GVP Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for June 30-July 6, 2010

So, I'm a little late with this thanks to a little hiatus, but I thought I would post the latest GVP Weekly Volcanic Activity Report. Thanks again to the Smithsonian, USGS and especially Sally Kuhn Sennert!

Some highlights include:

  • There were more ash explosions spotted at Ebeko in Kamchatka, producing ~1.8 km (5,900 foot) ash columns. This activity prompted KVERT to raise the Alert Status to Yellow. This goes along with news from a pile of other Kamchatka/Kuril Island volcanoes: Gorely, Tiatia, Karymsky, Kliuchevskoi and Shiveluch.
  • More activity at Arenal in Costa Rica - its almost always busy - including strombolian activity shaking windows up to 4 km from the vent.
  • Over in Hawai`i, activity at Kilauea continues, with the lava lake in the summit Halema`uma`u Crater and the growth of several rootless shield vents on the East Rift Zone.
  • Finally, light ash fall was observed around Soufriere Hills on Montserrat for the first time since February of this year - coincident with some seismicity underneath the volcano. Alert Status remains at 3 for the volcano.

More like this

Rootless shield vents?

What is that? Would that be small shield volcanos never connecting to the magma-chamber or?
Feeling more stupid than ever. Could this be a topic for "Word of the Day"?

hi all can someone tell if katla ruv webcam is on live or switch off i tried codec9 windows and still not getting no images tried different codec but nothing just the web page with a blank webcam, using vista any help

look at lady E PLUME BIG

Thanks for keeping us updated!

Has a new fissure opened at Eyja? There's been a large plume for a while now...

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 08 Jul 2010 #permalink

Something has happened at E... What is up for grabs, but a 3km steam plume is a bit to large.

Could be shadow but looks like plume has got darker over last half hour, too.

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

For those of you who where sleeping when it started.
In just a few minutes the plume grew 10 times in height and about 100 times in volume, and it has now been going on for 3 hours without slowing, it is not a big burst of steam, it is an ongoing process. If I didn't know better I would say that E just decided to become Kilauea without even making a farting quake and foregoing any large tremors. I would guess that the tremors have been hidden behind all the storming during the last few days.

I think one can see it both on Jóns helicorders now that one knows what to look for and here at HVO and ESK

http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/Katla2009/stodvaplott.html

I have started to see things that is impossible.
I think I just saw a couple of lava-bombs and a side vent opening up on the Thoro cam... which is impossible and probably an illusion, but what is clear is that the steam is not pure any more, definite smoke.
http://eldgos.mila.is/eyjafjallajokull-fra-thorolfsfelli/

@Carl [10] -
Yes, you've started to see things. ;) For something to be visible at that distance (about 7 km from the cam to the shoulder, I think) it would need to be colossal. OTOH, not quite impossible: the hardened lava cracks open enough to let water in - remember the glowing insides of the Fimmvörduhals lava - and a relatively big bang might follow. There was, indeed, grayish steam for a while, but the sun is just on the opposite side, so anything, especially in the shadow of the other clouds, looks gray.

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

I just saw a helo up Gigjökull - now they are doing the check we just talked about. Did they read us?

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Or I could be seeing things, too. Anyway, something white up there, moving pretty fast horizontally.

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Carl [12] -
I think that nuke cloud is a nasty weather system - at least I hope it is, 'cause otherwise it's deep s*t.

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

I guess that a 3 kilometre steam-plume had them racing to have a look. You missed it Kultsi, it was rather spectacular seeing it develop. The Heklubyggd camera is very good for some lazy trigonometry in the morning:)

I would hazard a guess, we will have an update later today from Vedhurstofa Islands.

You can still see it, it is the thing right behind the red barn (swedish "lada"), the thing to the left that looks like a huge plume is probably just a cloud.
http://www.simnet.is/jonfr500/earthquake/vefmyndeyjafjalen.html

i can see white dots down moving to the bottom left of porol cam

@leon [15] -

What ARE you trying to accomplish? How would that map link help in anything? It's ages old, and there is no web cam in the location of the pointer in the map, not for two months, at least. I repeat: there is no web cam in that location.

