This Week Around the Ring of Fire

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While there are many dangerous volcanoes, there are also some very interesting ones that have been active within these few weeks as talked about below. Currently there are 14 volcanoes that have been erupting for a while and the data has been recorded. These volcanoes are situated in several different places around the world, including Papua New Guinea, USA, México, Indonesia, Russia, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, and Costa Rica.

Recently there has been five newly active volcanoes around the world.

They are:  Manam, Nevados de Chillan, Etna, Bezymianny, and Chirinkotan. Manam is located in Papua New Guinea and has recently erupted on March 21. This volcano

spewed ash. Nevados de Chillan erupted through the days of March 15-17. This volcano poured a gas and ash cloud into the air. On March 15 Mt. Etna poured lava onto the earth. On March 16 there was an explosion that lifted currents of lava flow onto snow on the ground. Several people were injured. The volcano Chirinkotan erupted on March 21 and constructed an ash plume. Finally the volcano Bezymianny erupted throuugh March 10 -17. Gas and steam flumes were shot out.

Mt. Etna, a natural volcano is active right now and is located in Italy, on the world map as 37.7510° N, 14.9934° E. On the early morning of March 15th lava had begun to flow down the South flank of Mt. Etna’s SEC (South East Crater), in the evening the eruptive activity and seismicity had diminished gradually calming down until around midnight of that same day a new flow of lava had started from a vent on the Southern flank of Mt. Etna’s cone. Next day, March 16th at 1243 a phreato-magmatic explosion had started at the front of a lava flow, later it had made contact with a small area of snow. The explosive activity has injured so far 11 people including an INGV-Osservatorio Etneo volcanologist. ( Information taken from Global Volcanism Program, 2017. Report on Etna (Italy). In: Sennert, S K (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 15 March-21 March 2017. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey. )

Bezymianny                                                    

                 

Chirinkotan

Etna

Manam

Nevados de Chillan

These photos were taken from: http://volcano.si.edu/reports_weekly.cfm#vn_290260

Popocatepetl

  

Popocatépetl (meaning “Smoking Mountain” in Aztec), is a volcano in Central Mexico that is roughly 730,000 years old. After about 50 years of dormancy, it started erupting once again in 1994 and has since been the most active volcano in Mexico. Standing at 17,880 feet, it is also the second highest peak there. Popocatépetl is a stratovolcano (or composite volcano), meaning it is made of alternating layers of lava and ash. Its last major eruption was on April 3rd, 2016, when the volcano shot out lava, rock, and an ash cloud that reached 1.2 miles in height. Local residents were instructed to evacuate.

Popocatepetl in Aztec means “Smoking Mountain”. The first Spanish ascent of the volcano was made by Diego de Ordaz in 1519 on an exploration. In the early 16th century there were monasteries built on the slopes of the mountain. They were built by the Augustinians, the Franciscans, and the Dominicans in order to evangelize the areas south and east of the volcano in central Mexico. Popocatepetl is the most active volcano in Mexico, it has had more than 15 eruptions since the arrival of the spanish. The volcano’s first major eruption was in 1947. On December 21, 1994 the volcano erupted and ash spread and carried 25 km away which prompted evacuation from nearby towns. Again in December of 2000 tens of thousands of people were evacuated by the government while Popocatepetl made its largest display in 1,200 years.

Popocatepetl is a dangerous volcano with dangerous effects. Popocatepetl is centered between two major cities, with approximately 25 million people living within a 62 mile radius. It’s 43 miles from Mexico City and at least 30 miles from Puebla, Mexico. The surrounding environment is being destroyed due to the violent eruptions. Its largest eruption was on April 16th, 2012. Parts of Mexico surrounding the volcano received up to 7cm of ash fall. However, that was not the only major effect. Other effects included the prompt delays of the city’s major airport. Mexico officials even asked the public to wear face masks in an attempt to prevent grit inhalation. The airborne volcanic residue could have also affected car and plane engines. The eruption resulted in the throwing of volcanic matter that reached as far as one mile away from the site of the volcano, and ashes rose over a mile above the crater.

The Planet is Fired Up

This week's list is down 5 from the huge number of fire breathing mountains last week but there are still two dozen on the list: the whole Ring of Fire is on fire! Only Hawaii and Reunion Island are on the list and off the Ring. Indonesia has action from end to end, Japan, Kamchatka, Alaska, Central and South America, you don't have to travel far to see the action and while I plan on traveling quite aways over the next few weeks unless something very unusual happens I will not be visiting any personally. But, it's Earth and four years ago who would have thought a large earthquake would have rocked central Virginia.
I'll be in places that volcanoes have erupted in the not too distant past but are currently showing no signs of acting up, but one never knows, be wary, Today On Earth!

Active Planet Belches On!

