Volcano World: Supplement

Volcano Activity Reports and News, Volcano Art, and Volcano Q & A

URL: http://volcanoworld.wordpress.com

Updated: 21 hours 10 min ago

Welcome CalVo!

Wed, 02/15/2012 - 20:53

The USGS Volcano Hazards Program issued a press release announcing the establishment of the USGS California Volcano Observatory (CalVO), which replaces the Long Valley Observatory (LVO). Like LVO, CalVO operates out of existing facilities within the USGS Menlo Park (CA) campus with Margaret (Maggie) Mangan as the Scientist-in-Charge.

The URL for the press release is http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3097.

This event also coincides with the release of a new CalVO website and the redirect and removal of the old LVO website.

The new website address is: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/calvo/.

Establishing CalVO is the most visible part of a general restructuring of the responsibilities of the five observatories operated by the US Geological Survey.

The California Volcano Observatory watches over volcanoes in California and Nevada;
the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) is responsible for volcanoes in Washington, Oregon and Idaho;
the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors volcanoes in Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas;
the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) monitors activity in Hawaii;
and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is responsible for volcanoes in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

How many volcanoes are there in the United States??

Sun, 02/12/2012 - 17:31

Good question! (I’m looking at you Mr. Jindal…)

Here’s a list compiled a few years back from Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada, by Wood and Kienle. They list all volcanoes that are younger that 5 million years old and are morphologically distinct. If your state is not listed it probably means there are no volcanoes there or they are the remnants of something older than 5 million years! (let the floods commence)

According to them, there are about 262 volcanoes and volcanic fields in North America.

Location Number of Volcanoes
Canada* 21 USA* 241 Alaska* 108 Arizona* 9 California* 24 Colorado* 1 Idaho* 6 Hawai’i* 19 Nevada* 7 New Mexico* 16 Oregon* 34 Utah* 6 Washington* 9 Wyoming* 2

Need a new job? You can always work on a volcano!

Tue, 02/07/2012 - 21:16

The Mt. St. Helens Institute is conducting a search for a new executive director!! (cool, right?)

The job description is shown below:

**************************************************************

Job Title: Executive Director
Hours: Full time, salaried, exempt position
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Benefits: Medical, vacation sick leave, IRA, holidays per MSHI policies

Overview of Position:

To lead the Mount St. Helens Institute in connecting people to stewardship, science and appreciation of volcanic landscapes.

Responsibilities:

1. Board Administration: Support operations and administration of the Board by advising and informing Board members, interfacing between Board and staff and supporting Board’s evaluation of Executive Director.
2. Fundraising: Oversees fundraising planning and implementation, including identifying resource requirements, researching funding sources, establishing strategies to approach funders, overseeing, writing and submitting proposals and administrating fundraising records and documentation.
3. Program, Product and Service Delivery: Oversees design, marketing, promotion, delivery and quality of programs, products and services.
4. Financial, Tax, Risk, and Facilities Management: Creates and recommends annual budget for Board approval and prudently manages organization’s resources within those budget guidelines according to current laws and regulations. Manages payroll and staff benefits.
5. Human Resources: Effectively manage the human resources of the organization according to authorized personnel policies and procedures that fully conform to current laws and regulations. Manages staff, assigns duties and supervises.
6. Community and Public Relations: Assures the organization and its mission, programs, products, and services are regularly and consistently presented in strong, positive image to relevant stakeholders. Support MSHI outreach efforts through collaboration with other organizations, schools and non-profits.

Accountability:
The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors

Required Qualifications:

2 years experience in non-profit management, preferably as a program or volunteer director or executive director, or significant experience in related field
Experience in providing programs, ensuring quality and depth, and supporting staff in program development and implementation
Strong management and supervisory skills
Strong, proven fundraising experience, including donor management
Demonstrates leadership ability in strategic planning and board management and staff direction
Excellent oral and written communication skills, and administrative capabilities
Bachelor’s Degree required, Master’s preferred

Applicants should apply no later than February 17, 2012. Please send cover letter and resume to: Mount St Helens Institute Executive Director Search info@mshinstitute.org
****************************************************

About the Institute:

Founded in 1996 by a handful of individuals passionate about Mount St. Helens, the Mount St. Helens Institute is a 501(c) (3) private, nonprofit organization devoted to helping people understand and protect the volcano. We aim to enrich people’s experiences at Mount St. Helens through our field seminars, guided climbs, lecture series, work parties, and outings. Supported by generous businesses and individuals across the country, we want to share our enthusiasm for the Pacific Northwest’s youngest and most active volcano. We believe that this special landscape deserves support through education, research and stewardship.