Try eldgos.mila.is or www.ruv.is/katla and you'll get some pics of volcanoes in Iceland.

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

leons delivery-trucks, or whatever it was have driven away now. I guess that was a gang of party-goers, or take-away pizza. ¨
Looked like thos coolish icelandic mega-trucks. Nice catch leon.

@Carl - an inside joke; I beg the others for pardon

Q "Var har Ryssen sin hö?"
A "I Lada."

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Kultsi:
Muahahaha! Had completely forgotten that one! (Sorry all, it would take half a day to explain that joke)

Something good came out of leons link, this movie really put the original Eyja eruption into proportion. Best photage I've seen sofar of the eruption.
http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/video?LANG=en&ID=54

Useles math excercise warning (Public health)

I just calculated that during Laki-eruption the average sinkage of Iceland was 2 decimtres. If we then take into acount that Iceland is 60 metres above average earth height and then imagine what would happen if all of that was released in a volcanic eruption, then that would release 5250 kubic kilometres of lava.
Why I should never have a friday off and no bear at home.

Mag 5.2 Quake adjacent to KrakaTau in Indonesia in the last hour. Now, there will be an interesting subject if some activity sparks up there.

By Les Francis (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Carl, nice job! Good final product, an Eyja-main-eruption tutorial....

By birdseye USA (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Kultsi #22: Heh. Good'yin. For the Nordically-challenged, Lada is not only the Swedish word for 'barn', but also a Russian car make. Thus, "Where does a Russian keep his hay?" "In the Lada." gets a Swede grinning.

Aside: Heklubyggð is a summerhouse village.

By Reynir, NK, .is (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Waving at thorolfsfell camera. Guess some volcanologist up there, or tourists that are in luck.

@20 yes its old new but click onto it and click web cam then you get what i mean

Shame the clouds are closing in :( not stopping the party at Thoro cam tho!

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Two interesting links for people who are interested in old earthquakes:
Graphical view: hraun.vedur.is/ja/viku/2010/vika_26/index.html#mark
table view: hraun.vedur.is/ja/viku/2010/vika_26/listi
You can change year and week in the URL and go back to 1996 this way.

Did they just steal the camera???
Must be german souvenir-hunters... My bad...

Back on and something is coming over the top of the glacier...

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@32 lol its ok yeah my link is link to your link which i only just realized carl was asking some of us on line to check if there was a new plume eariler and thought this link could help but you got it with the main server mulakot cam

It has gone behind the white cloud now, but something was definitely flowing down over top of crest of glacier... v. strange.

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Hi to all !,
Just got back from getting some provisions in and whats been going on !!! Carl,reading your posts from the last two hours,I was just on Mulakot and it definately looks as if another vent has opened to the right of the main plume,big brute too ! Of course,I could be completely wrong and it may be .....just cloud.
Keep this frequency clear.
Birdseye,im glad that you did,nt throw the towel in !
Hi Helen,long time no hear !

By Adrian,Dorset, UK (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Been concentrating on left of crater via Thoro and I wonder if there has been a "leak" down that side as seems to be steam generation there (different formation and movement to the clouds).

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Now I can see the white thing Helen saw earlier just below the rim.
Looks like a rather oddly placed fumarole.

G'day Adrian :)

2am here but I'm loathed to leave the screen - shame hubby won't allow the lappy in bed LOL

Not sure about the other vent, but something's going on - although no tremors or quakes to suggest movement of magma etc. Hopefully by the time I awake there will be more info.

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@41 Carl - I'm certain it's steam now... it's constant and unmoving in location. I thought it might have been cloud hanging / rising from the crevice there but now I'm sure it's steam

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

It appears to be descending? Or do I need sleep?

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

its is a 2nd steam plume i think

@Helen:
It is definitly steam, not cloud. And I think it is descending slowly. And there looks like another fumarolic thingamabit quite far down.
There was two like that up on the right side earlier today.

