5 to 6 feet [1.5-1.8m]’, and that the thing remained active for 90 minutes or so. AndrhaNews.net has more information:
Locals said the eruption began with a small explosion on Tuesday causing a two-feel wide gap in the soil. The eruptions continued with less intensity on Wednesday with the lava cooling around causing a small hump like structure.
People from places in the vicinity rushed to the spot to watch the natural phenomenon.
“When I got to know about this volcano, we came here to see this. We saw that this vermilion coloured eruption coming out of the volcano. I have never seen something of this sort before. And after cooling, the lava turns black,” said Sandeep Aggarwal.
Geologists and the local authorities are now investigating. India is hardly a hotbed of active volcanism. Could this be a mud volcano, or some kind of subterranean combustion – coal waste, for example? Witnesses reported ‘burning coal’ coming from the fissure. Or perhaps the Deccan Traps are starting up again.
News
Volcano erupts in MP town – The Hindu News Update Service, 16 April 2008
Molten rock erupts near Indore – AndrhaNews.net, 16 April 2008