January 18-24, 2012

Sun, 02/05/2012 - 22:43

Volcanoes with reported activity last week include:

As always, you can view loads of additional background information at Volcano World (http://volcano.oregonstate.edu) and detailed activity reports at the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program. (http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/)

Volcandpark Congress 2012

Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:30

Volcandpark Congress will be held from May 21-25th 2012 in Olot, Spain. It is the first congress to be devoted to the management of protected volcanic areas. It aims to act as a forum for debate and thought that will provide a link between knowledge of vulcanology and territorial planning and awareness in the people who work in these volcanic landscapes (national and natural parks, natural reserves, etc.).

The abstract presentation period for those who wish to present an oral communication or poster will close on February 13. Abstracts for submission should be sent to secretary@volcandpark1.com with “Comunicacions Volcandpark” in the subject line, along with the following information:

1. Title of the communication
2. Author: SURNAME, followed by first name
3. Institution the author represents
4. Name of the person who will present the communication
5. Type of presentation: only poster OR poster and oral communication
6. Contact information (e-mail and telephone)
7. Date of session the author wishes to contribute to
8. Text (maximum 300 words)

Participants can register for the Congress on-line at www.volcandpark1.com and that the period of reduced registration fees ends on March 20.

Full details of the Volcandpark Congress (board and lodging, transport, programme, etc.) can be found at www.volcandpark1.com

Kilauea’s Lava Lake Churns

Sun, 01/29/2012 - 08:54

January is Volcano Awareness Month on Hawaii Island and 2012 and is full of events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Check out this great video of Kilauea’s lava lake churning posted by Big Island Video News yesterday.

For more information on HVO’s 100 years of work see:

January 18-24, 2012

Sun, 01/29/2012 - 08:11

Volcanoes with reported activity last week include:

As always, you can view detailed reports with loads of additional background information at the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program at:

http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/

Fresh images from Nyamuragira

Fri, 01/27/2012 - 10:26

Check out these recent images detailing activity at Nyamuragira just posted from photovolcanica.com . . These images were taken between monday (1/23) and wednesday (1/25) of this week. . . We talked about the African volcano Nyamuragira just recently in this post with great satellite images.

Why is magma called lava after it erupts?

Mon, 01/23/2012 - 02:21

Magma comes from an Italian word that means a thick, pasty substance, which is how molten rock behaves within the Earth.

Lava, another Italian word, means to slide, which is what molten rock does once it reaches the surface.

Pu`u `Ō `ō cone, September 1983. Image courtesy of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

All magma contains dissolved gases. As it rises to the surface, the pressure is reduced and the dissolved gases can escape. If the lava is runny (not viscous), the gases can escape easily and the lava will just run down the landscape (somewhat like syrup).

However, if the lava is thick and pasty (highly viscous), the gases cannot escape and they build up tremendous pressure (like a shaken soda bottle) causing the volcano to erupt/explode violently forming volcanic ash, dust, pumice, etc., and lava.

January 11-17, 2012

Mon, 01/23/2012 - 02:19

Volcanoes with reported activity last week include:

As always, you can view detailed reports with loads of additional background information at the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program at:

http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/

Volcanic Flood Plains on Mercury

Fri, 01/13/2012 - 04:28

“For more than 35 years we have been uncertain about the role of volcanic activity on Mercury,” said James W, Head III, professor of geological sciences at Brown University.

But no more.

The MESSENGER team confirmed, in a recent Science Paper, that Mercury’s northern latitudes are covered in smooth plains which show several flow features along the margins and embay or cover several impact craters. These flows are massive covering 6 percent of Mercury’s surface, an area that would cover nearly 60 percent of the continental United States, and are similar to flood basalt eruptions on Earth.

Watch MESSENGER PI, Sean Solomon, present an overview of the new discoveries here. For even more detail, watch both oral presentations (The View From Orbit II & III) from this years AGU Meeting. (You will have to scroll to get to the right presentations)

Want a guided tour of Mercury? Now you can have one in Google Earth!!