Has already anyone mentioned, that there seems to bee a shift in earthquake activity towards Katla in the recent days? i'm just wondering what others think about this "develoment" or is it just some "nomal" activity?

Are we looking at same thing? I don't think it's a fumerole, too big? I am looking at the steam rising from behind the slope of the "peaked" part of the lip of the crater - to the right of centre of horizon.

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@47 maybe the magma is going toward that area i dont no for sure i just a bystander who has intrests in this stuff and learning from the above

My take on what's up!

I think that a crack opened up directly under the lake.
The cracking was probably so small that it didn't really register, but I think one can see when the water hit whatever is under and hot, both on Jóns helicorder and at the spike on GOD (link below). Remember that even if the crack is just one square metre 9,82+ cubic metres of water would fall down into the hot crack, and I guess the crack is larger than that. The spike at GOD would then be the initial steam explosion when the water hit.

Something like that would make steam gush forth out of every nook and cranny in the mountain I think. I wouldn't even be surprised if it started to gush steam from one of the other two open craters when the water fell down from Eyjalake.

http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/Katla2009/stodvaplott.html

@various people wondering about steam down Gigjökull -
The way the water gets splashed from the crater (or crumbling of the lava channel walls) sends periodical steaming down the lava channel in Gigjökull. Often that stops before it reaches the shoulder of the glacier (I suspect there's an obstruction that stops the flow) but every now and then some of the water flows as far as approximately about 600 meters from the split rock.

It appears that the lava (solidified on the outside) is still plenty hot enough to steam away most of the water escaping the crater lake.

I don't know what's going on at the moment; the steaming, however, is very vigorous in the crater area and the uppermost part of the lava channel. Steaming downslope, however, is fairly recent and has been going on for about two hours at the time of writing this - that kind of steaming is not a new phenomenon, so don't get your britches in a twist because of it.

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Kultsi:
I guess it would take the bravery of a Finn to actually wear britches:)
I agree with you, I guess this is not enough excitement to put on a bungy-rope and shout cawabungah at;)

Eyjafjallajökull frá Hvolsvelli far right side has huge white cloud or steam rising really fast

No twisted britches here :) - as I thought, steam, off to bed, hope she behaves overnight!

By Helen Leggatt (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

It would seem that Taal remains at Level 2

My appologies for Google Translate's (Tagalog?) unintended humor :-|

Taal Volcano, is still alert level 2
Posted: 11:52 AM 07/09/2010 Posted: 07/09/2010 11:52 AM

Defined by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) in alert level 2 still Taal Volcano in Batangas even naitatalang shaking down around it.

PHIVOLCS Director Renato said Solidum continue to expand the bubbling activity on the lake with a recorded temperature of 34 degrees Centigrade.

Still heating the main crater and tumitindi more swelling of the volcano so that means you still aalburuto Taal Volcano.

In the past night, five volcanic quake recorded compared to yesterday but only two can mean a lower level of warning for them not only pinagbabasehan.

PHIVOLCS reminded of taboo still go to the main crater of Taal Volcano. Despite this, said Jing Segismundo, Public Information Officer of Batangas, the most evacuee, who going home to their home but also allegedly prepared the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) in case required

Google translation of http://www.dzmm.com.ph/tabid/82/Article/10101/Taal-Volcano-nasa-alert-l…

@#56 Hi Raving,
Two points,(1)So Taal remains classified as Level Two and
(2)Im going to write a programme to translate
Google Translator......
Meanwhile,there are far too many clouds cunningly disguised as Volcanic plumes at Eyja.Hopefully,sigh,the cloud will clear.
Kultsi;I love your words of calm and objectivity in the face of,albeit,intelligent speculation.Thank you.
As for "twisted britches",I hope that the IMO have'nt been caught with their britches round there ankles....

By Adrian,Dorset, UK (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

On the live Katla website there is steam rising far off just left of the center of the screen. Here is the link,
http://www.ruv.is/katla/

By Robert Hurst (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Why is it I wonder..that every time I log on and see reports of new dramatic plumes from Eyja, I check the webcams and see only weather clouds (and maybe a wispy steam plume just above the crater lip)?

