Posts Tagged ‘volcano’

South Pacific Volcano Growing Astonishingly Fast

Out of sight, out of mind? Not so fast… An underwater volcano just north of New Zealand is currently undergoing ‘changes’ faster than nearly any other volcano has in recorded history. Researchers believe only Vesuvius and Mount St Helens have recorded larger growth rates, according to a report from BBC News.

The Monowai ‘submarine’ volcano which lies at the intersection of the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates underwent one of the fastest episodes of volcano growth documented on Earth. It added about 8.75 million cubic metres of rock to its summit – a volume equal to 3500 Olympic-size swimming pools – in just five days (reported in the science pages of stuff.co.nz in New Zealand, “Volcano grows at astounding rate” ).

New lava flows raised that area by 79 meters (260 feet), while part of the volcano’s summit collapsed by as much as 19 meters (62 feet). Most striking was the creation of an entirely new volcanic cone.

A study released just days ago published in the journal Nature Geoscience and authored by members at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, said “The collapse and growth rates implied by our data are extremely high, compared with measured long-term growth rates of the volcano, demonstrating the pulsating nature of submarine volcanism and highlighting the dynamic nature of the sea floor.”

Anthony B. Watts, who led the survey, said “Any movement on the seabed has the potential to create a tsunami. An earthquake suddenly dislocates the seabed. Here a violent disturbance lasted five days with magma oozing out which might be too slow to trigger a tsunami – but it’s unknown.”

Most of Earth’s volcanoes are under water. As a result of their relative inaccessibility, little is known of the structure and evolution of submarine volcanoes.

Why report this on a survival preparedness site?

Answer: When risks are unseen (in this case… literally), most people are not aware. Submarine (underwater) landslides are a particularly dangerous phenomenon which can cause tremendous damage and loss of life (look at Japan [and Fukushima] for example, and the Indonesian tsunami that killed so many people not long ago… even though these were caused by shifting underwater land mass due to earthquakes).

It is interesting (alarming?) to discover that this particular underwater volcano near New Zealand is growing so rapidly, signifying and reinforcing the seemingly high geophysical earth changes we’ve been experiencing lately.

Those who live on or near the coast, or sea level, should always be extra cautious and aware of their unique threats to survival.

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Canary Islands Sinking Into The Ocean

Many months ago, the island of El Hierro began shaking with the onset of thousands of earthquakes, and has not stopped since.

My interest in the geophysical Earth inspired me to write a ‘what-if’, or ‘worst case scenario’ of the island region causing a massive tsunami sweeping across the Atlantic, given the region’s ancient history, “300 Foot Tsunami and East Coast Destruction“. Although the prospect of such a tsunami may be a bit overly dramatic, nonetheless it appears that something is happening under the sea in the El Hierro region.

A look at the GPS stations there, reveals quite evidently that most of them (6 of 10) in the area are literally sinking, and have been doing so since about July of this year. My own observations of other volcanic regions have shown that there is often ‘inflation’ or rising of the land mass prior to volcanic eruption. In this case though, there is rather dramatic deflation to the northeast of El Hierro, particularly ‘Canarias’. The region is sinking…

…Ok, OK, it has ‘only’ been about 40 mm and the title of this article is a bit dramatic, but it’s an interesting observation nonetheless to see so many stations showing that much deflation.

In stark contrast though at El Hierro, today, from VolcanoLive.com (John Seach), “An undersea eruption began off the coast of El Hierro Island, Canary Islands on 10th October 2011. Initial reports have placed the eruption site a few kilometres off the south coast of the island at a depth of about 450 m. The eruption has only been confirmed from seismic activity.”

The GPS at El Hierro is apparently showing inflation.

…very interesting

Update:
Photos of undersea eruption

More El Hierro updates and information here

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Katla Volcano EarthQuakes – Flooding – Sulfur Smell

The Katla volcano in Iceland is making itself known once again. Been following this one for a while. It has a nasty history of blowing its top between 6 months and 1.5 years after it’s volcanic sister neighbor, Eyjafjallojokull, which erupted back during April 2010.