Find out how on the MESSENGER website here!

MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) is a NASA-sponsored scientific investigation of the planet Mercury and the first space mission designed to orbit the planet closest to the Sun. The MESSENGER spacecraft launched on August 3, 2004, and entered orbit about Mercury on March 17, 2011

What’s the biggest volcano in the world?

Fri, 01/13/2012 - 03:19

The largest volcano in the world, Mauna Loa in Hawaii which is estimated at around 80,000 cubic kilometers. Peter Lipman of the U.S. Geological Survey used high resolution bathymetry of the underwater slopes of the volcano, data from seismic profiling and gravity studies, and the subsidence rate of Mauna Loa to define the shape and density of the buried part of the volcano. The enormous volcano covers half of the Island of Hawai`i and by itself amounts to about 85 percent of all the other Hawaiian Islands combined!!

Want to see what it looks like from the summit right now??

Click here to see the amazing HVO live webcam composite!

Jaunary 04-10, 2012

Fri, 01/13/2012 - 03:01

Volcanoes with reported activity last week include:

As always, you can view detailed reports with loads of additional background information at the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program at:

http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/

Nyamuragira continues to erupt

Thu, 01/05/2012 - 00:29

NASA’s Earth Observatory has just posted some great images of Africa’s Nyamuragira volcano and new lava flow produced by the latest activity there. As the Eruptions! blog noted in November, this volcano is remote and poses no threat to people (though there are endangered gorillas that live nearby). The satellite images were taken by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) aboard the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite.

Has there ever been any volcanic activity in Australia?

Thu, 01/05/2012 - 00:04

There have not been any eruptions in Australia during this century. The most recent eruption in Australia was at Mt. Gambier, a shield volcano in the Newer Volcanic Province, Victoria. The Newer Volcanics Province in Victoria Australia is made of four shield volcanoes and associated vents: Red Rock, Mt. Napier, Mt. Schank, and Mt. Gambier. They last erupted between 5850 and 2900 B.C. The eruptions were explosive and some generated lava flows. It is impossible to say if the volcanoes will erupt again. However, there have been rare earthquakes in the area.

Get more information on Mt. Gambier here

There are numerous other interesting volcanic provinces in Australia. There are flood basalts of Cambrian age (about 650 million years old) northeast of Halls Crossing in northern Australia. Volcanism commenced about 70 million years ago at volcanic centers in southeast Queensland and northeast South Wales. Compositions range from basalt to rhyolite and includes shields, plugs, and domes. In north Queensland there are some very long basaltic lava flows. For example, at Undara a flow is 100 miles (160 km) long! There are also numerous volcanic islands north and east of Australia including North Island, New Zealand, the islands of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, New Britian, and Indonesia.

Some other additional sources of information:

Johnson, R.W., 1976, Volcanism in Australia: Elsevier, New York, 405 p.
Johnson, R.W., Knutson, J., and Taylor, S.R., 1989, Intraplate volcanism in eastern Australia and New Zealand: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 408 p.
Sheard, Malcolm., “ The geological history of the Mount Gambier Volcanic Complex, South-East South Australia.” Thesis (B. App. Sc.)–South Australian Insitute of Technology, 1976

org. compiled by Steve Mattox

December 28, 2011 – Jaunary 03, 2012

Wed, 01/04/2012 - 23:45

Volcanoes with activity this week include:

As always, you can view detailed reports with loads of additional background information at the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program at:

http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/

Venus Volcanoes

Wed, 01/04/2012 - 04:11

Venus has more volcanoes than any other planet in the solar system. Over 1600 major volcanoes or volcanic features are known (see map), and there are many, many more smaller volcanoes.

Locations after Head et al. (1992) J. Geophys. Res. 97, 13153.
Base map is Magellan topography data, available at NASA’s JPL.

Click here to check out the variety of cool strange volcanic features on Venus!

What was the name of the vulcanology explorer who had himself lowered into a crater with an active lava lake ?

Sat, 12/24/2011 - 20:02

I believe the person you are thinking of is Haroun Tazieff (pictured below) who tried to lower himself into the lava lake at Mount Nyiragongo.

Wikipedia has this stub on him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haroun_Tazieff

He was featured in a 1973 National Geographic special called “The Violent Earth.”

