Etna’s lava fountain on 24 May 2021 night (image: Alessandro Lo Piccolo / facebook)
Like clockwork, approx. 48 hours after the previous one, Etna produced a 4th paroxysm in a row with near-identical time intervals from the New SE crater last night. It marked the 25th lava-fountaining episode during 2021.
The eruption followed very much the style observed during the previous lava-fountaining episodes: first, from 20:58 local time, strombolian activity resumed at the New SE crater while volcanic tremor began again to rise and its source moved to the area of underneath the New SE crater.
About 1 and a half hour later, activity had increased towards sustained lava fountains from 22:25 on. A tall plume of ash and scoria lapilli drifted ENE. The lava fountain lasted until midnight, when it rapidly ceased. A lava flow was erupted that like during the previous episodes last week traveled to the SW from the New SE crater.
Current tremor signal showing the 4 peaks of the recent paroxysms (image: INGV Catania)
Taal (Luzon, Philippines): The activity of the volcano remains unchanged – seismic unrest and degassing activity continue at elevated levels, indicating that magma is moving and accumulating underneath the surface and might cause new eruptions at any time. On 22 May PHIVOLCS’s surveillance cameras observed increasingly gas-steam plumes rising from the crater lake which rose 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above the Main Crater and drifted southwest. … [read more] … [show less] On 21 May, sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions reached to a 3426 tonnes/day. The Main Crater Lake temperature reached to a 71.8°C with a pH of 1.59 on 4 March caused by volcanic gas reaching the shallow hydrothermal system that feeds into the lake accompanied by degassing.
Lewotolo (Lesser Sunda Islands): Strombolian activity of the volcano continues at sporadic levels. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Darwin (VAAC) reported about yesterday’s volcano eruption at 02:10 local time. An ash plume rose 2,000 ft (600 m) above the summit and drifted east. … [read more] … [show less] The seismic station detected 15 volcano-tectonic earthquakes yesterday. The warning bulletin states that ballistic impacts of volcanic bombs and pyroclastic flows and lahars could affect an area of about 3 km distance from the main crater.
Kilauea (Hawai’i): (24 May) The seismic network of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded a volcano-tectonic earthquake with magnitude M 4.2 at 7,5 km depth beneath the southern flank of the volcano yesterday at 11:41 local time. The earthquake was centered about 15 km (9 miles) south of Volcano, under the Hilina Pali area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Weak to light shaking, with maximum Intensity of IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, has been reported across the Island of Hawai‘i. … [read more] … [show less] According to HVO Scientist-in-Charge Ken Hon, the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kīlauea or Mauna Loa volcanoes. “We see no detectable changes in activity at the summits or along the rift zones of Kīlauea or Mauna Loa as a result of this earthquake. Aftershocks are possible and could be felt.”
Sabancaya (Peru): Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Buenos Aires (VAAC) issued the following report: INTERMITTENT PUFF EMISSION
Nevados de Chillán (Central Chile): Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Buenos Aires 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: SPORADIC PUFF EMISSION to 14000 ft (4300 m)
Nyiragongo (DRCongo): Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Toulouse warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 20000 ft (6100 m) altitude or flight level 200 and is moving at 3 kts in SW direction. The full report is as follows: ERUPTION AT 20210522/1800Z NO SIGNIFICANT ERUPTION DETECTED. to 20000 ft (6100 m) …24 May: While the situation on location remains far from clear, it can be said that the eruption – at least for now – has ended already and that the lava flows have stopped at in the village of Buhene in the outskirts of Goma City. During a press release by government officials last night, 15 fatalities were confirmed as well as more than 170 children missing and 150 who lost contact with their families. The numbers are preliminary and might very well rise, unfortunately. It is worth noting that out of the 15 known fatalities, 9 occurred in traffic accidents while people tried panicky to evacuate threatened areas, and 4 were prisoners trapped in a building built by lava. … [read more] … [show less] On Reuters press material published in an article of BBC, an aerial photo shows a part of the tongue of lava, about 50 m wide and extending several hundred meters has resurfaced and wiped out a part of the inhabited area. Compared to the lava flow in 2002 that destroyed the center of the city, the damage this time has been relatively small, fortunately.
Volcano Activity Summary for 24 May 2021:
Webcam screenshot from strong degassing activity on 22 May (image: PHIVOLCS)