A geologist ‘insider’ tells me that harmonic tremors have started in Katla again. As of today there have been 2 earthquake swarms, making that 3 since June.

In addition, and more immediately tangible, the Myrdalsjokull glacier flood has just been reported (Katla is underneath this glacier). Last time this type of event did happen was in the year 1955, when a minor eruption is believed to have taken place under the glacier. There is no immediate proof that this is the case right now. This might just be hydrothermal water being released because of increased activity in hydrothermal areas that are in the glacier.

Following the flood there is a strong smell of sulfur and there might be dangerous gases in it. At the current time the flood appears to be growing and according to the news the bridge was still safe. But there was just 1 meter from the river up to the floor of the bridge.

Stay tuned, as this one ‘could’ disrupt Europe for awhile if she blows.

Update: July 9
The bridge over Múlakvísk river is gone, they are now evacuating Áftaver due to second flood. It is now very dangerous to be close to Múlakvísl due to poisons gases and risk of the flood increasing without any warning. A third glacier flood has now also started in Skálmu, but that is also a glacier river that flows from Mýrdalsjökull glacier. This does not seems to be just hydrothermal areas emptying. This could be a repeat of the 1955, 1999 floods when there were very minor eruptions.

We do not know what the events are leading to an eruption but historical records show this event has been a precursor to an eruption in the past, hence its folklore. A 2.2m quake has just happened in the caldera at 1.1km. Harmonic tremors are decreasing again but have been ongoing during the last 10 hours. GPS data shows inflation and deflation, very interesting.

Update: July 9
Harmonic tremors stopping again but has been on and off all the time. Reports coming in that sulfur is still very strong and is very dangerous to persons and livestock.

Quakes have ceased,for now, also a decrease in the harmonic tremors. Three cauldrons have formed in Mýrdalsjökull glacier and large cracks have formed around them. The Múlakvísl flood came from underneath the glacial tongue Höfdabrekkujökull. The glacial ice is considerably cracked where the flood emerged. Glacial ice is stranded in a large area which indicates that the flood is coming to an end.

While there are NO indications that a major volcanic eruption has started, or even about to in Katla, it cannot be ruled out that a minor eruption could have happened last night.

Icelandic TV Video of Myrdalsjokull-Katla Flood

Update: July 9
Harmonic tremors have just started again along with 7 more quakes.
3rd quake storm (today) now ongoing. Harmonic tremors now rising again.

Update, July 11
Action has subsided. Here are photos of the damage at the Myrdalsjokull glacier with Katla underneath.

Update, July 18

Katla has belted off a storm of what appears to be dozens of earthquakes today, within minutes, with one nearly a magnitude 4. This volcano, which has always erupted between 6 months and 1.5 years after Eyjafjallajokull (it’s neighbor), is ripe within the window of eruption based on its known history. Something is happening beneath the glacier today.

Also, a very interesting area of 3 quakes developed around the same time to the south of Katla, along the coast of Iceland. No known volcano is there either. Interesting…

Update, July 20
4 NEW cauldrons have appeared on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier and the cauldrons that formed on the 8 and 9th July have also deepened. This is due to magma pushing closer to the surface and heating the crust.This then melts the glacier ice and the water seeps into the rock creating a hydrothermal vent that increases the melt and forms a cauldron ( depression in the ice). This will increase the likely hood of another glacier flood to the south east of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.

This does NOT mean it is about to erupt but the increase of such activity can only mean an eruption event is likely in the near future. On the 17th of July a earthquake storm happened with the largest quake being 3.8 magnitude. If Katla was bursting to erupt this could have triggered a larger quake storm and an eruption.

The next 6 weeks could be very interesting indeed.

