GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Volcano Discovery Report For March 16, 2013 - Updates On Etna, Tolbachik, Karkar, Dukono, Ambrym, Popocatépetl, Fuego, Galeras, Nevado del Ruiz, Reventador, Tungurahua, Sabancaya And Colima!

March 16, 2013 - WORLDWIDE VOLCANOES - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing report from the Volcano Discovery Group.

Lava fountain seen on the Montagnola webcam.

Etna volcano (Sicily): The next paroxysm of the new southeast crater (March 15) Typical for Etna's paroxysms, activity has ended quickly after reaching an impressive climax with lava fountains around and perhaps even above 1 km in height. 

Corresponding thermal image.

The eruption still increases, the wind has turned to the north and the webcams on Montagnola are now getting into the ash plume. 

Lava fountains from Etna's New SE crater.

(March 16)  The 8th paroxysm from the New SE crater is occurring at the moment, with lava fountains from the saddle and summit vent of the crater reaching a kilometer in height. A tall ash column has started to rise and drifts eastwards. 

Tolbachik (Kamchatka): (March 15) Tremor from Tolbachik remains high, although a bit lower today according to KVERT's daily update, and the eruption continues with lava effusion from the now single vent on the southern fissure. 

No significant changes were reported for any of the other volcanoes in Kamchatka: Moderate seismicity accompany dome building at both Sheveluch and Kizimen volcanoes. Seismic activity remains weak at Bezymianny, which also has an active dome and at Kliuchevskoi, where mild strombolian activity might still be going on in the summit crater... [read more] 

Karkar (Northeast of New Guinea): (March 15) A larger explosive eruption from Karkar produced an ash plume rising to 28,000 ft (8.5 km). The plume is rapidly drifting NW. 

SO2 plume from Dukono (NOAA).

Dukono (Halmahera): (March 15) A SO2 plume is visible on today's NOAA satellite data, suggesting a phase of elevated activity at the remote volcano. 

Ambrym (Vanuatu): (March 15) SO2 emissions remain high. 

Current seismic signal from Popocatépetl.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The rate of emissions has dropped back to less than one per hour. Tremor has dropped as well, but two probably shallow volcanic quakes show up on the recent seismogram. 

Fuego (Guatemala): The rhythm of explosions remains similar. A total of 15 weak to moderate events with ash plumes rising 400-900 m were mentioned in INSIVUMEH's latest report for the period 14-15 March. 

Galeras (Colombia): (March 15) Activity has remained more or less unchanged, with occasional weak ash emissions and degassing observed at the crater. A magnitude 3.1 earthquake located 5.6 km WNW of the crater was recorded yesterday at 06:12:38 local time. In the past week, there were 2 seismic swarms with a total of 260 weak quakes on 11 and 12 March. 

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): (March 15) During the last few days, INGEOMINAS has been recording weak continuous tremor of low energy and observed increased gas emissions, which produced a plume reaching up to about 1.5 km above the crater. The increased SO2 emission is also visible on NOAA's satellite images. 

Earthquakes associated with rock fracturing (caused by intruding magma at depth) remain in the same area as before, to the northeastern sector of Arenas crater, and to a lesser extent under the crater itself at depths between 2 and 6 km. 

Current seismic signal from Reventador (CONE station, IG).

Reventador (Ecuador): (March 15) Activity fluctuates between relatively calm phases and strong ash emissions. In the evening of 13 March, a steam and ash column was seen rising 3 km above the crater. 

Current seismic signal from Tungurahua (retu station, IG).

Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity remains high, but has become more discontinuous. In its report from yesterday evening, IG reports ash falls and an explosion with an eruption column reaching 4 km yesterday around 14:24. During the night 14-15 March, rumblings of varied intensity were heard, and weak incandescence at the crater could be seen as well as some glowing ejecta. Ash fall occurred on in the sector Choglontús in the afternoon of 14 March. 

(March 15) Yesterday, IG the volcano showed an almost continuous emission of gas and various amounts of ash whose average height was 500 m. Individual explosions, sometimes accompanied by loud cannon-shot noises, produced eruption columns rising up to 3 km, mainly yesterday afternoon. At night, explosions increased again and incandescent blocks were seen ejected to up to 500 m below the crater rim. 

Sabancaya volcano (Peru): 400-500 earthquakes per day, increased degassing (March 15) Peru's Geological Mining and Metallurgical Institute INGEMMET and the Geophysical Institute of the National University of San Agustin Arequipa IGUNSA informed in a press release about the recently increased volcanic activity of Sabancaya: From February 24 to March 6, 2013, the volcano's fumaroles produced a gas column rising 400 to 1000 meters above the crater. No ash emissions have been observed so far. The report also mentions that since February 28, there has been an average number of 400 to 500 earthquakes per day, mostly volcano-tectonic quakes related to rock fracturing in return probably related to intruding magma at depth. The temperature of the hot spring La Calera has remained stable compared to previous years' values. Ingemmet has set up an observation camp 12 kilometers from the volcano to conduct close visual, seismic, geodetic and chemical monitoring of the volcano ans report any significant changes. 

Colima volcano (Mexico): increasing activity and risk of pyroclastic flows Activity at the volcano continues to increase. The new lava dome in the summit crater has apparently grown enough that incandescent lava could soon start descending into the Lumbre canyon on the western flank and produce pyroclastic flows, scientists from the university of Colima have warned. 

Current seismic recording from Colima volcano (Soma station, Univ. Colima).

Current seismic recording from Colima volcano (Soma station, Univ. Colima).

In a similar way, the Cordobán and Monte Grande canyons in southwestern and southern flanks are at increased risk, and Civil Protection has advised the population to avoid these valleys. The increase in activity is also visible on the latest seismogram, showing tremor pulses and more frequent and stronger explosion & rockfall signals.

Complete Earthquake list (worldwide) for March 16, 2013

Photo of the Day:

Tolbachik volcano eruption in 2012-13. (Photo: Alexander Lobashevsky)

- Volcano Discovery.