Evacuations planned in Vanuatu as Gaua activity steps up 19 April 2010

Gaua volcano, Vanuatu: a MODIS image from the NASA Terra satellite, 12 April 2010 (source: NASA Earth Observatory, 15 April 2010).

Gaua volcano in northern Vanuatu has been showing signs of increased activity for some months: in November 2009 there were evacuations of villagers from Gaua island because of ashfall and gas emissions. During January 2010 ash emissions became denser and darker, and gas emissions increased. Strombolian activity and explosions were reported at the end of January. From late March into April ash plumes were reported daily, reaching altitudes of up to 3 km, and reports of explosions, ash fall and the ejection of volcanic bombs continued.

The Mount Garet cone of Gaua volcano erupting on 14 February 2010, captured by the Advanced Land Imager aboard NASA’s Earth Observing-1 satellite. The crescent-shaped body of water is Lake Letas, which partially fills the Gaua caldera (source: NASA Earth Observatory, 18 February 2010).

Today news sources are reporting that extensive evacuations are being planned, involving the transfer of about 2700 people from Gaua or Santa Maria Island to a relocation centre on nearby Vanualava Island. According to Peter Korisa of the Vanuatu Government emergencies office the volcano’s activity is not stable, but increasing: ‘Last year it was just some explosions and some ash falling but at the moment the activity is becoming more interesting’. The evacuation is not yet being carried out, but the necessary plans have been made. At the moment, Korisa says, ‘the situation doesn’t warrant any evacuation’, but the authorities are ready to act should such a step prove necessary.

The alert level for Gaua remains at its habitual level 2, according to the Vanuatu Geohazards Observatory.

UPDATE 20 April 2010. A reader has correctly pointed out that the previous headline for this post, ‘Evacuations in Vanuatu as Gaua activity steps up’, gave the impression that the evacuations are already under way. This is not the case, the evacuations are only at the planning stage, and I have changed the headline to reflect the situation accurately. Thanks, TJ, for the correction.

For all our coverage of Gaua: Gaua « The Volcanism Blog.

News
Vanuatu prepares evacuation from rumbling volcano – AFP, 19 April 2010
Vanuatu prepares evacuation amid threats of Gaua volcano – Radio New Zealand International, 19 April 2010

Information
Global Volcanism Program: Gaua – summary information for Gaua (0507-02=)
Vanuatu volcanoes and volcanics – information from the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory

Vanuatu: Gaua volcano update 28 November 2009

The Vanuatu Geohazards Observatory has published a fresh update on the situation at Gaua volcano, which has recently shown an increased level of activity, forcing evacuations. Gaua Bulletin No. 3, dated 24 November (but only just published on the Observatory’s website) reports ‘a big explosion of the Gaua volcano in November 18th 2009 at 2pm’ followed by ‘very thick and high emissions of ash columns that were covering the areas exposed to trade winds in the West’. Photographs show the comparative size of the ash plume on 31 October and 18 November. The bulletin also notes that there was an increase in seismicity at the volcano from 25 October onwards.

The alert level for Gaua remains unchanged at 2 (‘moderate eruptions’).

For all our coverage of Gaua: Gaua « The Volcanism Blog.

Information
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

Vanuatu: Gaua evacuations continue 27 November 2009

The evacuation of residents of Gaua island in northern Vanuatu is continuing, reports Radio New Zealand International (RNZI). The active cone of Gaua volcano, Mt Garet, which has been showing low-level eruptive activity for around two months, has increased its activity over the last few days: gas emissions and ashfall have seriously affected life in the island’s eastern portion, and people from that area are being moved by boat to the unaffected western region of the island. RNZI reports that gas masks are being sent to Gaua, and that tourists are being warned to keep away from the volcano.

No update yet on the current activity at the Vanuatu Geohazards Observatory website, but in fairness it must be pointed out that the observatory’s hard-pressed staff are working with very limited resources (they don’t even have the seismographs they need to monitor Gaua adequately).

For all our coverage of Gaua: Gaua « The Volcanism Blog.

News
Gas masks sent to Vanuatu island where locals are forced to evacuate – Radio New Zealand International, 26 November 2009
Tourists warned off Vanuatu’s Gaua volcano – Radio New Zealand International, 27 November 2009

Information
Global Volcanism Program: Gaua – summary information for Gaua (0507-02=)
Vanuatu volcanoes and volcanics – information from the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory

Activity continuing at Vanuatu’s Gaua volcano 20 October 2009

Both ABC’s Australia Network News and Radio New Zealand International are reporting today that the alert level for Gaua volcano in northern Vanuatu has been raised from 1 to 2, as reported here four days ago.

The ABC story reports that SO2 emissions at the volcano have risen from nil to 3000 tonnes/day, as recorded on 3 October by volcanologist Philipson Bani: ‘for this small volcano this is huge’. Local residents are reporting a strong smell of sulphur and ash falling on their crops.

News
Ash and fumes pour from Vanuatu volcano – ABC Australia Network News, 20 October 2009
Alert level raised for Vanuatu volcano – Radio New Zealand International, 20 October 2009

Information
Global Volcanism Program: Gaua – summary information for Gaua (0507-02=)
Vanuatu Geohazards Observatory – geohazards home page for Vanuatu
Vanuatu volcanoes and volcanics – information from the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory