Volcanoes

On average, a volcano erupts once a week on Earth. Ten or twelve eruptions a year have the potential to kill people. Two or three a decade threaten mass death or destruction. 75% of the biggest eruptions in the past two centuries came from volcanoes never known to have erupted before.


Volcano Webcams
Links to specific volcanoes

FEBRUARY 2001 -

2nd - PHILIPPINES - MAYON VOLCANO - RENEWED EVACUATION WARNINGS - In the last 24 hours, 22 volcanic earthquakes were monitored in the area as well as steam emissions. Late yesterday, a faint crater glow illuminated Mount Mayon which was cited as evidence to support the idea that magma was rising close to the crater surface.

1st -INDONESIA - For many Indonesians, the ominous rumblings of the Mount Merapi volcano in the mystical heartland of Java is an omen of a
looming political eruption. With President Abdurrahman Wahid under mounting
pressure to quit, they are closely watching the smoke and lava of Merapi,
believed for centuries to herald upheavals such as a leader's downfall.

JANUARY 2001 -

Currently Mayon is at Alert Level 3 of 4, but threatening to go to 4 of 4
Merapi is at 3 of 4
Popocatepetl is at yellow 3

31st - JAVA, INDONESIA - A SECOND VOLCANO IS SHOWING EARLY
SIGNS OF A POSSIBLE ERUPTION - Mount Kelud in East Java has been
placed on beware status.

31st - WASHINGTON - STUDIES SHOW MOUNT RAINIER COULD UNLEASH
A MASSIVE MUDSLIDE - An eruption of Mount Rainier could release a
deadly torrent of mud and rock on populated areas west of the still-active volcano.
The U.S. Geological Survey scientists could not predict when the volcano might erupt,
the last time was 150 years ago, and the last mudflow was about 500 years ago.

31st - A new report that shows a disturbing trend: THE NUMBER OF FATAL
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS WORLDWIDE HAS DOUBLED IN EACH
OF THE PAST THREE CENTURIES - not because there have been more
eruptions, but because more people are living near volcanoes.

31st - PHILIPPINES - MAYON VOLCANO - In the past 24 hours, 27 volcanic earthquakes were recorded in the area and continued emissions from the crater showed Mayon was building up for an eruption which could come within weeks. All monitored parameters still show that a column of magma is slowly ascending towards the surface. This has caused the lava dome in the crater to expand or grow. As the lava dome grows the outer margins of the said dome crack, exposing the hot interior and allowing a large amount of volcanic gases to escape, resulting in as ash puff. As activity continues, expect more ash explosions to occur, which could produce volcanic avalanches through major gullies around the volcano. The Philippines' acting Defence Secretary Eduardo Ermita flew to Legazpi city near the volcano today to finalise plans to evacuate more than 20,000 villagers in case the seething mountain erupts.
Mayon Volcano bulletin, hazard maps and 1999 eruption photos

30th - PHILIPPINES - MAYON VOLCANO - The volcano puffed ash 1,600 feet
into the air and the earth quaked beneath the mountain's base again today
as officials prepared for possible evacuations. . They are considering raising
the alert level to four, meaning a likely eruption in days. Level five indicates an
ongoing eruption.

29th - PHILIPPINES - MAYON VOLCANO - shook with dozens of small earthquakes and belched 10 times more sulfur dioxide than normal, indicating an eruption in days or weeks. Emissions of more than 5,000 tons a day of sulfur dioxide have been recorded since Sunday morning, and magma bubbles are several hundred feet below the surface and could soon erupt.

28th - MONTSERRAT - SOUFRIERE HILLS VOLCANO - The latest of the weekly updates issued shows the continuation of a long trend – elevated and dangerous activity. Scientists have learned a lot from the volcano in the five years it has been erupting, destroying life and property – lessons they hope will save lives in the future. One of the most notable discoveries is a new type of pyroclastic flow, the frightening and destructive phenomenon that is a high-density mix of hot, dry rock fragments and superheated volcanic gases.

28th - INDONESIA, MOUNT MERAPI - Activity at Mount Merapi volcano, spewing lava and dust for several days, is intensifying and residents in the area have been advised to evacuate. The state of alert, which was declared when the mountain began erupting last week, is one level below the highest warning category. In an effort to slow and deflect lava flows from Merapi, authorities have built steel-reinforced concrete dams in valleys leading toward heavily populated areas, including Yogyakarta, a city of 1 million people 18 miles to the south. Sirens have been set up in vulnerable villages. Merapi lava dome collapsed partially today, resulting in pyroclastic flow and molten lava avalanche which occured continuously, with interval about 2-5 minutes. Lava and pyroclastic flow material entering to the River Sat in the southwest, Senowo in the westward and Bebeng in southwest. The eruption resulted ashfalls in 5 districts surround Merapi, i.e.: Dukun, Srumbung, Salam, Ngluwar and Muntilan with the radius about 15-20 km. An increasing activity began on Saturday night (27 January at 00.00 local time), marked with continuous pyroclastic flow and molten lava avalanche as long as 2 hours respectively. Eruption thick ash with strong sulphurous smell thundering about 2000 m above the summit. Merapi activity is ongoing and higher. Merapi volcano is in level 3.
Merapi Satellite Photo (from 1995)

26th - Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano sent up a cloud of steam and ash, and scientists recorded low-level seismic activity. The cloud billowed 2 miles above the crater, partially obscuring the 17,886-foot summit and sending ash raining down on nearby towns.

