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Geology News
Volcanoes Current Events

Researchers at the University of Toronto have for the first time simulated seismic signals that precede a volcanic eruption. This work may be an important contribution to predicting eruptions.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been dating lava flows and studying their magnetic properties. They are using this information to document reversals in earth’s magnetic field.

Researchers have found evidence that a mega tsunami hit the archipelago of Tonga in the south Pacific Ocean. Large coral masses were found up to 400 meters inland. Earthquake and volcanic activity in the area makes Tonga a likely location for another large tsunami.

Up to 40 centimeters of volcanic ash has accumulated on the slopes around Rabaul Volcano in Papua New Guinea. Monsoon rains could mix with the ash to produce mudflows that would be dangerous to the towns down slope.

Nevado del Huila is the highest volcano in Columbia. Starting in early 2007, the volcano began producing minor earthquakes and an ash eruption in April, 2008. Between September 4 and 11, 2008 over 700 seismic events were recorded and residents were asked to abandon their homes.. An eruption of Nevado del Hulia in 1994 killed 1000 people.

An article, photos and underwater video: “A research team led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has uncovered evidence of explosive volcanic eruptions on the Arctic Ocean seafloor almost 2.5 miles deep. Scientists did not think volcanoes submerged under such intense water pressure were capable of such violent eruptions.” Quoted from the article.

Kasatochi Volcano erupted in Alaska on August 7th, sending a column of ash over 35,000 feet (10670 meters) into the atmosphere. Some believe that the recent brilliant red sunsets being seen in many parts of the world are a result of Kasatochi’s ash.

Pompeii and Herculaneum get almost all of the attention for being cities wiped out by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. However, Oplontis and Stabiae, are two additional towns that are still off the radar of most tourists.

Here is a short story at American Profile about a guy who uses Mount St. Helen’s ash in a recipe for art glass. He uses it to make vases, bowls, birdfeeders, laps, Christmas ornaments and more. This is much more than a hobby. With his assistant he makes 10,000 pieces per year.

Yellowstone sits atop of one of the largest hotspots on our planet and massive volcanic eruptions have repeatedly happened there. Recent studies of the hotspot reveal that it is not as hot as previously thought.

Llaima Volcano in Chile has produced some recent seismicity along with minor gas and ash eruptions. Last week the government issued a “red alert” because of the increased seismicity.

Geologists, assisted with support of the Civil Air Patrol, are studying the landslides on the flanks of Mount Hood. Although Mount Hood has not erupted since 1790, it is considered a volcano that presents some risk to people living or visiting nearby.

Thousands of refugees from an eruption of Capelhinos Volcano arrived in the United States in 1957 and 1958. Many of them settled in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Today these Portuguese-Americans and their children make an important part of the demographic in that area.

Eruptions at Kasatochi volcano sent a plume of ash high in the atmosphere that forced Alaska Airlines to cancel over 40 flights. The airline says that flight service has been restored.

Mayon Volcano in the Philippines was inactive for the past two years. However, on Sunday morning it erupted, producing a relatively small ash cloud. A major eruption is not expected, but steam and ash explosions might continue.

The eruption of Kasatochi Volcano on Thursday produced a plume of ash that is suspended in the flight lines of many Alaska Airlines flights. So far the volcano has forced them to cancel 41 flights. The Alaska Volcano Observatory has issued an alert for planes flying near the volcano.

Kilauea was active again last week, releasing a plume of ash and gas from the summit crater on August 7th. Earth Observatory has a satellite image that shows the plume as seen from space.

Kasatochi Volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands erupted explosively Aug. 7, sending an ash plume more than 35,000 feet into the air and forcing two biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to evacuate the island. “Kasatochi went from a quiet volcano to an explosive eruption within 24 hours and with very little warning,” said USGS volcano scientist Marianne Guffanti. “We are thankful our colleagues were able to get out before the eruption began. They were rescued just in time by a local fishing boat.” Quoted from the USGS News Release.

A new film adaptation of Jules Verne’s book, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, is now in theatres. This article discusses how the movie could be used to teach students about science.

Congratulations to Dr. Erik Klemetti who has posted about volcanic eruptions 101 times on his blog. He has lots of great images from worldwide volcanoes and has been closely covering the Chaiten eruptions.

Volcanic eruptions at Kilauea earlier this year produced unusual levels of vog - volcanic smog caused by the sulfur dioxide in volcanic emissions mixing with dust and sunlight. The vog damaged some crops and now a disaster declaration makes them eligible for low-interest emergency loans.

Photovolcanica.com has a collection of photos from the recent eruption of Chaitén Volcano in Chile. Included are up-close images of areas damaged by pyroclastic flows, ashfalls and lahars. This is a very good photo collection, be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.

Chaitén Volcano: Videos, Pictures, Map, Background

Soufriere Hills Volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat has been erupting and showing an increased level of seismic activity. A series of eruptions on July 27 produced ash fall but no pyroclastic flows.

Llaima, a volcano in southern Chile and one of that country’s most active is erupting again. A few people have been evacuated from the immediate area. Populated areas are not thought to be threatened at this time but are on alert. A short video accompanies this article.

