[Geology2] Situation Update No. 1 : Nicaragua - Volcano Eruption

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Number of Evacuated: 3000 person(s)

Situation:

The San Cristobal volcano spewed out a column of ash and gas 2 and half miles high Saturday, leading Nicaraguan authorities to evacuate about 3,000 people from nine communities around the country's tallest mountain. Residents reported hearing three powerful explosions in the volcano as the cloud began billowing skyward and ash drifted over nearby villages. "This activity could affect some 500 families totaling 3,000 people, so we decided to evacuate them," said Guillermo Gonzalez, executive director of the government's disaster agency. Civil defense personnel said 300 soldiers were sent to evacuate people and care for them. Javier Mejia, director of Nicaragua's geological institute, said monitoring instruments showed "strong activity" in the volcano. "We do not rule out anything, but call for calm," he said. The 5,740-foot volcano sits 87 miles northwest of Managua, the capital. It has been active since 1520, Mejia said. Nicaragua has been on alert since a strong earthquake shook neighboring Costa Rica on Wednesday and then a swarm of 17 minor tremors were recorded in the area around Lake Managua next to the capital the following day.

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Nicaragua is also one of the few countries to experience a Mega Tsunami. See recent research of how sediment over a fault turns a minor quake into one producing an unexpected Mega Tsunami because of the wedge effect. Conditions may be ripe for another one in that area.

V.

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