USGS/SI Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for May 5-11, 2010

eklemetti — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:00:22 +0000

Ah yes, a reminder that there are other volcanoes erupting around the world than EyjafjallajÃ¶kull - but yes, it is true! Here is the latest USGS/Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program Weekly Volcanic Activity Report!

Highlights (not including Iceland) include:

Another volcano in the Kuril Islands of Russia is showing signs of, well, something. Ketoi was noticed to be experiencing increased fumarolic activity according to satellite images. Ketoi hosts a Pleistocene caldera but has had three historic eruptions over the last few centuries, most recently in 1960, and all of which were explosive events around VEI 2.
It has been a busy spring at El Reventador in Ecuador, where ash plumes up to 5.2 km (17,000 feet) and small lahars were noted.
Another new entry into the report was Aoba in Vanuatu. Increased activity and a possible plume were noted, along with over 3,000 ton of sulfur dioxide being emitted per day. Aoba is actually a basaltic shield volcano with a summit lake filling the collapse caldera. Most recently, an eruption from Lake Voui in 2005 produced pyroclastic flows and evacuations of the local villagers.
Also in Vanuatu, Yasur continues to produce steam-and-ash plumes from three vents. It appears that strombolian activity has been common as well, with bombs in the crater area and explosions heard by the locals. Yasur has been erupting almost constantly since at least the 1770s.

eklemetti Wed, 05/12/2010 - 12:00

But the other volcanoes don't have cameras with internet connections on them! The ones in Kuril are only a threat to Siberian and Alaskan air routes (well, maybe northern Japan too) and the Vanuatu volcanoes are only likely to interfere with Australian air traffic.

Almost all North America to Japan routes are vulnerable to Large Kuril Island ash events, and depending on the winds, even New York/Chicago area to Seoul, Beijing and Hong Kong could be affected.

Don't some European routes go over the pole?
Best!motsfo

Looking at google earth it seems to me that Vanuatu is a massive caldera with Aoba being at the center of it. Ive just never heard anyone else mention this and wondered what other people thought about this considering there is increased activity in a couple of places in Vanuatu now.

Aoba got my attention, as it is one several unusual subduction zone volcanoes that have erupted picrite.

@4, Chris, Vanuatu is a volcanic arc associated with a subduction zone. Several of the volcanoes in the arc have calderas, but the whole system is not one.

So much party going on and noone comments it ?

okay this stupid cloud, but E is able to manage that right now :D

Hi Erik, I have sent you an E-mail with some Information About Villarrica and LLaima Volcanoes in Chile. ;)

Have a nice Day

http://www.ruv.is/katla/ WATCH NOW !! watch the sky and watch and watch really !!

Vanuatu has some vulcanos that are continuously erupting. Because of prevailing westerly winds these eruptions do not affect Australia air routes that much. The occasional major eruption in Indonesia affects air travel more.

There are webcams for many of the worlds volcanoes you just need to look for them.

Took a gander at the cams, saw ash cloud, now it is to bed. :-( Got to get up early and I won't be on all day.... Boo!

Catch you all tomorrow afternoon. Late. PDT

Yes, yes, bring more volcanoes, more! (if this isn't addiction, what else should it be?) You can also look from Hekla cam (by switching Katla to Hekla on the address bar). To the right, you can see Eyjaf's plume from afar.

Plume is now heading east. Trouble to air flights...

It is good that Manuel sent you something about Llaima (with 'stomach noises') and Villarrica. There are new reports both on Sernageomin and Ovdas page. Also ChaitÃ©n looks like saying 'goodbye' based on the last OVDAS report.

Seems to be fair weather again this morning. The lava channel is steaming quite happily, so apparently it's gotten more ejecta during the night. The first time I saw lightning activity in the column, so that seems to be up again, as well. The cam at Thorolfsfell has a better frame rate than in a long while, although the picture quality sucks. Good conditions to veg away.

I tried my hand at depicting the latest EQ swarm. First of all, M$ Excel is not up to the job, at least my version of it is not. I did get graphs, but they just confirmed that one needs better tools than I have at hand to make decent 3D images out of the swarm data.

good to see a thermal cam has now been put up at the thorsvelli location :)
How about fireing a laser beam across the apex of the mountain,to keep track of its topography?

what is the frequency of explosive outbursts? i times 30 mins between the last two. & is there a wave plot of them?