Update, July 21

From our geological expert:

There appears to be 3 areas of activity. Inside the caldera itself, Goðabunga to the west we know is a hydrothermal vent, but to the south is something new. We noticed it starting 3 weeks ago and seems to be increasing in magnitude and frequency. Now this could be an extension of the East Fracture Zone growing due to Katla inflation of a weak spot in the crust that could develop into another hydrothermal vent, or even allow magma to breach the surface. Worth watching anyway.

Hydrothermal activity inside the caldera continues and the occasional spill (minor flooding) has occurred but this is what we would expect. Inflation is now evident to the east and south east but not rapid. Harmonic tremors have stopped again but they are small and infrequent at present. I MUST stress that this time of year the amount of earthquakes DOES increase, on the ice shelves, as the ice melts. That said Katla has not been this active probably since its last eruption in 1918.

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Iceland’s Katla Volcano Activity since Eyjafjallajokull Eruption

Given the very recent earthquake activity at Iceland’s Katla Volcano during June 17,2011, activity which looks like it has to do with magma movement, you may be interested in the following list of articles that I’ve written since April 2010 when it’s immediate neighbor, Eyjafjallajokull, erupted and interrupted European air traffic and commerce for a time.

My interest in volcanoes (among many other things) led me to quickly discover that Katla has always historically erupted between 6 months and 1.5 years after Eyjafjallokull. The thing is, Katla has the potential to be 10 times as powerful as Eyja… and is now well within the historical window of eruption.

A sudden onset of an earthquake swarm, as well as tremors with signatures of magma movement, has led many to suspect that Katla may now be at higher risk of an eruption soon. Sometimes these signals vanish as quickly as they come, and there is no way of knowing for certain what will happen next. We are watching this monster though…

Update from someone ‘in the know’ on this subject:

Since Friday there has been constant harmonic tremors from Katla. The quakes on Friday were Tectonic in nature but the underlying cause was probably due to magmatic pressure as harmonic tremors can only mean magma movement.

His general opinion:
Katla is not ready to erupt, but given that the exact nature of an eruption is not known, you have to reason that any quake storm could trigger an eruption.

Why the MSM silence on the matter?
The main reason for silence is that the wrong comment could cause major financial crash of stocks if the mention of a local or global disaster is mentioned.

Link to current quakes at Katla

From oldest to newest since April 2010:

Will Iceland’s Katla Volcano Blow Next?

Uh-oh! Katla Volcano Just Rumbled

Katla Volcano Update, 21-May-2010

Katla Volcano – 3 Earthquakes in Seconds

Katla Volcano 10x or 100x Eyjafjallajokull

Katla Volcano Caldera Earthquakes

Katla Eruption History

Katla Volcano Questions and Answers

If Katla’s West Side Erupts…

Are Recent Katla Volcano Earthquakes Seasonal?

Katla Volcano Caldera Earthquakes 2010-Sep

Iceland’s Katla Volcano – 6 months later

Sudden Activity at Katla Volcano

Mysterious Quake Circle on Katla Volcano

Sulfur Smell at Katla

Katla Volcano To Topple Eurozone?

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Something Strange With Volcano Eruption in Chile

What appears to be an enormous ash cloud rising from the eruption of a long dormant volcano named Puyehuein southern Chile on June 4, 2011, isn’t quite matching up with the location of the recorded earthquakes today in the immediate area.

“The Cordon Caulle (volcanic range) has entered an eruptive process, with an explosion resulting in a 10-kilometer-high gas column,” Chilean state emergency office said.

The thing is, for some unknown reason, as of this writing, eight earthquakes near magnitude 5 have shook the earth near the Puyehue volcano. The problem is, the earthquakes are located 20 to 40 miles away from the eruption! Very Strange Indeed. (Strange because one would think that the earthquakes associated with a given erupting volcano would be very close to the volcano itself. Instead, these strong quakes are apparently tectonic.)

There’s something brewing or interacting quite a distance from the eruption, but is quite obviously directly related. We’re talking about enormous energies here.





