Volcano thread

[bjdeming]

 

[bjdeming]

CENAPRED is keeping the alert at Yellow Phase 2, noting (via browser translation):

Below are comparative images of the activity level of the last 24 hours (image 3) and the activity level of May 21, 2023 (image 4) . It is observed that today's activity is less than in 2023.

 

[bjdeming]

Spectacular eruption at Fernandina in the Galapagos:



Fortunately, the pink iguanas live on the other frequently active volcano (and thus far, are holding).

Note: I used archived links for both volcanoes because the Smithsonian GVP site appears to be down right now -- through them, you can get to the current site (when up again) for post December 2023 updates.

 

[bjdeming]

This is certainly not at a level to make JMA raise an alert, but just as a basic "you might want to watch this" thing, Fujisan is slowly stirring (at the blog I took a look at the general environmental and volcanological aspects last October):

"According to the Japan Meteorological Agency's provisional epicenter, there were 3 low-frequency earthquakes directly under Mt. Fuji on March 4th, and 2 more on the 1st. Hypocenter distribution from March 1st and depth changes of low-frequency earthquakes in Fuji and Hakone from 2022. There was no particular change in the activity level, and no major changes were observed in the epicenter location, including the depth."

 

[bjdeming]

An incredible shot, today, of the two volcanoes near Goma, in the Congo:



Fortunately, both are having only low levels of activity -- a break for the thousands of refugees reportedly living in the park, as well as millions of residents and displaced people in the area's cities and villages.

The one in the background is Nyamuragira, (spelled various ways) with a small lava lake in its crater at the moment.

The big kettle-shaped one is Nyiragongo -- the most dangerous known active volcano in the world, many feel. I agree.

 

[bjdeming]

Saw a headline about a large quake at Mauna Loa: not true.

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY MONTHLY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Thursday, March 7, 2024, 10:33 AM HST (Thursday, March 7, 2024, 20:33 UTC)


MAUNA LOA (VNUM #332020)
19°28'30" N 155°36'29" W, Summit Elevation 13681 ft (4170 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN


Shallow seismicity beneath Mauna Loa's summit and upper-elevation flanks has been relatively low over the past month; approximately 42 small-magnitude earthquakes (below M3.0) were detected, which is expected for a post-eruption volcano. There were very few earthquakes deeper than 8 mi (13 km).
Data from Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments on Mauna Loa, record a small inflationary trend as the volcano recovers from the 2022 eruption, and magma begins to replenish the reservoir system.

Gas and temperature data from a station on Mauna Loa's Southwest Rift Zone show no significant changes in the past month.

HVO continues to closely monitor Mauna Loa and will issue another update in one month, or earlier, should conditions change significantly...

The USGS Mauna Loa and Kilauea sites (and really, any other US volcano updates via search buttons at those pages).

PS: The news source was a month behind the times.

 

[bjdeming]

This bad boy in Chile (mostly) is worth watching. SERNAGEOMIN is the monitoring agency.



Twitter translation: "Monitoring! The
@sernageomincl monitoring stations installed in the vicinity of the CV Laguna del Maule recorded an increase in volcano-tectonic seismicity. Yellow technical alert is maintained. Check REAVs in https://rnvv.sernageomin.cl "

More on Laguna del Maule from the Smithsonian GVP and Wikipedia.

Rhyolite eruptions are rare, fortunately. They are Hollywood-blockbuster types, as this video from a 2008 rhyolite eruption at another Chilean volcano -- Chaiten -- shows:

 

[bjdeming]

 

[bjdeming]

Trying to verify this. The volcano is erupting.

 

[bjdeming]

 

[bjdeming]

Okay, so far I see no news of a Tambora-style event -- which is basically what the GeologyHub tweet is describing.

An hour ago, CNN Indonesia reported (autotranslated) an effusive (lava flow) eruption, though the extent and location of the flows is uncertain.

Apparently it is in a remote location, as other sources via GT mention poor mobile signal there. They also describe the evacuation of two villages -- a little over 800 people in total.

That VONA page will have updates, if needed, and the GVP link will eventually have the full story in English.

In Indonesian, this is an official source:



The most recent post in this thread puts Ruang at Level III. The Indonesian system goes up to Level IV, and I would expect that for the catastrophic type of eruption GH describes.

Ruang did fire up quickly today, after some unrest, and the alert went first to Aviation Code Yellow and then to Orange over eight hours. It's likely some wires got crossed during early communications, but will keep checking.

 

[bjdeming]

Speaking of Tambora 1815, it was terrible (PDF download from Researchgate of Clive Oppenheimer's famous paper describing all facets, including but not limited to climate).

