Proposal for 4 volcano monitoring spots on Mount Hood
March 17, 2015
Buy Photo(Photo: ANNA REED / Statesman Journal file)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey and the Cascades Volcano Observatory hope to install four volcano monitoring stations on the upper flanks of Mount Hood.
Scientists say that although it's not erupting, Mount Hood signals that it is an active volcano. Oregon's signature peak produces frequent earthquakes, and steam and volcanic gases are emitted in the area around Crater Rock near the summit. The proposed stations would enhance scientists' ability to detect subtle signals beneath the volcano and help determine whether it poses any threat of imminent eruption.
In a 2005 national volcano early warning assessment, the USGS designated Mount Hood as a "very high threat" volcano, due to its history of eruptions, current activity and closeness to downstream communities. The mountain is about 50 miles east of Portland.
The stations would be in a wilderness area, away from trails. The Mount Hood National Forest is accepting comments on the proposal through April 27.
Emergency Officials Keep Watchful Eye on the Turrialba Volcano
- By Jaime Lopez – March 17, 2015
Source: RSN
A reasonable level of surface seismicity detected in the vicinity of the active Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica suggests that future eruptions could take place. Earth scientists from the National Seismology Network of the University of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: RSN), along with colleagues from the Observatory on Seismology and Volcanology of the National University (Spanish acronym: OVSICORI) have been closely monitoring this volcano, which is located in the province of Cartago, and have compared it to a "pressure cooker."
As reported by The Costa Rica Star a few months ago, OVSICORI geologists installed a geodesic monument at a safe distance from the crater. By means of GPS feedback, this instrument monitors the horizontal and vertical surface planes in terms of inflation or deflation. These changes are measured in millimeters, and they may suggest the flow of magma, gas or other volcanic matter. Along with seismographs, geologists in Costa Rica are getting an idea of what lies beneath the surface of this unpredictable colossus.
According to a radio report by Febe Cruz Brenes of Radio Monumental 93.5 FM, the last ash eruption at the Turrialba was detected on Friday night. Volcanologist Javier Pacheco from the RSN admits that the current situation can be perceived as calm, but that measurements from their detection devices suggest that this calm could be shattered at any moment due to the heavy flow of gases, magma and volcanic matter inside the volcano.
In the meantime, four schools near the skirts of the volcano remain close due to the heavy concentration of volcanic ash. Six public health clinics located just outside of the cantonal district stand ready to provide emergency care, and Red Cross officials are training their volunteers on evacuation protocols. President Luis Guillermo Solis canceled a trip to Europe due to the eruptions last week, but he explained during a recent press conference that he does not wish to visit the Turrialba volcano in order to avoid speculation by news media outlets.
President Solis has not issued a national emergency with regard to the Turrialba volcano, but a yellow alert remains in place and tourists are not allowed in the national park. There is also no risk of ash contamination affecting the regional supply of potable water, the only creek affected is Paredes, which flows out into the Toro Amarillo (Yellow Bull) river before heading out to the Caribbean.
http://news.co.cr/emergency-officials-keep-watchful-eye-turrialba-volcano/37622/
*********************************************************
Video game to help islanders understand volcano's power
8 hours ago by Alan Williams
The inhabitants of a Caribbean island will soon be able to learn more about the volcano which towers over their homes thanks to a video game created at Plymouth University.
La Soufriere, perched on the northern edge of St Vincent, last erupted in 1979 while its most deadly blast was in 1902 when 1,500 people lost their lives.
Now volcanologists in Plymouth have developed a new educational game, which they hope will enable people of all ages to recognise the signs an eruption may be imminent, and to know what to do if such a situation arises.
Devised by PhD student Lara Mani and Lecturer in Geohazards Dr Paul Cole, the game has been built by digital arts specialists at i-DAT (the Institute of Digital Arts and Technology based at the University).
Lara, whose PhD is based on the 3D visualisation of volcanic hazards, said:
"There are around 110,000 people living on St Vincent, and about 20,000 would have to evacuate their homes in the event of La Soufriere erupting. But despite having a volcano hazards map, and a Volcano Awareness Week each year, a whole generation has grown up on the island not having experienced the volcano's potentially destructive power."
