Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Etna's New SE crater is the likely site of new activity in the near future. Intense steaming from the eastern vent of the youngest summit crater suggests that magma is not far from the surface. Over the past two weeks, 5 episodes of increased tremor and increased degassing occurred from the crater, but so far all ended without an eruption - one could call them "failed attempts" to produce the otherwise typical paroxysms. Another such episode might be about to start at the time of this update.In the meantime, weak strombolian activity continues at the vent inside the Voragine crater.

Lokon-Empung (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): The volcano has been relatively calm at the surface, but internal unrest continues to be significant. VSI keeps the alert level at "Siaga" (Alert) or 3 (out of 4), where it has been since July 2011. A mild gradual increase in seismic activity over the past 2-3 months has been noted. The latest bulletin issued yesterday reminds the public to keep a safety distance of 2.5 km around the Tompaluan crater, where new fractures were formed during and after the eruption on 13 Sep last year. Sudden phreatic or phreatomagmatic explosions (caused by overheated steam and/or contact between water and magma), with associated ballistic ejections, pyroclastic flows and ash falls could occur any time with little to no warning.

Rinjani (Lombok): According to local observers, the eruption has decreased in strength overall, although strombolian activity seems to still be intense and is visible on webcam images. The ash plume has been reduced to lengths of approx. 100-150 km and more southerly winds have pushed it towards the NW this morning, allowing the international airport of Lombok to reopen today.