Volcanic activity worldwide 26 May 2021: Etna volcano, Stromboli, Fuego, Merapi, Dukono, Reventador,…

Map of today’s active volcanoes

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): (26 May) It seems the lava flow from the northeastern vent that had been the result of overflow from the crater after its partial collapse last week is no longer active this morning.

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Shortly after the short lava fountaining phase in the morning, another similar eruptive phase occurred only about 90 minutes later: at around 11:40 local time, activity at the New SE crater again picked up and passed to lava fountaining by noon.
Yet another small lava flow was erupted to the SW. The lava fountaining phase lasted until around 13:30 and activity rapidly decreased as usual. The eruption plume reached 7000 m above sea level according to an activity update of INGV Catania.
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Video of the eruption:


…26 May:
A third, brief phase of lava fountaining occurred this morning between around 9.30-10 am this morning. A dense ash plume drifted eastwards.
This marks the 3rd small paroxysm in a row in less than 24 hours.
…26 May:
After the rather surprising onset of a new intense phase of activity in the late afternoon, the New SE crater produced not only one, but two paroxysms during the night, marking them the 26th and 27th such episodes for 2021 so far.
Likely compensating the suddenly much shorter intervals, the eruptions were significantly weaker, though, when compared with earlier paroxysms observed in Feb-Mar and May this year.
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Last night’s activity reached its peak between around 20:30-21:30 local time, when explosions from the New SE crater merged into lava fountains and the lava flow towards the SW was most strongly fed.
Activity abruptly ceased and volcanic tremor dropped sharply and returned to low levels by 22:30. The volcano remained calm until 02:40 am early this morning. Calm, this is except occasional glow hinting towards that strombolian explosions from Voragine central summit crater still go on as well. Like the other summit vents of Bocca Nova and NE crater, the Voragine seems to act almost completely unaffected by what is happening at the New SE crater.

Suwanose-jima (Ryukyu Islands): (26 May) Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Tokyo (VAAC) issued the following report: EXPLODED AT 20210526/0124Z FL070 STNR OBS VA DTG:26/0120Z

Merapi (Central Java, Indonesia): (26 May) The activity of the volcano remains essentially unchanged characterized by the actively growing lava dome.
Collapsing parts of the dome triggered several small rockfall avalanches that traveled over the southwestern slopes about 1.5 km distance from the summit and lifted ash plumes separating from the avalanches (so-called phoenix clouds).
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Pyroclastic flows – turbulent and hot avalanches of hot lava rocks, ash and volcanic gasses mixed together – are being released from the growing dome.
During yesterday, the volcano observatory counted about 180 earthquakes

Dukono (Halmahera): Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Darwin warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 7000 ft (2100 m) altitude or flight level 070 and is moving at 15 kts in NE direction.
The full report is as follows: VA TO FL070 EXT NE LAST PARTIAL OBS AT 26/0600Z to 7000 ft (2100 m)

Great Sitkin (United States, Aleutian Islands): Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Anchorage (VAAC) issued the following report: VOLCANO ERUPTED AT 0504Z.
…26 May:
A new short-lived (1-2 minutes) explosive eruption started at the volcano at 21:04 local time (05:04 UTC) and the activity is still continuing at the time of this update as confirmed by geophysical data.
Mariner observations suggest an ash plume height of about 15,000 ft (4,600 m) as well as confirmed by Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Anchorage. The plume continues to dissipate towards the east.
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The eruption was preceded by an elevated volcanic-seismic unrest and over the past day.
In addition, an elevated surface temperatures and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions were detected during the past week.

…26 May:
A new short-lived (1-2 minutes) explosive eruption started at the volcano at 21:04 local time (05:04 UTC) and the activity is still continuing at the time of this update as confirmed by geophysical data.
Mariner observations suggest an ash plume height of about 15,000 ft (4,600 m) as well as confirmed by Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Anchorage. The plume continues to dissipate towards the east.
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The eruption was preceded by an elevated volcanic-seismic unrest and over the past day.
In addition, an elevated surface temperatures and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions were detected during the past week.

Fuego (Guatemala): (26 May) Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Washington warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 14000 ft (4300 m) altitude or flight level 140 .
The full report is as follows: OCNL VA EMS OBS IN SUMMIT WEBCAM to 14000 ft (4300 m)

Sangay (Ecuador): Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Washington warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 18000 ft (5500 m) altitude or flight level 180 and is moving at 15 kts in S direction.
The full report is as follows: NEW VA EMS ARND 26/1020Z to 18000 ft (5500 m)

Reventador (Ecuador): Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Washington (VAAC) issued the following report: VA NOT SEEN IN SAT.

Sabancaya (Peru): Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Buenos Aires warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 24000 ft (7300 m) altitude or flight level 240 and is moving at 30 kts in SE direction.
The full report is as follows: INTERMITTENT EMISSIONS to 24000 ft (7300 m)

Nevados de Chillán (Central Chile): Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Buenos Aires (VAAC) issued the following report: UNABLE TO DETECT

Nyiragongo (DRCongo): Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Toulouse (VAAC) issued the following report: ERUPTION AT 20210522/1630Z STRONG SEISMIC ACTIVITY EST VA DTG:26/2100Z
…26 May:
Slowly new details are becoming available about the recent eruption and current activity at the volcano and underground in form of earthquakes that continue to worry both scientists and the local population.
Recent high-resolution INSAR radar images showed that the ground south of the volcano has risen by several centimeters during or since the eruption. The vertical displacement is highest in the area of Goma city, where numerous cracks in the ground have become visible.
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This leads to fears that one possible scenario (not necessarily the most likely) could be the formation of a new dike – or lava-filled fissure – that could open in this area and produce a second, potentially catastrophic flank eruption.
Similar ground cracks were also observed during and shortly after the last flank eruptions in 1977 and 2002, but fortunately did not result in additional eruptions, but are thought to relate to adjustments of the ground after the drainage of significant volumes of magma during both eruptions. It is to be hoped that the same is true this time and that the seismic activity will gradually die down and not be followed by new lava eruptions at low elevations. More research and observations in the following days and weeks will be needed to get a bitter picture.

…26 May:
New post-eruption satellite images of the volcano reveals morphological changes in the volcano’s summit crater. From the latest available imagery (25 May) and compared to the image from 13 May it seems to has partially collapsed.
According to satellite image from Sentinel 1, lava flows that have stopped at in the village of Buhene in the outskirts of Goma City, erupted from Shaheru crater located on the south flank of Nyiragongo volcano.
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GIF animation of partially collapse of the volcano’s summit crater (image: @simoncarn/twitter)

Here’s a look inside the #Nyiragongo #crater (#Sentinel1 VV data; May 13-25). Looks like a substantial intra-crater collapse has occurred. @sentinel_hub @smetsbenoit @CharlesBalagizi pic.twitter.com/tGzJmHlDWN

— Simon Carn (@simoncarn) May 25, 2021

Volcano Activity Summary for 26 May 2021:

View of Stromboli’s Sciara this morning.