 

[TornadoFan]

From Mount Ruang.

 

[bjdeming]

Darwin VAAC puts it at Aviation Code Red, though the local VONA, posted four hours ago, still has it at Orange.

Current VAAC advisory (how to read one):

FVAU03 ADRM 171630
VA ADVISORY
DTG: 20240417/1630Z
VAAC: DARWIN
VOLCANO: RUANG 267010
PSN: N0218 E12522
AREA: INDONESIA
SUMMIT ELEV: 725M
ADVISORY NR: 2024/18
INFO SOURCE: HIMAWARI-9, CVGHM
AVIATION COLOUR CODE: RED
ERUPTION DETAILS: VA TO FL550 OBS ON HIMAWARI-9 AT 17/1610Z
OBS VA DTG: 17/1610Z
OBS VA CLD: SFC/FL470 N0237 E12433 - N0129 E12459 - N0059
E12406 - N0122 E12156 - N0320 E12205 MOV W 55KT SFC/FL550
N0247 E12531 - N0226 E12623 - N0135 E12607 - N0126 E12457 -
N0241 E12315 - N0338 E12350 MOV NW 25KT
FCST VA CLD +6 HR: 17/2210Z SFC/FL470 N0117 E12340 - N0014
E12002 - N0047 E11625 - N0514 E11655 - N0312 E12250
SFC/FL550 N0255 E12531 - N0228 E12651 - N0126 E12641 - N0122
E12452 - N0300 E12214 - N0421 E12312
FCST VA CLD +12 HR: 18/0410Z SFC/FL470 N0428 E11841 - N0059
E11818 - N0009 E11526 - S0008 E10946 - N0657 E11034
SFC/FL550 N0258 E12532 - N0155 E12740 - N0109 E12727 - N0124
E12443 - N0225 E12244 - N0418 E12156 - N0453 E12242
FCST VA CLD +18 HR: 18/1010Z SFC/FL550 N0307 E12534 - N0146
E12814 - N0103 E12802 - N0108 E12445 - N0241 E12208 - N0512
E12115 - N0543 E12205
RMK: HIGH LEVEL EMISSION TO FL550 OBS ON SAT IMG AT
17/1610Z. TWO VA LAYERS DISCERNIBLE ON SAT IMG- SFC/FL470
MOVING WSW AND EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE WITHIN 12-18 HOURS.
SFC/FL550 EXPANDING TO NW & E. FORECAST BASED ON SAT IMG,
MENADO 17/12Z TRACE AND MODEL DATA.
NXT ADVISORY: NO LATER THAN 20240417/1930Z=

 

[bjdeming]

GVP calls Ruang's last big one "VEI 4 (?)". They report that Darwin VAAC put that plume at 17 km. This one is 16 km thus far.

 

[bjdeming]

MAGMA Indonesia's main page (Indonesian) and the MAGMA ID app haven't been updated yet, but Kompas confirms (autotranslated) the Red code and reports that a nearby island's coastal area vulnerable to tsunamis has been evacuated.

While landslides and earthquakes are potential tsunami generators, given the video this move is likely out of concern for the other main cause of volcanic tsunamis: pyroclastic flows.

 

[bjdeming]

Just found the full stream, completed two hours ago (Indonesian):



It's hard to tell, with the dark, but at the three-minute mark it seems to show a massive fountain at the plume's base.

As I understand it, fountains can be at least subplinian, and such lava would be consistent with earlier reports of effusive eruption, but given the violent plume, I wonder what the mechanisms are.

Here is a satellite view of the start:



And this -- wow!

 

[bjdeming]

Likely stratospheric SO2 injection; Ruang is at 2.3N latitude.



The IR and SO2 RGB animations -- wow!

 

[bjdeming]

A graphic of the neighborhood and current risk zones:

 

[bjdeming]

For any geonerds, I don't see much research information on Ruang, other than this:

Ruang is a volcanic island. Mt. Ruang is 722 m above sea level, 1,700 m above the ocean floor (Fig. 7), and is active (Morrice et al. 1983). Eruption records go back to 1808. There were 13 major eruptions from 1808–2002 (Table 2). The eruption in 1871 triggered a tsunami that struck Tagulandang Island and killed about 400–450 people, including the King of Tagulandang (Brilman 2000; Manginsela-Tiendas 2001; GVP 2013; Paris et al. 2014).

Tagulandang is the island whose coastal areas near Ruang were evacuated tonight.

Per the GVP, Ruang Island is 4 x 5 km, and the volcano erupts both andesitic and basaltic lavas, which explains both the explosiveness and the lava flows.