26th - PHILIPPINES - MAYON VOLCANO ERUPTION WARNING -
The volcano puffed gas and ash as scientists warned it may erupt next month.
The alert level was raised to three from two, out of a possible five. A level
three alert does not warrant evacuation as any possible eruption is still three
to four weeks away.

25th - INDONESIA - Ash-filled rain fell on a village on the slopes of rumbling Mount Merapi as lava flows and clouds of noxious gases spewed from the volcano every few minutes, scientists said. Activity within the mountain had increased slightly within the past 24 hours. Authorities were still calling on people living around the volcano to prepare to evacuate as clouds of ash mixed with rain fell on nearby Deres village. In 1994, 66 people were killed when they ignored an order to evacuate from a village on the volcano's slopes. The most devastating eruption last century was in 1930 when 1,300 people perished. The latest activity started about two weeks ago and scientists have warned that there could be a major blast at any time.

23rd - POPOCATEPTL VOLCANO - BLASTED OUT MORE ASH AND STEAM 1 mile above the crater. Its strongest burst of activity so far this year. Could intensify its activity during the next hours or days, authorities said. Gritty ash showered nearby towns, including Puebla, a city of 1.2 million people 25 miles east of the crater. More ominous was a small mudslide of volcanic ash down the Huiloac canyon that leads to the town of Santiago Xalitzintla. Officials consider mudslides of built-up ash one of the gravest dangers posed by the volcano. The National Center for the Prevention of Disasters said the slide yesterday was probably caused by flows of hot ash from the crater melting part of a glacier near the summit. The slide stopped five miles short of the town.

22nd - POPOCATEPETL VOLCANO, MEXICO - The volcano that towers over the Mexico City region shot rocks and a plume of ash and smoke more than five miles high Monday, alarming people who had been evacuated from nearby villages a month before. The mushroom-shaped plume was one of the largest since the 17,886-foot volcano began a cycle of eruptions in 1994 after decades of relative dormancy. The eruption sent rocks flying from the crater and caused a flow of ash three miles down the volcano's canyons. (See webcam link above for live view)

16th - JAPAN - A geophysics expert at Tokyo University warned that the evidence indicates the country could be nearing a large-scale seismic movement. Researchers have measured a sudden increase of small earthquakes on the Mount Fuji Volcano, indicating there is movement of magma underneath. Usually there are 10 low-frequency earthquakes a year beneath the volcano, but in September of 2000 alone there were 33, in October there were 133, in November there were 222, the number dropped to 144 in December. The tremors during those three months accounted for 30 percent of the quakes there in the past 20 years. An eruption is not considered imminent - magma working upward to an eruption would cause tremors much closer to the surface than these have been. But something is going on.
Mt. Fuji is not the only cause of recent concern. Two volcanoes in Japan erupted last year on the northern island of Hokkaido and an island off the coast of Tokyo. Also, a strong earthquake jolted a southwestern region. (See webcam link above for live view.)

15th - MERAPI VOLCANO, INDONESIA - lava began flowing from the western flanks of the volcano. The lava was reported to have burned everthing in its path within 10,000 feet of the crater. The Alert level was raised to level two. No evacuations orders have been issued at this time.

13th - An ECUADOREAN scientist died in a fall inside the crater of Guagua Pichincha volcano west of Quito.

11th - Hundreds of thousands of people on Indonesia's main island of JAVA have been told to prepare for possible evacuation as officials predicted that a major volcano might erupt. For the past few days, Mount Merapi has been spewing hot rock and ash as far as 1 1/2 miles from the crater rim.

10th - Scientists issued a preliminary Alert Level Two as magma bubbled up inside the Mayon volcano today, less than a year after it erupted and drove 68,000 people from their homes in the southern PHILIPPINES. "Something unusual has been happening at Mayon. Seismicity increased very rapidly so far this month, and the amount of volcanic ash has significantly increased."
Photos of previous Mayon eruptions.

10th - Sheveluch Volcano Kamchatka, RUSSIA - Code Yellow (volcano is restless, eruption may occur.) On January 8 shallow earthquakes were registered under volcano and short-lived explosion occurred with height about 4000 m above the volcano. On January 9, 4 gas and steam plume rose 300 m above the crater. On January 10 short-lived gas and ash explosion with height 200 m above the dome was observed. (On 11th and 12th, volcano was obscured by clouds.)

10th - Vesuvius Volcano in ITALY has been quiet - too quiet, some fear - for the last 56 years. This is the volcano that buried Pompeii in AD 79 - scientists agree that it will erupt again.. When, with how much force and with how much warning are the subjects of bitter dispute. For Italy's disaster planners, Vesuvius is an apocalypse waiting to happen.

9th - Lava has begun oozing out of the PHILIPPINE'S Mayon volcano which has a long history of violent eruptions, and scientists said today it might erupt again soon.

8th - Popocatepetl in MEXICO has become the world's most elaborately monitored volcano.

2nd - MOUNT KARANGETANG, INDONESIA - an explosion sent a white-grey ash plume to ~500 m above the summit of Mount Karangetang. A glowing lava avalanche from the main crater reached the Naitu river. (On 7 January, a grey ash plume above 1,500 m rose above the summit and glowing lava (strombolian type) reached a height of 200 m. The lava flowed down to the Tanitu river as far as 1,000 m from the main crater. A minor explosion occured on 10 January. The volcano remains at Alert Level 2. )

1st - Scientists at the MONTSERRAT Volcano Observatory say recent elevated seismic activity could be the harbinger of further momentous eruptions.