Tazieff later served in French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius’ cabinet as secretary of state for the prevention of natural and technological disasters in 1984. There’s a lot of general information about him around the internet, but I don’t think there’s an official page.

This is what the lava lake at Nyiragongo looks like…. The level of the lake rises and falls significantly over time in the crater… I’m not sure I’d want to repel down that cliff face…

Nyiragongo Lava Lake

Interview: Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Planetary Scientist

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 01:52

Dr. Rosaly M. C. Lopes is a Senior Research Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she is also Deputy Manager for Planetary Science. Dr. Lopes was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she grew up by the famous Ipanema Beach. She moved to London,England, to study astronomy at the University of London, from where she graduated in 1978. For her doctoral studies, she specialized in planetary geology and volcanology and completed her Ph. D. in Planetary Science in 1986. Her major research interests are in planetary and terrestrial geology and volcanology. During her Ph.D. she traveled extensively to active volcanoes, particularly Mount Etna in Sicily, and became a member of the U.K.’s Volcanic Eruption Surveillance Team. Dr. Lopes joined JPL as National Research Council Fellow in 1989 and, in 1991, became a member of the Galileo Flight Project, a mission to Jupiter. She was responsible for observations of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io from 1996 to 2001, using Galileo’s Near-infrared mapping spectrometer. During this exciting period of her career, she discovered 71 active volcanoes on Io, for which she was honored in the 2006 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records as the discoverer of the most active volcanoes anywhere!

Dr. Lopes is currently a member of the Cassini Flight Project, with the role of Investigation Scientist on the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper Team. She is studying the geology of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, particularly its strange ice volcanoes. In 2006, she was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her contributions to the studies of volcanism on Earth and the planets.

She is also a member of the International Astronomical Union, the American Geophysical Society, and Fellow of the Explorers Club and of the Royal Geographical Society. She chairs the Outer Planets Task Group of the International Astronomical Union’s working group for planetary system nomenclature, and is therefore responsible for overseeing the naming of features on the outer planets and satellites.

Dr. Lopes has written nearly one hundred research papers, articles, book chapters and encyclopedia entries. In addition to her science work, she is a strong supporter of education, diversity, and outreach, nationally and internationally. She has given numerous public lectures in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. She has been active in the media, giving hundreds of interviews, and has been featured on sixteen TV documentaries, including for National Geographic, Discovery, Science, and History channels.

She has published five books, “The Volcano Adventure Guide” (Cambridge University Press, 2005; Portuguese translation 2008), “Volcanic Worlds: Exploring the Solar System Volcanoes” (Praxis-Springer, 2004; co-edited by Tracy Gregg), “Io After Galileo” (Praxis-Springer, 2007, co-edited by John Spencer), “Alien Volcanoes” (John Hopkins Press, 2008, co-authored by Michael Carroll), and “Volcanoes: A Beginner’s Guide” (Oneworld Publishing Co., UK, 2011).

She is co-editor of “Modeling Volcanic Processes” (Cambridge University Press, in production). In 2005, Dr. Lopes won the prestigious American Astronomical Society’s Carl Sagan medal for excellence in communicating science to the public. Among her other awards are the Wings Women of Discovery award (2009), the NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2007), the Women at Work Medal of Excellence (2006), the Latinas in Science medal (1991), and the GEMS TV Woman of the Year in Science and Technology Award (1997).

* * * * *

I had the opportunity to ask Dr. Lopes a few questions recently,

see the full interview after the jump!

How did you get started in volcanology? What first made you decide to research volcanoes?

Dr. Rosaly Lopes at Mt. Yasur, Vanuatu.

I was in the final year of my Astronomy degree at University College London and taking a class in Planetary Geology, which I found fascinating. One day the professor didn’t show up and sent a postdoc as a substitute. He said Mount Etna had erupted, and Dr. Guest had to go. I was always adventurous and I thought seeing a volcano erupt sounded a lot more interesting than going to some cold observatory somewhere. I loved the class more than any others I took and went to see Dr. John Guest to ask if he would consider taking me on as a graduate student. He did and I was his first student who didn’t have a geology degree. I said I was interested in volcanoes and, right in my first year, he told me I couldn’t understand volcanoes on other planets if I didn’t understand them on Earth. He took me along on his field campaigns to Mount Etna and, right in the first season, the volcano had a beautiful eruption. I was hooked.

