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!!!!

Yemen and the Usual Suspects

Volcanoes in Yemen are the only new (and unusual) volcanoes on the list as we finish 2011. The other Ring of Fire volcanoes have all been on the list off and on all year (Hierro is not RingOFire and didn't join till summer) and for many years. Indonesia, Japan, Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, Alaska, Hawaii, Central and South America, there's the Ring (Hawaii would be the hot spot dot in the center of the ring) in a nutshell and my guess is, it will continue doing what is does as the rest of the Earth's major plates continue to gang up on and destroy the Pacific plate as we head into 2012. Likely that will be the same forecast for 2013.
Stay cool!!

The Ring of Fire Roars On

A couple of new names on the active list for last week but no surprises. Indonesia leads the list with 4 volcanoes fired up, Kamchatka still has three on the list, Hierro continues it's submarine eruption in the Atlantic and Hawaii's hot spot still is, HOT. In the Americas, Popo smokes on in Mexico and eruptions continue in Guatemala, Colombia (Galeras -seldom quiet), Ecuador, and Chile. As usual, Sakura-Jima rumbles on in Japan.
A pretty normal week on the belching planet.