The weather has sure changed since last I commented on the volcanoes of Earth. August last was cool for Virginia standards but today's blog comes on a February day exploding low temperature records across this volcanically quiet chunk of Earth.  Cold the air may be on Earth's surface but the planet inside still seethes and has found at least 22 spots to set some of that heat free. Six of those spots are on or near the Kamchatka Peninsula, the island arc wannabe still attached to Siberia. My long term guess (and I'm just playing armchair geologist) would be today's activity on the Kurils will continue extending the peninsula, connecting with Japan before being slammed into the Asia massive all the while folding up a new gianormous mountain range. But, worry not, that's 300 million years from now. Today's action gives us a look at that future as the activity rings the ever shrinking Pacific.
Our Ring O Fire tour begins in Chile with Villarrica still on the list but South America is quiet other wise. The lower peninsula of North America (now technically an isthmus) is where the action is on the east side of the Pacific. Pacaya and Fuego fire on in Guatemala and Colima joins Popo back on the Mexican action list. Shishaldin in Alaska's Aleutians joins Kilauea on the US list, far from the mind's of the average American. Japanese citizens are few likely aware of the the outer island activity erupting on 4 isolated islands far south (3) and north of the heart of the archipelago. Indonesians have been mindful of the 3 fire oozing mountains slowly building their archipelago for several years now: Soputan, Sinabung, and Dukono are more likely on the active list than off.
Off the Ring, an occasional visitor to the list, Piton de Fournaise above a hot spot on the Indian Ocean's Reunion island is fired up and reminding locals who's in charge and Iceland's BARDARBUNGA still spews lava on that mid-ocean ridge/hot spot island. The "Bard" has slowed from earlier eruption rates but is likely far from done with this cycle.
Arm chair vulcanology from the deep cold in central Virginia; stay warm out there, just not volcano warm, today on Earth.

An Active Week on the Tectonic Planet

After an unstaffed week off, the USGS volcano list is back with 26 volcanoes shaking and belching and oozing. Indonesia tops the list with 5 eruptions but there are also 5 spewing mountains in South America and Central America (little Guatemala has 3 itself, but I don't think that's the reason for the influx of young Guatemalans spewing across the US border - trace that to the Bush lead congress of '06 and a thoughtful but bad law - of course, our current president is still blamed - and the fact that Guatemala is a corrupt, dysfunctional, dangerous place).
Two Italian islands make the list, hosting Stromboli and Etna that are both quite active these days, the Kamchatka peninsula, as usual, has 4 exploding mountains but only one on the nearby Aleutians of Alaska, Shishaldin, and Kilauea on Hawaii's big island is, as always, piling up more fresh basalt.
Japan, always on the list but with only 2 this week and Bulusan on the Philippines main island round out the large list.  If you want to see volcanoes, you don't have to go far around the Ring O Fire to see some active Earth action up close (although, I would guess most of these mountains have warning areas around them to keep the curious or death seekers out).  I'll continue to check the list and visit vicariously through the power of the wild, and wooly web.
Lots of heat is still trying to get out from deep inside this four and a half billion year old planet and these 26 volcanoes are a direct result.  There is likely lots more action along the 45 thousand miles of mid-ocean ridges circling the earth but at the bottom of the sea floor they go mostly unnoticed, quietly driving the plate activity that has lead to the 26 volcanoes on this weeks list.  Subduction gets the headlines but the sea-floor spreading is the cause, today (and everyday) on Earth.

26 Volcanoes - A Happening Week

The USGS volcano list is a who's who of world wide volcanoes with most of the Ring of Fire involved and some other frequent visitors and even a couple of less frequent but still quite active volcanoes. In the eastern ring, from Peru up to Popo in Mexico there is action (the US northwest appears quiet) and the Aleutians, Kamchatka, the Kurils, Japan, Mariana and Indonesia have the top and western edge of the ring belching and shaking with activity.  Etna and Stromboli are both fired up on their respective Italian islands (perhaps bummed by their football team's poor showing in the world cup) and even the Indian ocean makes the list with Reunion off the east coast of Madagascar.  Of course, Kilauea is erupting (since '83).
I'll get back with more details...26 volcanoes on the list...it's a wild, hot planet, be careful out there, Today on Earth.

Sinabung & Kelud Blast Indonesia

The volcanic archipelago of Indonesia now has two violently erupting volcanoes: Sinabung continues on Sumatra, and Kelud fires off a valentine blast on Java. Sinabung has been spewing ash, rolling out lava and tumbling pyroclastic flows down its flanks since early in the new year. Thousands have been evacuated and more than a dozen killed as Indonesia's western island, Sumatra, has dealt with the ongoing eruptions.
The island of Java got into the action yesterday as Kelud blasted into action sending ash into the stratosphere, and noise of the eruptions more than 100 miles into the countryside. At least 2 (from a quick glance on-line) have been killed but thousands are fleeing the area, scrambling to evacuation centers hastily set up outside the eruption zone. As a nation of volcanoes, my guess would be that there are plans in place at all government levels as well as for families and individuals to get out of town when the big mountain in the backyard gets wild. Photos from both volcanoes are both spectacular and scary; easy to look on in wonder and awe from a safe, quiet post in central Virginia but knowing that Indonesians fleeing the scenes are likely finding little wonder or beauty in the violent side of Earth.
The USGS site will not show the current list of active volcanoes (but it hasn't changed since I checked Thursday) and while there are other volcanoes spewing and oozing all eyes are on Indonesia.  The equatorial climate and rich volcanic soil of the island nation are wonderful in quiet times but... when the source of that rich soil fires up, it's time to get out of town and hang on, today on Earth!