In 2009, Dr. Lopes visited four school in Brasil supporting the Thornburg Center.

What made you choose the university you attended? Who was your primary advisor?

I was doing my undergraduate at University College London and it’s common in England for students to stay at the same university for their Ph.D.s.

Dr. John Guest inspired me as an undergraduate and I chose to work with him.

Where did you get your first volcano related job?

As a postdoc at the Vesuvius Observatory in Naples, Italy. Crazy place, but wonderful people.

What would you rate as the best experience you’ve had while working on a volcano?

Erta Ale Lava Lake

I’ve seen eruptions in many different places, but the Erta Ale lava lake was the most awesome. The lake level was really high when I visited in February 2011 and it had overflowed the pit where it is normally active. The lake appears to be alive, breathing and heaving, with exploding fire fountains. It was like being at the edge of Hell. I loved it!

What was the funniest thing that happened to you while working on a volcano?

Rosaly and caravan

I have had many funny experiences, from cooking on lava flows to fending off admirers. Since the trip to Erta Ale is fresh in my mind, I’ll recount one funny thing there. On the way to the volcano (by land) my colleagues and I stopped to camp at Hamad Ela, a very small Afar village. They had “showers” consisting of small enclosures that covered me from feet up to shoulders. The way it worked is that you took a bucket of water inside and “showered” the best you could. It was strange looking out but really funny when I saw a camel caravan passing by. There were probably more than one hundred camels, the late afternoon light was beautiful, and I thought this is what being away from civilization is all about – showering watching camels go by. It was a great experience.

What was the strangest experience you ever had on a volcano?

The trip to Erta Ale had many strange moments. Being escorted to the top by local Afar tribesmen carrying AK-47s was not the usual field work scenario. Hearing shots coming in our direction when hiking down the volcano was strange, but I wasn’t really worried. I just hiked faster. Later I found out that a couple of Australian tourists who had also hired the tribesmen had paid the Afar to let them shoot their AK-47s. It would have been nice if they hadn’t shot the guns in the direction of my group!

Have you ever been scared or really worried while working on a volcano? Have you ever been injured while working on a volcano?

Rosaly does not scare easily!!

I was in Montserrat in the Tar River Valley with a colleague and a cameraman who was interviewing us for a documentary. When it was my colleague’s turn to be interviewed, he had his back to the volcano, the cameraman was looking into his lens, while I had a clear view of the volcano and the valley. I saw a pyroclastic flow form and come start to come down. I didn’t know if it would come very far, and didn’t want to spoil the shot by speaking up, but then I started to get seriously scared. My more experienced colleague turned around at my prompting and said “oh, those are just small ones” and continued the interview. I was fine after that, but because I generally work on basaltic volcanoes, I have little experience of pyroclastic flows and they scare me.

What was the worst thing that you’ve experienced on the job. Did it make you consider changing professions?

Rosaly was honored with the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. (I was lucky enough to be there!)

Mount Etna had an unexpected explosion from its Bocca Nuova in 1979, during my second season of field work. Our group was about a mile away and we just saw a black cloud coming out of the crater. We started to drive up to see what had happened, and came across tourists running down the mountain. They said some people who had been at the top were injured or dead. We helped the best we could until the army arrived and took over. It turned out several people had been hit by bombs and died. That evening I saw a young woman being helped by two older women who worked at the lodge where we stayed. The young woman looked so distraught that I’ve never forgotten the look in her face. Later one of the older women told me she was on honeymoon and had seen her husband die. Later I saw a little boy with some of the army guys, who were being really nice to him. Someone told me later that both his parents had died. I have always hoped that this information was wrong. It was an awful time, but it never made me give up my work. Instead, I felt that we had to understand volcanoes better, so we could avoid those situations in the future.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in volcanology?

The Volcano Adventure Guide

Go for it! There are many different types of careers you can have. You don’t need to be adventurous and like field work, you can be a modeler, but I think that anyone, no matter what they do, should try to experience a volcanic eruption at least once in their life. This is why I wrote “The Volcano Adventure Guide”.

* * * * *

You can get a sneak peak inside and purchase ”The Volcano Adventure Guide” here!

Rosaly also did an extended interview with WIRED Magazine which is below:

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/embed/142

December 07-13, 2011

Sat, 12/17/2011 - 09:23

The following reports are provided courtesy of the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program.

