Important Takeaways:
- Watch: Mount Etna puffs giant smoke rings in ‘extraordinary’ phenomenon
- Mount Etna is one of a handful of volcanoes around the world that produces the rings, and does so prolifically, but the latest emissions are exceptional, scientists say.
- “No volcano on earth produces so many rings of steam as Etna. We have known this for quite some time. But now it is beating all previous records,” said Boris Behncke, a volcanologist at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Catania. He has been studying the volcano and living close to it for the past 25 years.
- He said that on late Tuesday a small vent opened on the north-east edge of the south-east crater, which had emitted puffs of incandescent gas.
- The following morning, it became clear that these puffs were creating “an impressive quantity” of vortex rings, he said.
- Experts say the unusual rings are harmless and aren’t necessarily a prelude to an imminent eruption.
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Important Takeaways:
- Iceland volcano erupts for second time this year with lava close to power plant
- Eruption in Reykjanes peninsula disrupts hot water supply for 20,000 people as lava edges closer to Svartsengi power plant
- A volcano in Iceland has erupted for the second time this year and the third time since December, pumping lava up to 80 meters (260ft) into the air and disrupting life in the Reykjanes peninsula in the south-west of the country.
- Fountains of bright orange molten rock spewed from cracks in the ground and lava crossed a road near the Blue Lagoon, a luxury geothermal spa, which had closed on Thursday.
- The lava flow also hit thermal-based water pipes in the region just south of the capital, Reykjavík, disrupting the supply of hot water to more than 20,000 people and leading the Civil Protection Agency to raise its alert level to emergency status.
- The agency also asked households and businesses to conserve electricity. Restoring hot water via an emergency pipeline that was already under construction could take days, it said.
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Important Takeaways:
- Terrifying video shows volcano sending hot ash thousands of feet in air over Indonesian villages
- Hot ash rained down on villages southeast of Mount Merapi after several eruptions just in the last month.
- A resident captured a massive volcanic ash cloud shooting 7,800 feet into the air for almost four minutes on Sunday afternoon, according to the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency.
- The photographer was upwind of the prevailing winds and escaped the falling hot ash. Officials have reported no fatalities so far.
- There were four separate lava flows that traveled a little more than a mile down the slope, according to an Indonesian news agency.
- The ash mixed with heavy rain and fog and soaked two villages with muddy, gritty rain.
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Important Takeaways:
- Iceland Volcano Update: Eruption-Making Magma Shift May Be ‘Days’ Away
- Another upward shift of magma through the Earth’s crust under Iceland that has the potential to cause an eruption “could happen in the next few days or possibly after several months,” as officials have expressed “considerable” uncertainty as to when the next volcanic episode might occur.
- Last week, a decline in the number and severity of earthquakes around the magma intrusion led it to conclude that an eruption from the episode was less likely but still possible. However, experts have warned that volcanic activity in the region could pick up again.
- Between 1,500 and 1,800 earthquakes a day were being recorded from November 10 for nearly two weeks, before dropping to the low hundreds.
- The earthquakes have mostly occurred over and around the site of the magma dike—which is estimated to be around 9.3 miles long and runs alongside the coastal fishing town of Grindavik, on a southwesterly peninsula on Iceland’s main island.
- A sudden shift in the North American tectonic plate away from the Eurasian plate is thought to have allowed magma to suddenly push upwards through a rift that runs between the two of them under Iceland.
- One Icelandic volcanologist previously told Newsweek that while the volcanic episode may have ended, it may mark the start of an “intense” period of tectonic activity based on historic trends.
- “We know that this is not the end of activity on the Reykjanes peninsula”
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Important Takeaways:
- Iceland volcano – live: Strongest earthquake in 48 hours recorded as fears over eruption remain
- The strongest earthquake in 48 hours was detected near the evacuated town of Grindavik this morning, as the Icelandic Met Office continues to warn of the “persistent likelihood of an imminent eruption”.
- In its latest update, the forecaster said there were around 300 earthquakes on Sunday, with a “swarm” near the town which lasted just over an hour before midnight.
- They included an earthquake with a magnitude of 3, located three miles north east of Grindavik, at 00.26am on Monday. Over the previous 48 hours, the strongest earthquake had a 2.7 magnitude.
- A fortnight ago, Grindavik was evacuated after magma-induced seismic activity tore vast chasms through the streets of the town.
- While hundreds of earthquakes are still hitting the surrounding area daily, “seismic activity continues to decrease”, said the Icelandic Met Office, adding: “The likelihood of an imminent volcanic eruption diminishes with time.”
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Important Takeaways:
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- The heightened seismic activity, which started more than a week ago within the Reykjanes Peninsula, continued into Saturday with approximately 1,700 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
- The office noted a high likelihood of volcanic eruption continues in the southwest along a 9-mile magma tunnel, with the highest likelihood of an eruption starting north of the small fishing town of Grindavík, which has a population of 3,400 and is located near Hagafell mountain
- Grindavík’s residents evacuated from the town last week before the chance to briefly re-enter on Thursday and Friday to collect important belongings, according to NBC…
- A volcanic eruption could disrupt air travel in other countries if it’s large enough. The 2010 eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano created massive plumes of ash that were swept into Europe by northerly winds, canceling more than 100,000 flights and creating $1.7 billion in lost revenue to airlines.