When you searching for monitoring, you realise how fortunate Iceland, Europe and the US are when it comes to adequate surveilance of threats:

El Salvador has a Volcano Institute with a surveillance program - www.snet.gob.sv/ver/vulcanologia/vigilancia/programa+de+vigilancia/ - but it only covers one volcano adequately (Santa Ana) and to a lesser extent five more (San Miguel, San Salvador, Izalco, San Vicente & Ilopangao). El Reventador does not seem to be monitored? Judging from the picture of that corn field close to three large volcanoes, I feel sorry for the people working and living in their shadow. Would any of us "Fortunate Sons" accept such a situation?

For the Vanuatuans, the situation is even more bleak - www.sveurop.org/gb/articles/articles/vanuatu.htm - Thankfully, the SVE has made a thorough assessment and set up a "minimal surveillance" program and educated the locals (see bottom entry). As far as I understand the danger assessment (it's in French) - http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/griseli/01000… - there is no reason to expect a second Krakatau, as was proposed on a previous thread here. But evacuation of the entire population of almost every island is recommended in certain cases that do not seem to be overly "alarmist".

http://eldgos.mila.is/eyjafjallajokull-fra-hvolsvelli/

That looks like its going very high...

Henrik: I don't know if you meant to imply it, but Reventador isn't in El Salvador, it's in Ecuador. Lack of monitoring is probably because of its remote location (as is the case for Sangay)

Doh! The drinks are on me. A good example of the danger in assuming the search engine comes up with the results you thought the paramaters you put up constrained it to. Google, aiming to please replied "Yes sir, we have no bananas" (Gerry Durrell). I stand corrected, thanks for picking it up so quickly. :o

I think we could use a little Robin Williams here: "Gooooood Morning Volcano Fans!"

Looks like the plume is going nice and strong this morning - what can be seen behind the clouds that is.

EyjafjallajÃ¶kull volcano eruption 12 May 2010 vodafone webcam time lapse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg7H_VrcqcQ

"Bardarbunga, Hekla and Katla!!" (May I suggest: the only expletive allowed on this site when talking about Iceland's volcanicity problems?!)

Here is a little background on Iceland's geology and the significance of the spreading of the North American and European Plates. It is in plain-speak so particularly good
for any new enthusiasts.

http://iceland.vefur.is/iceland_nature/geology_of_iceland/index.htm

"People of da house!" There's no reference to Iceland and Icelandic volcanoes in Erik's list of categories at the top. Perhaps we should remain at the old thread out of respect for Guillermo, Manuel Humeres and others who may want to discuss volcanoes of more interest to them? ;)

#22 La Kat: very interesting article, thank you!

#23 Henrik: I think that is a good idea. It is also easier to follow the diskussion in one blog, as going back and forth between 2 blogs.

@23 Henrik, Swe

Apologies, Henrik et al, thought this thread was of a more general discussion on volcanology (i.e. this link is of much wider interest and NOT just on Eyjafjallajokull- not at all!). In any case, thought everyone had moved here now. (I'm learning, too!)

Morning everyone. It seems like Bardarbunga is moving a little bit today http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/vatnajokull/#v…

Haven't seen mention of it, but KVERT has apparently been given another funding boost to continue monitoring and reporting operations through June 30th.

http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/updates.shtml

Thank-you, whoever you are (governments, private sector) that are providing provisional monetary support for KVERT!

No need to apologise least of all to me, La Kat. I am as guilty as the next person if not more. I just remembered that Guillermo has tried several times over the past month to give us information about Chaiten and we collectively, myself very much included, were too busy to take notice. After all, there are other volcanoes whose impact currently is far greater to other people than the mere travel inconveniences inflicted upon ourselves... ;)

I'm still learning from you, while I'm trying to reach my goals. I absolutely enjoy reading all that is written on your site.Keep the posts coming. I loved it

So I attempted subscribing to your RSS Feed, and it gave me a "Illegal Action" error... Can you tell me if it's just me or the internet messing up?