Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): [Unless something major happens, the last update before the holidays: Merry Christmas to all!] Ash emissions from the NE crater (as well as possibly Bocca Nuova) and tremor have decreased. Will Etna give us a peaceful calm Xmas ? You can check the livecams...

El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain): The new seismic / deformation crisis continued over night with about 20 quakes between magnitudes 2-3 today so far (during the first 6 hours). The key observations are: - A migration of the quakes' hypocentres towards the south is visible.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): During the past week, the volcano has been relatively calm with an average of 1 explosion per day (ash plumes rising to 6-10,000 ft altitude). A slightly stronger explosion occurred this morning (evening in Japan) with an ash plume rising to 11,000 ft.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Activity has been low at the volcano, but occasional small explosions and ash emissions still occur. VAAC Darwin reported an ash plume at 10,000 ft (3 km) yesterday and maintains Aviation Color Code RED, as the chance of a sudden larger explosion remains high.

Dukono (Halmahera): Elevated explosive activity continues. A volcanic ash plume was detected this morning rising to 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude and drifting 30 nautical miles to the N (VAAC Darwin).

Chaitén (Southern Chile and Argentina): A visitor sent us the following short update: "Today (as of 23 Dec) the volcano was rather calm; from the town, one can identify 9 areas of incandescence at the lava dome".