VOLCANO MADNESS: [Geology2] Volcano News August 4, 2014

Volcanic activity worldwide 4 Aug 2014: Etna, Santiaguito, Dukono, Tungurahua, Sabancaya, Kuchinoera...

Monday Aug 04, 2014

Thermal image of Etna's active lava flows from the effusive vent at the base of the NE crater (Monte Cagliato thermal webcam, INGV Catania)

Pyroclastic flow from Kuchinoerabu-Jima yesterday (撮影：ネット管理者 / kuchi-erabu.org)

Strombolian eruption at Dukono volcano (Halmahera, Indonesia) 18 July 2014 (image: Andi / VolcanoDiscovery Indonesia)

Small ash puff at Popocatépetl yesterday (CENAPRED)

Santiaguito lava dome on 28 July; incandescence is visible at the SE rim of the dome where the viscous flow starts

Strombolian activity at Tungurahua yesterday morning (IGEPN)

Ash / gas plume from Ubinas this morning

MODIS hot spots at Nyiragongo but not at Nyamuragira (center) (MODVOLC, Univ. Hawaii)

Etna (Sicily, Italy): No significant changes have occurred at the volcano recently. Lava continues to arrive at the vent(s) at the eastern base of the NE crater, where strombolian activity is building up a complex cone and several small lava flows are spreading towards the Valle del Bove.
A small collapse occurred on 1 August, partially destroying the cone that had been built above the 25 July vent.
... [read more]

Kuchinoerabu-jima (Ryukyu Islands): A new eruption occurred yesterday at the volcano at 12h25 local time. It consisted of a single powerful explosion from the Shin-Dake crater. An ash plume rose to approx 1.5 km height, and a pyroclastic flow was generated.
The eruption lasted about 10 minutes and much of the erupted mass collapsed into an impressive pyroclastic flow (hot avalanche of fragmented lava and gasses).
... [read more]

Dukono (Halmahera): Our team member Andi returned from an expedition to the volcano. He observed near-continuous ash emissions as well as classic strombolian activity.
A few images can be found in the image pool.

Pavlof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The Alaska Volcano Observatory set the volcano back to normal status a few days ago, as no more signs of eruptive activity had been detected recently.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity at the volcano remains low with little variation. Occasional small explosions with ash emissions and near-constant degassing, as well as weak glow at the summit at night characterize the current status of the volcano.
CENAPRED keeps the alert level unchanged at "Yellow Phase 2".

Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity at the volcano is dominantly effusive. No explosions were observed during the past 24 hours, but the viscous lava flow on the SE side into the gully of Nima I river remains active.
Rudiger Escobar Wolf, volcanologist at Michigan Tech, published satellite imagery that shows the advance of the flow through the 9 May collapse scar and into the ravine between 30 June and 31 July.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity remains at typical average levels, characterized by intermittent, sometimes strong strombolian explosions that eject abundant incandescent material to 100-200 m above the crater. The bombs create avalanches on the upper slopes.
Ash plumes rise to 600-700 m height above the crater. Shock waves and audible degassing accompany these explosions.

Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity continued to increase at the volcano as new magma continues to arrive at its summit. Since the first ash emission a week ago, more and stronger explosions, as well as phases of continuous ash and gas emissions and milder strombolian activity have occurred.
Ash plumes have been rising up to 4 km above the volcano's summit and moderate ash fall occurred in several areas, most notably the sectors of Choglontús, El Manzano, Motilones, Cusúa, Tisaleo and Mocha.
... [read more]

Sabancaya (Peru): A pilot reported a volcanic ash plume to approx. 17,000 ft yesterday afternoon, which would infer that the volcano, which has been showing seismic unrest for a while, actually erupted. There are no other indications of an eruption and the ash plume was most likely a weather cloud.
Peru's geophysical institute reported in its latest summary on 1 Aug, that seismic activity continued at the volcano, but had decreased and mostly is tectonic in nature and lacks signature of magma moving (such as hybrid quakes). No thermal anomalies were detected at the volcano.
Only a degassing steam and gas plume show that the volcano is not completely calm.

Ubinas (Peru): No significant changes have occurred recently. The volcano is mostly emitting a dilute plume of gas and some ash. Discrete explosions occurred last on 29 and 31 July, producing plumes that rose approx. 2.5 km above the crater.

Nyamuragira (DRCongo): It is uncertain whether the eruption at Nyamuragira still continues, i.e. whether the new lava lake detected in July still exists.
The thermal signal associated with this lava lake has disappeared during the past days. Only a relatively weak gas plume is still visible on satellite imagery. No recent ground observations seem to be available to tell what is actually occurring at the large brother of Nyiragongo (which continues to have a very large and active lava lake in its summit crater).