You can view their full reports with loads of additional background information at http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/

________________________________________________________

GALERAS Colombia 1.22°N, 77.37°W; summit elev. 4276 m

INGEOMINAS reported that activity continued at Galeras during 7-13 December, with steam rising from the main crater and two craters to the N and SW (Paisita and Chavas, respectively). On 9 and 11 December earthquakes ofM 2.3 and 2.5, felt by local residents, occurred near the crater at a depth of 1.5 km. The Alert Level remains at III (Yellow; “changes in the behavior of volcanic activity”). olcanic activity”).

Source: Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería (INGEOMINAS)

________________________________________________________

GAMALAMA Halmahera 0.80°N, 127.33°E; summit elev. 1715 m

Based on information from CVGHM, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 7-10 December ash plumes from Gamalama rose to altitudes of 2.1-6.1 km (7,000-20,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E and SE. The Alert Level for Gamalama remains at 3 (on a scale from 1-4).

Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

________________________________________________________

SORIKMARAPI Sumatra (Indonesia) 0.686°N, 99.539°E; summit elev. 2145 m

CVGHM reported increased seismicity from Sorik Marapi during 1-12 December and white plumes rose 40-50 m above the summit. CVGHM raised the Alert Level on 12 December from 1 to 2 (on a scale of 1-4) based on seismic data.

Source: Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM

________________________________________________________

SUNDORO Central Java (Indonesia) 7.30°S, 109.992°E; summit elev. 3136 m

CVGHM reported increased seismic activity at Sundoro during October -4 December. On 26 November and 2 December smoke was reported from many fumaroles around the summit crater. Based on visual and seismic data, CVGHM raised the Alert Level from 1 to 2 (on a scale of 1-4) on 5 December.

Source: Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM)

________________________________________________________

TUNGURAHUA Ecuador 1.467°S, 78.442°W; summit elev. 5023 m

IG reported that during 7-8 December activity continued at Tungurahua and roaring noises and sounds resembling “cannon shots” were heard. Ash plumes rose to altitudes of 1.5-4.0 km (4,920-16,400 ft) drifting W and NE on 7 December, and W and SW on 8 December. Ashfall was reported in communities to the W, NE, and SW. On 8 December ashfall was reported in Choglontús (SW), Chacauco, Manzano (8 km SW), Bilbao (8 km W), and Pillate (8 km W). Crater incandescence was observed on 10 December, but activity decreased during 10-11 December.

Based on pilot and satellite observations, the Washington VAAC reported that during 7-8 December ash plumes from Tungurahua rose to altitudes of 7.0-7.9 km (23,000 -26,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 18.5-24.0 km S and SW.

Sources: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

________________________________________________________

DUKONO Halmahera 1.68°N, 127.88°E; summit elev. 1335 m

Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 13 December an ash plume from Dukono rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 74 km SW.

Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)

________________________________________________________

FUEGO Guatemala 14.473°N, 90.880°W; summit elev. 3763 m

INSIVUMEH reported that on 9 and 13 December explosions from Fuego produced rumbling sounds and ashplumes that rose 300-600 m above the crater and drifted W, SW, and S. Block avalanches descended the SW flank toward the Ceniza drainage.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)

________________________________________________________

HIERRO Canary Islands (Spain) 27.73°N, 18.03°W; summit elev. 1500 m

Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) reported that during 7-13 December the submarine eruption continued S of El Hierro Island, with steaming lava fragments sporadically observed floating on the sea. During this period, the mean tremor amplitude oscillated between decreasing and increasing trends during the first days of the week, and since 10 December high-amplitude pulses occurred every 5-10 minutes.

Only seven seismic events were located during this period, most of them offshore to the N of the island at depths of 17-23 km and with a maximum magnitude of 2.0. GPS data analyses showed stability in the horizontal components and trends to deflation in the vertical component.

Source: Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN)

________________________________________________________

KARYMSKY Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) 54.05°N, 159.45°E; summit elev. 1536 m

KVERT reported that seismic activity continued at a moderate level at Karymsky during 2-9 December and indicated that possible ash plumes rose to an altitude of 3.6 km (11,800 ft) a.s.l. Satellite imagery showed a daily thermal anomaly and ash plumes that drifted 90 km E on 3, 7, and 8 December. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange. Based on information from KVERT, the Tokyo VAAC reported that on 13 December an ash plume rose to an altitude of 3.0 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E.

