Kamchatka Rumblings

The Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia and the nearby Kuril Islands dominate this week's volcano list. 3 on the peninsula itself and Alaid in the Kurils are all smoking and spitting. The rest of the list has no real surprises: other than a new one in Indonesia, Raung (and it's really not new), Sakura-Jima in southern Japan, Pagan in the Mariana Islands, Little Sitkin and Kilauea in the US, Popo outside Mexico City, Fuego in Guatemala and Galeras in Colombia have all been erupting off and on for much of this year.  A new list late tomorrow is unlikely to look much different. Ring of Fire!!
Stay away from them and you'll be fine, today on Earth.

Indonesia Dominates the List

Indonesia, the island nation of volcanoes, takes over the world volcano list with 6 mountains rumbling and belching. The world's most famous volcano, Krakatau is back on the list and not really a surprise but some of the additions have not stirred in hundreds of years. Earth and humans are on different time scales and we often don't adjust well to Earth's.
Two in the Aleutians and Kilauea rumble on in the far western US. Russia's Kamchatka and Japan have two (almost always) on the list but two mountains in Nicaragua have popped up on the list: Apoyeque is rumbling but San Cristobol is spilling ash and lava onto the nearby countryside. Fuego in Guatemala is back on the list and Colombia's Nevado del Ruiz and Machin are also usual visitors and back on the list.  Popo is off the list but my guess is that it won't be for long.
The Ring of Fire is aptly named and the plate tectonic compression of the Pacific plate continues. Looks like that will continue for another 150 to 200 million years! Enjoy the volcanic soil in your neighborhood but remember where it came from!

Popo Watch!!

While the usual volcano suspects are all belching and rumbling in minor fashion the one that the volcano world (and the world's largest city) is watching is Popocatépetl! The 17,800' mountain, in easy sight of Mexico City (on a clear day), is bulging and belching and rumbling and while that has been going on (and off) since 1994 the signs now are more ominous. Loud explosions, ash falls and a lava dome that continues to grow have local farmers and ranchers and the mexican government ready for evacuations. El Popo appears ready to blow!!

Mostly Quiet Ring of Fire

A little gas, a few quakes but no big action on the big active planet. Two Aleutian volcanoes and Kilauea let the US tie for tops on the list with Indonesia, also with three smoking mountain on it's vast archipelago.  Only 2 on the Kamchatka peninsula and while the western ring is quiet the eastern part of the ring starts belching in Mexico with Popo, then south into Guatemala, Colombia's Nevado Del Ruiz always needs watching with potential glacial melting leading to deadly lahars, the catastrophic mudflows caused when the hot part of earth and its icy cousin get together.  Ecuador and Chile remain on the list with long running eruptions and Etna continues to rumble and belch in Italy while Soufriere Hills' sulfur dioxide clouds will continue to keep the once lovely island of Montserrat off the tourist list of Caribbean destinations.

New Comers and the Regular Crew

A couple of new eruptions on Java allows Indonesia to tie for most active with 3 to match Russia's Kamchatka peninsula and the remainder of the list are truly active volcanoes. Cleveland and Kilauea in the US, Italy's Etna, Hierro in the Atlantic, Mexico's Popo,  Reventador in Ecuador, P-PC in Chile and the always belching Sakura-Jima in Japan round out the week's list. Not many surprises there!!
Stay cool!

A Who's Who of Volcanoes!

The weekly volcano list (found at usgs si volcano report) has no surprises. Kamchatka, Japan, Kilauea, Hierro, the African rift and Red Sea triple junction, Chile, Mexico's Popo among others in Central America and the land of volcanoes Indonesia, are all there, just as they are most every week. So, if seeing an active volcano is on your list of things to do and you made plans aways back, you are ok, your volcano of choice is likely still erupting. Just be careful what you wish for if you have a volcano visit in your future. You just never know what going to happen!!

Earth Belches On

The volcano list stays fairly long with many of the usual suspects continuing to erupt. Hierro's underwater eruption in the Atlantic steadily rolls on. Indonesia leads the list with 4, Russia's Kamchatka peninsula has 3 active this week, Sakura-Jima, Kilauea, of course, continue with Cleveland back on the list and Mexico's Popo and 2 others in Central America fill in the eruptions on the Ring of Fire. A new one and the same old thing continue in Chile and Galeras is fired up in Colombia as well as Tungurahua in Ecuador.
They got it right when they called it the RING OF FIRE.
Stay away from belching mountains!!!!