@Mike don, it is probably the same reason it happens to me. I live in CA and I am late getting to the computer because I am still asleep! LOL

@Carl, #1, a rootless shield is caused by lava breaking out of a tube and flowing on top. If it keeps flowing on the top, it will form a shield and sometimes the lave will pool and form a lava lake on top of the shield. It will over-flow and that helps build up the shield. The reason it is called a rootless shield is because it does not come from a vent, but rather from a break in the tube system.

I hope this helps. I know Erik can provide a more in-depth explaination and he probaby will evenutally. Lots of things to discover here.

By Diane N CA (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Birdseye, glad you stayed around. I would have missed you!

Thanks for posting the pictures. It helped me to see what everybody was talking about earlier. I have to rememeber what time the posts were made about seeing what is happening because it is usually gone by the time I get online. Oh well...

By Diane N CA (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Birdseye [60] -

Heh. I like it better the way I got it from the Icelandic text, "...a lot of water in the kettle and the heat under..."

Of course, the words could be what are called "false friends", i.e. apparent cognates when they are not.

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Ditto Mike Don

Too much weather to see anything conclusive.

Been watching these cams for months...look too long and stuff moves and mirages happen. We could watch these Icelandic cams for many years before the next VEI 4 eruption happens.

@Renato, #13 on the last thread, nooooo I have not been to Venice, LOL. I have this brain that sometimes goes against me when I am trying to remember a name, LOL. Sorry about that. :-}

By Diane N CA (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Birdseye [60] -

I looked at the pic at your link, http://yfrog.com/5dpicture12eyxp - and I got pissed off: why don't we get the same quality of feed? Look at that pic, sharp as a razor; not the pixel mush we are forced to look at!

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Eruptions blog Volcano Word of the Day:

Rootless Shield
USGS definition
Rootless Shields are not a Gang of Nomadic Warriors
volcanoes.usgs.gov/images/pglossary/rootless.php
hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/2008/08_01_24.html

@Kultsi 67 - that was my screenshot - I don't look at the cams full-screen - and some times of day are definitely better than others,(once the sun comes around around and goes low in the sky, for instance) plus for once there wasn't any cloud or dust or fog!
@Adrian, DianeNCa, thanks. Couldn't not keep checking on the family, at least.

By birdseyeUSA (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Birdsyey [69] -

Well, the time of the screen capture is one of those when I prefer sleeping - midnight in Iceland is 3 am here.

I agree that the pic quality is very much a function of the available light - but I'd wish for more Kodak moments for me.

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@#69 Hi birdseye,
Your more than welcome.Im glad your still here and Thank You for your comment.Friendship,even like this,means a helluva lot !
@#70 Kultsi,
Reminds me of a song.I want my,I want my,I want my Vodacam.
It's ok,im going back under my rock now...

By Adrian,Dorset, UK (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@Adrian [71] -
lol! And how many of us have not been seeing things on the Vodacam? (The original was banned 'cause it was thought to promote hallucinogens.)

By Kultsi, Askola, FI (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@#72 Kultsi,
Woops,I did'nt know that.Well,now that I have recovered my sensibility (sanity)I will see you on the new thread,'Bye.

By Adrian,Dorset, UK (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

@#55 Hi d9trotterdam,
Fascinating time-lapse as per usual.Thanks for those two,especially the one from today,Cheers !

By Adrian,Dorset, UK (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Well, I've been so blasted busy I seem to miss all the fun. And of course as I am now getting ready to fly to England I come in here and find Eyjafjallajökull causing a little fuss. Guess as long as I only see white on the cams I'll be fine. At the very least, if things start kicking up and I get detoured, it can wait until my flight and I get stuck in Iceland so I could see things first hand. Wife kind of likes the idea. :)

@Adrian #71: That's the way to do it!

By Reynir, NK, .is (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Screenshots for nothing and those pix for free!

By Reynir, NK, .is (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink

Too right Reynir,there has to be a little humour at times !

By Adrian,Dorset, UK (not verified) on 09 Jul 2010 #permalink