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Important Takeaways:
- Russia’s tallest volcano spews out 1,000-mile-long river of smoke after giant eruption, satellite images reveal
- Eurasia’s tallest volcano has violently erupted, throwing a 1,000-mile-long (1,600 kilometers) cloud of dust and ash into the air, new NASA satellite images show.
- Klyuchevskoy, sometimes referred to as Klyuchevskaya Sopka, is an active stratovolcano in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, which is home to more than 300 other volcanos. Klyuchevskoy’s peak stands at 15,584 feet (4,750 meters) above sea level, making it taller than any other volcano in Asia or Europe, according to the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT).
- The smoke and ash plume prompted KVERT to temporarily raise the aviation alert level to red (the highest possible level), which grounded planes in the area. Several schools were also evacuated due to the increase in air pollution.
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Important Takeaways:
- The terrifying sounds that hint Iceland’s volcano is ready to blow: Audio clip reveals the ‘exciting and scary’ seismic activity building around the Fagradalsfjall area
- Iceland is bracing for a massive volcanic eruption that could wipe out an entire town, release toxic fumes and trigger widespread disruption.
- The country has ordered evacuations and declared a state of emergency as seismic activity ramps up around the Fagradalsfjall volcano, which is expected to blow in the coming days.
- Now, members of the public can listen to what this unnerving rumbling actually sounds like thanks to an app which transforms seismic frequencies into audible pitches.
- The result is an ‘exciting and scary’ cacophony of noise as the island’s Reykjanes Peninsula is hit by hundreds of earthquakes
- Around 4,000 people have been forced from their homes in the town of Grindavik due to its proximity to the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula, while the popular Blue Lagoon tourist attraction has also been closed.
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Important Takeaways:
- Volcanic eruption in Iceland could last ‘for weeks’, expert warns as 2,800 earthquake tremors are detected in 24 hours amid fears ‘imminent’ explosion could ‘obliterate’ town
- A volcano in Iceland could spew lava ‘for weeks’ an expert has warned, as fears are mounting that an eruption could be ‘imminent’ with at least 2,800 tremors recorded in the last day.
- The Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula, the youngest part of Iceland, threatens to ‘obliterate’ the town of Grindavik, with 4,000 residents evacuated after a state of emergency was declared on Friday.
- ‘We are really concerned about all the houses and the infrastructure in the area,’ Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management said.
- ‘The magma is now at a very shallow depth, so we’re expecting an eruption within a couple of hours at the shortest, but at least within a couple of days.’
- Molten magma has been accumulating three miles under Grindavik, and now experts have said that a ‘corridor’, around nine miles long (15km), has developed beneath the town – with a volcanic eruption possible anywhere along the intrusion.
- ‘We have a fissure that’s about 15 kilometers long, and anywhere on that fissure we can see that an eruption could happen,’ he said.
- Pictures have shown gaping chasms opening up around the town, with roads wrecked, pavements ripped apart, and land slipping at a golf course.
- All roads leading to the town are reportedly closed, while the roads to Iceland’s international airports in the north of the peninsula remain open.
- Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, told state broadcaster RUV at the weekend: ‘I don’t think it’s long before an eruption, hours or a few days. The chance of an eruption has increased significantly,’
- Locals in the area were given just 15 minutes to return and gather their pets and essentials after they evacuated their homes.
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Important Takeaways:
- New island that emerged from the ocean off Japan is now visible from space
- A newborn island that recently emerged from the Pacific Ocean after an underwater volcanic eruption is now visible from space, images from the European Space Agency (ESA) reveal. The satellite images show the new landmass sitting around 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) off the coast off Japan’s Iwo Jima Island.
- The submerged volcano began erupting on Oct. 21, with activity ramping up over the next 10 days. By Oct. 30, explosions were taking place every few minutes, according to a translated statement. The eruption threw large lumps of rock into the air, and shot a jet of gas and ash over 160 feet (50 meters) almost vertically above the water’s surface.
- Since the volcano started erupting, “volcanic ash and rocks have piled up to form the new island, which is now also visible from space,” a statement from the ESA said. The latest image was captured with the Landsat 9 satellite on Nov. 3. It shows Iwo Jima — which sits around 750 miles (1,200 km) south of Tokyo — before and after the latest eruption.
- The eruption has now subsided, Yuji Usui, an analyst with the Japan Meteorological Agency, told the AP.
- The new island was approximately 330 feet (100 m) wide and up to 66 feet (20 m) high, but it appears to be shrinking as the waves erode the “crumbly” rock, Usui said. Whether the new island will survive is unclear and depends on what it is made of: If it is lava, it could remain for longer. “We just have to see the development,” he told the AP.
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