GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Global Volcano Report For August 2, 2013 - Updates On Etna, Tjörnes Fracture Zone, Avachinsky, And Yellowstone!

August 02, 2013 - WORLDWIDE VOLCANOES - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.

Mount Etna.

Etna (Sicily, Italy): A cluster of earthquakes of magnitudes 2-3 occurred yesterday under the eastern flank near Sant Alfio, at depths around 7-8 km.


Tjörnes Fracture Zone (North of Iceland): A (probably tectonic) swarm of earthquakes has been occurring since yesterday in the eastern part of the TFZ, about 10-15 km north of the shore at various depths mostly below 15 km. 

Location of recent quakes at the TFZ.

It includes more than 100 quakes yesterday including 6 above magnitude 3 (up to 3.8 yesterday morning).


Avachinsky (Kamchatka): A (so far small) seismic crisis has started about a week ago. The earthquake hypocenters are currently located at depths around 30 km SE of the volcano.

Location of recent quakes under Avachinsky (blue dots) (EMSD).

The new quakes superimpose to the normal seismic activity at shallow depth. It is not clear whether this indicates that magma has started to accumulate at the mantle-crust boundary beneath the volcano, or whether the seismic activity there is purely tectonic and related to the subduction of the Pacific Plate... [read more]


Yellowstone (Wyoming, USA): The famous Steamboat Geyser erupted again during the past night breaking a 8 years period of dormancy. Known as the currently largest geyser in the world, its jets are known to reach up to 90 m height.

It is located in the Norris Basis in the northern part of Yellowstone. Its eruptions are very irregular, with intervals ranging between several weeks (29 eruptions in 1964) to decades (record was 50 years pause with no eruption).