Volcano Activity Summary for 4 Aug 2014:

Currently erupting:

Ambrym (Vanuatu): active lava lakes in several craters (updated 14 Aug 2013)
Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): ash explosions (updated 27 May 2014)
Barren Island (Indian Ocean): intermittent activity, likely strombolian-type and/or lava flows (updated 4 Feb 2014)
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): strombolian explosions, ash plumes up to 500 m, extrusion of a small lava dome with rockfalls (updated 7 Jul 2014)
Colima (Western Mexico): extrusion of lava flow from summit, intermittent explosions (updated 10 Apr 2014)
Dukono (Halmahera): thermal anomaly, probably small explosive activity in summit crater (updated 4 Aug 2014)
Erebus (Antarctica): active lava lake in summit crater (updated 21 Jan 2012)
Erta Ale (Ethiopia): active lava lake in northern pit crater, active hornito with intermittend flow in southern crater (updated 11 Jan 2013)
Fuego (Guatemala): strombolian explosions from summit crater, intermittent lava flows (updated 4 Aug 2014)
Ibu (Halmahera, Indonesia): growing lava dome, occasional ash emissions (updated 28 Jul 2014)
Kilauea (Hawai'i): new lava flow from vents on NE flank of Pu'u 'O'o (updated 13 Aug 2013)
Kuchinoerabu-jima (Ryukyu Islands): explosion on 3 Aug 2014 (updated 4 Aug 2014)
Lokon-Empung (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): small explosions, lava flow? (updated 25 Jul 2013)
Manam (Papua New Guinea): degassing, occasional ash venting (updated 28 Aug 2013)
Marapi (Western Sumatra, Indonesia): sporadic explosions (updated 27 Mar 2014)
Nasu (Honshu)
Nishino-shima (Volcano Islands, Japan): lava effusion enlarging the new island (updated 28 Jul 2014)
Nyiragongo (DRCongo): active lava lake in summit crater (updated 26 Feb 2014)
Ol Doinyo Lengai (Tanzania): effusion of natrocarbonatite lava inside the crater (updated 8 Jul 2013)
Reventador (Ecuador): ash emissions, explosions (updated 28 Jul 2014)
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): ash venting, intermittent explosions (updated 16 Jul 2014)
Sangeang Api (Indonesia): growing lava dome & lava flow (updated 7 Jul 2014)
Santiaguito (Guatemala): generation of hot lahars (updated 4 Aug 2014)
Semeru (East Java, Indonesia): growing lava dome & lava flow, sporadic explosions (updated 23 Jul 2014)
Shiveluch (Kamchatka): growing lava dome, incandescent avalanches, occasional explosions (updated 7 Jul 2014)
Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): effusion of viscous lava, steaming, ash emissions (updated 15 Jul 2014)
Slamet (Central Java): strombolian explosions from central crater (updated 4 Jul 2014)
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): strombolian explosions from summit crater, intermittent lava flows (updated 20 Jul 2014)
Suwanose-jima (Ryukyu Islands): strombolian activity in summit crater (updated 19 Jun 2014)
Tungurahua (Ecuador): new seismic unrest, ash emissions (updated 4 Aug 2014)
Ubinas (Peru): degassing, sporadic small explosions and ash venting (updated 4 Aug 2014)
Yasur (Tanna Island, Vanuatu): ash emissions, weak strombolian explosions (updated 14 Aug 2013)
Zhupanovsky (Kamchatka, Russia): intermittent ash emissions (updated 28 Jul 2014)

Eruption warning / minor activity:

Aso (Kyushu): occasional weak ash emissions (updated 23 Jul 2014)
Bezymianny (Central Kamchatka Depression): steaming, weak seismic activity (updated 3 Jul 2014)
Chirpoi (Kurile Islands, Russia): hot spot visible on satellite imagery (updated 1 May 2014)
Etna (Sicily, Italy): new lava flow from vent at E base of NE crater (updated 19 Apr 2014)
Heard (Australia, Southern Indian Ocean): possibly lava lake in summit crater (updated 27 May 2014)
Karangetang (Siau Island, Sangihe Islands, Indonesia): lava extrusion at summit crater, strombolian activity, glowing avalanches (updated 28 Jul 2014)
Karymsky (Kamchatka): occasional small explosions, thermal anomaly (updated 3 Jul 2014)
Kavachi (Solomon Islands): no eruption since 2007 (updated 16 Jun 2014)
Kelud (East Java): steaming, activity at crater unknown (updated 2 Mar 2014)
Kerinci (Sumatra): seismic unrest (updated 5 Jun 2013)
Krakatau (Sunda Strait, Indonesia): degassing (updated 31 Mar 2014)
Medvezhia (Kurile Islands, Russia): strong steaming, thermal anomaly (updated 17 Jan 2013)
Nyamuragira (DRCongo): lava lake in summit crater (updated 4 Aug 2014)
Papandayan (West Java): strong hydrothermal activity, increased seismicity (updated 6 May 2013)
Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion): short-lived eruption during 21-22 June (updated 23 Jun 2014)
Poas (Costa Rica): occasional small phreatic explosions, intense degassing (updated 23 Jun 2014)
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): degassing, sporadic explosions, slowly growing lava dome (updated 4 Aug 2014)
Rabaul (Tavurvur) (New Britain, Papua New Guinea): weak ash explosions (updated 26 Aug 2013)
Rasshua (Central Kuriles)
Raung (East Java): strombolian activity in summit crater (updated 5 Aug 2013)
Rincón de la Vieja (Costa Rica): small phreatic eruption on 11 April (updated 6 Oct 2012)
Sacabaya (Northern Chile, Bolivia and Argentina)
San Cristobal (Nicaragua): possible ash emission on 11 April (updated 12 Apr 2014)
San Miguel (El Salvador): ash emissions, small explosions, increasing tremor (updated 23 Jul 2014)
Sangay (Ecuador): degassing (updated 24 May 2013)
Shishaldin (United States, Aleutian Islands): possibly lava fountaining episodes in summit crater (updated 23 Jul 2014)
Soputan (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): degassing, seismic crisis, eruption warning (updated 1 May 2014)
Ulawun (New Britain, Papua New Guinea): degassing, ash venting (updated 5 Aug 2013)