In addition, apparently the volcano itself has not erupted from it’s old caldera. Instead, it has ripped a huge gash into the surface of the earth 6 miles long by 3 miles wide, 2.5 miles away! Amazing.

Thousands of people are being evacuated from the area, which is located about 60 miles northwest of San Carlos. The region was deeply shaken by a pair of very strong earthquakes during 2010, a magnitude 7.1 and a very large magnitude 8.8 quake, all located along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Chile’s chain of about 2,000 volcanoes is the world’s second largest after Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.


Video of Puyehue Volcano Eruption

credit: guardian.co.uk

credit: guardian.co.uk

The ash plume has now reached Argentina.
The eruption apparently extends to the Caulle Mountain Range, an adjacent volcanic fissure.

credit: NASA’s Aqua Satellite

Currently, Puyehue has an eruption rating of VEI-3 (Volcanic Explosivity Index). The last time that this volcano blew it’s top with a VEI-3 was during 1929, when it erupted for 3 months between December and February. How coincidental is it that it occurred during the ‘Great Depression’. Did you know that home values now during 2011 have dropped lower than during the Great Depression (about 31%), but we’re supposedly not in a depression? But I digress…

Lightning and Ash Plume of Puyehue eruption, Chile

Infrared Satellite Loop of Puyehue Volcano Ash Plume

NASA visible color satellite image of Puyehue Volcano Plume

Ash cloud reaches Buenos Aires city at 5,000 metres height; all flights cancelled
Merco Press: Local airlines confirmed cancelled all flights until further notice at the international airport of Ezeiza and at the domestic-flights metropolitan Aeroparque. International airlines Delta, American, GOL, TAM and United Airlines suspended their services for Tuesday and Wednesday to Atlanta, Miami, Santiago de Chile, Río de Janeiro and San Francisco, respectively.

Regarding the earthquakes that had strangely occurred 20 to 40 miles away from Puyehue with the eruption, no further quakes in that particular region since then. Will keep watching…

The Nilhue River is steaming hot, nearby the Puyehue Volcano.

Update, 11-June-2011
Last night, strong winds had carried the main part of the ash cloud towards New Zealand. “We are expecting all of New Zealand to be covered by that cloud” said Andrew Tupper, head of the Bureau of Meteorology’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin.

“The cloud should progress along the length of the South Island, and over the North Island.” Ash from the Puyehue volcano in southern Chile forced airlines in South America to curtail flights last week and Qantas last night said it had cancelled flights to and from New Zealand’s South Island and one flight from Hobart to Melbourne.

Update, 12-June-2011
From Professor Richard Arculus, a professor of Geology at the research school of earth sciences at the Australian National University, regarding the ash cloud, “Certainly if you look at the Bureau of Meteorology volcanic advisory centers alert, you can see the ash coming. It has come all the way around the Atlantic and across the Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean and is almost going to do a loop on itself.”

As many as 30,000 passengers were left stranded overnight when the ash cloud from a Chilean volcano moved into Australian airspace.

The ash cloud was drifting east at 50 knots, at an altitude between 20,000 feet and 35,000 feet, an altitude where passenger jets typically fly.

The cloud stretched in a broad patch south of the width of Australia, covering southern Victoria and the Tasman Sea towards New Zealand, according to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin.

Airlines won’t fly planes through volcanic ash clouds as the fine soot particles can clog aircraft engines, a significant risk to aircraft and passenger safety.

Image of Puyehue Volcano Fissure Eruption from airplane

24-June-2011
Chile Volcano Still Erupting

Puyehue Volcano Plume (Chile), Terra Satellite Image

Climate Cooling Possible Following Chilean Volcano Eruption
If sulphur dioxide(SO2) in the plumes mixed with water it could cause some climate cooling in the next two months. “It is like putting a curtain around the hemisphere, which reflects the sunlight, and cools the air [below the ash].”