The game begins by providing information about the 1902 and 1979 eruptions, as well as factual details about the volcano itself and then more general information about the different types of eruption that could occur.
There is also detail about how an eruption would affect three towns in the shadow of the volcano – Fancy, Chateaubelair and Georgetown – and a series of quizzes designed to test what players have learned.
The game will be trialled it in St Vincent over the coming weeks, with scientists from Plymouth working in conjunction with the University of the West Indies to examine its impact and any adaptations the islanders would suggest.
Once any changes are made, the aim is to roll it out across schools and community facilities during this year, but also to look at ways to spread the message more widely.
Lara added:
"The children on St Vincent are used to game playing – and there is a programme on the island to enable all schoolchildren to have a laptop – so we felt this was the perfect way to communicate with them. We also hope it could be the start of a wider volcano awareness project, possibly using footage from the game to educate young people in the UK and across the world. Volcanoes are a fascinating but potentially deadly force, and anything which increases awareness of them is a positive thing."
Volcanologists at Plymouth University are part of the collaborative STREVA (Strengthening Resilience in Volcanic Areas) project, which brings together diverse researchers from universities and research institutes from within the UK and from those areas affected directly by volcanic activity.
Its previous projects have included Volcanoes Top Trumps, with an educational card and online game designed to motivate people to learn more about some of the planet's most destructive natural phenomena.
http://phys.org/news/2015-03-video-game-islanders-volcano-power.html
**********************************************************
Scientists to explore huge underwater volcano in Pacific Ocean
Reported by: `Customs Today Report March 17, 2015
SYDNEY:A team of international scientists is setting out to explore a huge underwater volcano that has been producing tonnes of stone that has come ashore to the beaches of Australia and New Zealand.
The volcano was discovered by an airline passenger, who reported seeing the lava flow from the air, and reported it to scientific authorities, Xinhua news agency reported.
Vulcanologist Rebecca Carey from the University of Tasmania in Australia, one of the researchers from the five-nation team, will travel to the Kermadec arc, which is about 1,000 km north of New Zealand.
Carey told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday that the eruption has produced about a cubic kilometre of pumice.
She said the eruption of the undersea Havre Volcano was a one-in-10,000-year event and a rare chance for scientists to learn more about volcano.
"Havre probably has an eruption frequency of maybe one of these type of eruptions every 10,000 years, so it's just our luck I guess that it erupted and we saw satellite images and we've also got pumice," she said.
Carey said a passenger of an airline jet looked out of her window and saw these rafts of volcanic pumice and then contacted the Geological Survey of New Zealand, and the discovery would help researchers better understand the impact of underwater volcanoes.
http://customstoday.com.pk/scientists-to-explore-huge-underwater-volcano-in-pacific-ocean/
***********************************************************
Ash in the Water; The Aftermath of the Turrialba Volcano Eruptions
- Costa Rica News
Costa Rica News – How could water not be affected by the falling ash that followed the eruptions of the Turrialba Volcano?
A study was done after the last set of eruptions, back in October. The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory and the School of Chemistry at the National University detected the presence of the toxic chemicals fluoride and bromide along with potential toxicological ash samples in the rain water.
While fluoride in small amounts is good for human teeth, chronic exposure over time to this chemical and bromide can lead to diseases in bones and teeth of animals and humans.
It can increase the risk of tooth decay, lung cancer, hypertension and diabetes.
The risk is highest for animals on farms near the volcano since they drink the water in ponds or troughs. Tap water that was gathered from the surface or exposed to the atmosphere could be contaminated and harmful to drink.
The water tested near the volcano had a fluoride content well above the maximum for safe consumption by humans and animals.
Measures must be taken to protect the groundwater and channel clean water to the homes and farms in the area.
************************************************************
Ill-Tempered Kamchatka Volcano Showers Small Town With Ash
************************************************************
--
__._,_.___
No comments:
Post a Comment