Sources: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

________________________________________________________

KILAUEA Hawaii (USA) 19.421°N, 155.287°W; summit elev. 1222 m

During 7-13 December, HVO reported that the lava lake circulated and periodically rose and fell in the deep pit within Kilauea’s Halema’uma’u Crater, remaining below the inner ledge (75 m below the crater floor). Almost daily measurements indicated that the gas plume from the vent continued to deposit variable amounts of ash and freshspatter nearby.

Incandescence was visible along the E and W edges of the Pu’u ‘O’o crater floor, along the 21 September fissure on the SE flank of Pu’u ‘O’o cone, and from a skylight on the lava tube. Lava continues to erupt into the perched pond formed on 6 December. Pahoehoe flows, fed through lava tubes from the fissure, continued to be active about 6.8 km SE of Pu’u ‘O’o based on intermittent views from satellite. Analysis of 10-12 December satellite images suggested that lava had reached the coast and was flowing into the ocean. During 11-12 December incandescence was observed from small spatter cones on the E and S edges of the Pu’u ‘O’o crater floor; short lava flows issued from the E edge of the crater floor on 12 December.

Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)

________________________________________________________

KIZIMEN Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) 55.130°N, 160.32°E; summit elev. 2376 m

KVERT reported an increase in seismic activity at Kizimen during 2-9 December and a daily thermal anomaly that was detected in satellite images. A large lava flow on the NE and E flanks continued to effuse. The video camera was down due to technical reasons during the week. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)

________________________________________________________

POPOCATEPETL México 19.023°N, 98.622°W; summit elev. 5426 m

CENAPRED reported that during 7-13 December steam-and-gas emissions rose from Popocatépetl and occasionally contained small amounts of ash. On 7 December ashfall was reported in San Pedro (13.5 km NW). Crater incandescence was observed during 9-11 December and on 9 December incandescence ballistic fragments were observed on the upper slopes of the cone.

Based on reports from CENEPRED and the Mexico City MWO, the Washington VAAC reported an ash plume that drifted 12.9 km W on 7 December.

Sources: Centro Nacional de Prevencion de Desastres (CENAPRED), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

________________________________________________________

PUYEHUE-CORDON CAULLE Central Chile 40.590°S, 72.117°W; summit elev. 2236 m

Based on seismicity during 7-13 December, OVDAS-SERNAGEOMIN reported that the eruption from the Cordón Caulle rift zone, part of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex, continued at a low level. Plumes observed with the web camera during 8-9 December rose 3.0-3.5 km above the crater and plumes were identified in satellite imagery drifting 90 km SE on 8 December and 250 km ENE on 9 December. Cloud cover prevented web camera and satellite observations during 10-13 December, but ashfall was reported to the E during 10-11 December. The Alert Level remained at Red.

Source: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN)

________________________________________________________

SAKURA-JIMA Kyushu 31.585°N, 130.657°E; summit elev. 1117 m

Based on information from JMA, the Tokyo VAAC reported that during 7-13 December explosions from Sakura-jima produced plumes that rose to altitudes of 1.0-2.7 km (3,000-9,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E, SE, S, and NE. Satellite imagery and a pilot report showed ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l and drifted 46 km SW on 9 December and 37 km S on 13 December.

Source: Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

________________________________________________________

SANTA MARIA Guatemala 14.756°N, 91.552°W; summit elev. 3772 m

INSIVUMEH reported that on 9 December plumes from Santa María’s Santiaguito lava-dome complex rose 300 m above the crater and drifted SW and explosions generated rumbling noises. On 13 December block avalanche activity increased on the S flank and created pyroclastic flows that were deposited into the San Isidro drainage.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)

________________________________________________________

SHIVELUCH Central Kamchatka (Russia) 56.653°N, 161.360°E; summit elev. 3283 m

KVERT reported that moderate seismic activity was detected at Shiveluch during 2-9 December, and satellite imagery showed a daily thermal anomaly over the lava dome. Ground-based observers noted that a viscous lava flow continued to effuse in the crater formed during a 2010 eruption. Moderate fumarolic activity at the lava domewas observed during 3-6 December; clouds prevented observations on the other days of the week. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)

________________________________________________________