Dr. Erik Klemetti has been documenting the eruptions of Chaiten and numerous other volcanoes on his “Eruptions: A blog about volcanoes” website. Some of his recent posts include:

* Is Chaiten a clogged volcano?
* Tungurahua gearing up for something big?
* The Chaiten Rollercoaster ride continues
* Signs of lava at Okmok and Cleveland volcanoes

On July 19th, 2008 Chile’s Chaitén Volcano continued releasing a plume of volcanic ash and steam. The volcano has been erupting since May 2nd.

Chile’s location on the boundary between the South American and Nazca Plates gives that country more than a fair share of volcanoes. The National Geology Service announced that it will build three new centers to monitor the country’s 122 active volcanoes.

Eruption warning levels at Okmok Volcano have been at orange and red for the past week. Elevated seismicity, an ash plume up to 30,000 feet, steam, sulfur dioxide and a RED volcano alert code have been seen.

In the late Cretaceous, an anoxic event caused a mass extinction of ocean life. It is theorized that the eruption of underwater volcanoes triggered this event.

An employee of Alaska Airlines snapped a nice photo of the huge ash plume coming from Okmok Volcano. When the volcano erupted on July 12, ash and gas were sent 50,000 feet into the air.

THe Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has a number of research projects in progress. A page on the WOVO website summarizes their work related to gas geochemistry, ground deformation, tiltmeters, GPS monitoring, electronic distance monitoring, and seismology.

USGS scientists say that the five months of no activity marks the end of the four-year eruption at Mount St. Helens. The volcano will erupt again; the only question is, “When?”

Okmok Volcano, on Umnak Island, Alaska erupted yesterday and continued erupting through the night, sending a cloud of ash about 35,000 feet into the air and causing the 10 people who live on the eastern side of the island to evacuate.

AVO website for Okmok Volcano.

Here’s a short article about an international group of students from New Mexico Tech going to Hawaii for a ten-day course titled “Geophysical Field Volcanology School and Digital Sound Processing”. Professor Jeffrey Johnson hopes to make this an annual course and go to Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador next year.

Pompeii, the ancient city buried by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD, has been deteriorating from years of neglect. To help prevent further damage, officials have declared a state of emergency at the site, which will be in effect for one year.

Llaima Volcano in Chile is one of the most active volcanoes in South America. Last week it produced a lava flow about fifty meters wide and a couple miles long. The government ordered evacuations of people living in areas closest to the volcano.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has a news release that explains their evidence of violent eruptions on the Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean. Such pyroclastic eruptions were not thought to be possible at such great ocean depths.

Llaima Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Chile is erupting again. Activity resumed today with a lava eruption and the government ordered an evacuation.

Reuters article on Llaima Volcano

Shan de Silva shares a number of interesting photos with captions that he took in and around the Mount Saint Helens crater. He has several photos of the dome and glacier.

The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas plans to hold a lease sale offering 36,000 acres on the south flank of Mount Spurr for geothermal prospecting. The hope is to develop a geothermal power source for Anchorage, located about 75 miles away. The sale will take place in August.

Can explosive volcanic eruptions happen in the 4000 meter-deep water of the Arctic Ocean? Images obtained by a remotely operated vehicle on the Gakkel Ridge show an ocean floor blanketed by loose, millimeter-size particles of volcanic ash. Perhaps the pressure of overlying waters is insufficient to cork these volcanoes.

This is a USGS Podcast with John Pallister, John Ewert and Andy Lockhart describing their efforts to help the government of Chile establish real-time monitoring and provide warning of further eruptions of the Chaitén volcano.

See video footage of a volcano erupting underwater! The volcano is located at Brimstone Pit in the western Pacific Ocean, about 60 miles north of Guam and approximately 1,800 feet underwater.

Read some detailed updates on the Chaitén eruption at “The Volcanism Blog”. Ralph Harrington has also posted a wealth of information on many other volcanoes.

Chaitén Volcano in southern Chile is erupting again. The new eruption is producing thick ash clouds and pyroclastics. Residents who were evacuated in early May hoped to return to their homes but the new eruption has those plans on “hold”.

In San Salvador, eruptions of Ilamatepec volcano have wiped out coffee crops and at the same time produced exceptionally fertile soil. This might be a great year for coffee if the volcano cooperates.

Chaitén Volcano has been erupting in southeastern Chile for the past few weeks. New on our Chaitén page is a NASA false-color thermal radiation image of Chaitén Volcano at night. Also included are news items, satellite images, videos and maps for this event.

Runoff in the landscape around Chaitén volcano now carries large amounts of ash. Some of this is being deposited in the Río Blanco’s channel and mouth. Deposits at the mouth are building into an ash delta and the deposits in the channel are causing the river to overflow its banks and flood the town of Chaitén.

More on Chaitén Volcano.

Rabaul Volcano, a pyroclastic shield in the New Britain area of Papua New Guinea, has been emitting plumes of ash and steam.

A mud volcano in Indonesia, dubbed Lusi, is collapsing at up to three meters a day near its center. In the future, nearby communities could be endangered by the hot mud and flooding from redirected rivers.