Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): The volcano has returned to low to medium levels of activity. Explosions have become significantly smaller.

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Etna is calm this morning, but some weak ash emissions are occurring from the New SE crater.

Tolbachik (Kamchatka): The eruption continues with no change to report since yesterday. Fluid lava continues to be erupted from the vent on the southern fissure and feeds lava flows.

Sakurajima (Kyushu): The volcano has been very productive lately. There have been several relatively large explosions over the past days, producing ash plumes rising to 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude.

Taal (Luzon, Philippines): 8 more small earthquakes were registered during the past 2 days. Other monitored parameters show no alarming signs that would suggest an eruption in the near future.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): (31 Jan) Glow remains brightly visible at night. The rate of weak steam/gas/ash emissions was about 1 per hour since yesterday.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): (31 Jan) Activity was low today. Only some small explosions and few small to moderately sized avalanches from the active flows were reported.

Fuego (Guatemala): (31 Jan) Both explosive and effusive activity have been low today. Only 4 weak explosions with ash plumes rising about 300 m were counted, and the lava flow was only 150 m long this morning.

Arenal (Costa Rica): (31 Jan) The volcano had shown some increased seismicity at the end of December, but has calmed down again.

Copahue (Chile/Argentina border): (31 Jan) SERNAGEOMIN reported a decrease in seismic activity. No new surface activity was noted, but the alert level remains at orange.

Heard (Australia, Southern Indian Ocean): (31 Jan) A thermal hot spot remains visible at the summit crater on MODIS satellite data, suggesting that some activity continues there.

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Russian Volcano Creating First Lava Lake in Region

Far East Russia’s Plosky Tolbachik volcano spewed jets of hot lava up to 650 feet above the Kamchatka Peninsula’s frozen wintertime landscape.

The volcano roared back to life in November after lying dormant for almost 40 years.

Russia’s Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team said the eruption has created four new cinder cones on the flanks of the mountain.

Lava is also reported flowing down its western and southeastern flanks.

Vulcanologists say the eruption may be creating the first lava lake ever recorded on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

This means the flow from deep beneath the surface is fast enough to keep all the lava fluid enough to form a lake.