December - Volcanoes 2008:  INDONESIA - 2004 tsunami just the beginning of EARTHQUAKE SUPERCYCLE, say scientists. Massive earthquakes in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra are just the beginning. Researchers expect a 30-year cycle of mega-quakes like the one that caused the 2004 tsunami. Scientists studying Sumatran reefs say the coral there have experienced massive die-offs as well as new horizontal growth about every two hundred years. Moreover, these changes happened in fits and starts over phases of about 30 - 100 years. That suggests the area experiences what's called an "earthquake super cycle" for several decades every two centuries. Last year's 8.4 quake off the coast of Sumatra is probably the first quake in a new super cycle, since the last big die-off in the coral reefs took place in 1833. Other quake cycles hit in 1374, 1596, 1675, and 1797.Geophysicist Yehuda Bock co-authored a study published in Nature last week that asserted the recent Sumatra quakes were just the beginning.

WYOMING - Swarm of small quakes hits Yellowstone area. The quakes of magnitude 3.5 and lower have been occurring beneath Yellowstone Lake, five to nine miles south-southeast of Fishing Bridge, a park landmark. The earthquakes that began on Friday and continued on Saturday intensified during the weekend, and there were reports that people in the Yellowstone Lake area felt the quakes. The quakes have been in an area of the park where quake swarms are common. Scientists are closely monitoring more than 250 small earthquakes that have occurred in Yellowstone National Park since Friday. A professor of geophysics at the University of Utah says it's VERY UNUSUAL to have so many over several days. The largest tremor was Saturday and measured magnitude 3.8.

WYOMING- The swarm of small earthquakes in Yellowstone National Park is THE MOST INTENSE MEASURED THERE IN YEARS, leaving scientists puzzled. The region is known for such swarms - 1,000 to 2,000 quakes occur annually in the park. Yellowstone's 10,000 geysers and hot springs, including the Old Faithful Geyser, may be the result of this geologic activity. But the latest shaking is notable for the number of tiny temblors and their intensity, according to a statement Monday from the University of Utah, where scientists monitor seismic activity in Yellowstone. Researchers have long predicted that the Yellowstone supervolcano will eventually erupt again, with devastating consequences for much of the United States. Half the country could be covered in ash up to 3 feet (1 meter) deep, one study predicts. But those same researchers say nothing suggests such an eruption is imminent. Last year researchers reported on unusual slow movement below the surface that is tied to a newfound gradual sinking of the nearby Teton Range. And in 2006, scientists discovered that in the previous decade, the volcano had risen nearly 5 inches. "Could it develop into a bigger fault or something related to hydrothermal activity? We don't know."

RUSSIA - Fears of explosive volcano eruption closes Kamchatka Airport - Predictions that the Koryak Volcano located about 13nm north-north-east of Petropavlosvk-Kamchatsky Airport on the Kamchatka peninsula might burst into an explosive eruption, have closed the Petropavlosvk-Kamchatsky Airport. The Volcano has increased its eruptions in the recent days. Now collapses at the north-western slope of the volcano at a height of about 3100 meters triggered fears the volcano might burst into an explosive eruption. The volcano's last significant eruption was estimated about 3500 year ago, the last minor eruption was in 1957.

 

November - Volcanoes  2008:   ETHIOPIA - A volcano in Ethiopia's northeastern Afar region erupted on Monday, prompting a minor earthquake and RECORD LAVA FLOWS covering 300 square kilometers. The volcano around the Arteale area spewed lava around noon on Monday. The institute said it subsequently monitored a small earthquake on the same site, around the Horn of Africa nation's famed Mount Arteale, the only active volcano in the area. The Arteale range had been largely dormant for the previous six decades, but started to spew molten lava after a series of earthquakes rattled the region in September 2005.

ETHIOPIA - The Dalla Filla volcano in a remote area of northeastern Ethiopia erupted this week, spewing lava over tens of square miles in THE BIGGEST VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN THE COUNTRY'S RECORDED HISTORY. Ethiopian researchers working with scientists in the U.K. first detected the eruption on Nov. 3. Officials have been sent to the Afar region to investigate the explosion, which was of a similar magnitude to eruptions of Mount Etna in Italy in May. "We have NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE OBSERVING ANYTHING LIKE THIS HERE. People heard loud noises and explosions from a distance and saw smoke and felt the ground shake." It's the third eruption in Ethiopia's Afar region since 2005. A number of the world's best-known fossils have been discovered in Afar, including one of the earliest ancestors of man, known as Lucy.

RUSSIA - Shiveluch, Russia's northernmost active volcano is emitting ash to a height of 4000 meters (13000 feet). Shiveluch, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, last erupted in December 2006 and has been active ever since with the volcano spewing out gas and ash up to 8,000 meters (26,000 feet). The local seismological service reported registering nearly 170 tremors within the area in the past 24 hours. According to specialists, the volcanic activity over the past two-three years has significantly altered the contour of the volcano with the crater increasing in size by 50% and the slopes becoming far steeper than previously. The volcanic eruption poses no threat to Kamchatka settlements, although the clouds of volcanic ash are causing problems for air traffic.

ALASKA- The Alaska Volcano Observatory has changed the volcano alert level for Redoubt Volcano to advisory, with an aviation code level of yellow. AVO said it changed the alert level due to changes in gas emission and heat output from the volcano about 82 miles west of Kenai in Lake Clark National Park on the west side of Cook Inlet. The recent changes are different from background activity. "There is no indication that an eruption is imminent or even certain." AVO said it would expect a dramatic increase in seismicity before another explosive eruption. Starting in July, field crews working near the volcano summit smelled hydrogen sulfide gas. In September, a pilot flying nearby also reported smelling hydrogen sulfide. The gas smells might indicate new magma entering chambers under Redoubt. Satellite images taken on Oct. 13 showed increased warming. Observers on flights over Redoubt also reported seeing bare, steaming rock, including a 150-foot wide melt hole on the Drift Glacier.

COLUMBIA - Thousands of people were evacuated Thursday after the Nevado del Huila volcano erupted. Authorities declared a state of red alert and order everyone within the surroundings to immediately leave their homes. Authorities called for the immediate evacuation of La Plata, Paicol, Nátaga and Tesalia, but it's uncertain if the population of the surrounding towns and villages cooperate with authorities. In April this year many people refused to respond to an evacuation call. The eruption took place at 21:45 and immediately made the Colombian seismologist institute to raise the state of alert to its highest level. The eruption caused a mudslide that passed an indigenous settlement alongside the Paez river, but no injuries were reported. Seismic activity seemed to go down again after the initial eruption, but authorities remain cautious. An eruption of the volcano in 1994 - the first in 500 years - resulted in the deaths of more than a thousand indigenous living close to the volcano. 

 

October - Volcanoes 2008:   ALASKA - Redoubt Volcano reported steaming. An over flight last week by the Alaska Volcano Observatory saw increased steaming. Scientists flew to the volcano about 51 miles east of Kenai following reports on Sept. 16 by a pilot of a strong hydrogen sulfide odor and on Sept. 23 by nearby residents of loud noises coming from the volcano. No increased earthquake activity has been measured, and the alert level for Redoubt remains at normal. In the over flight on Sept. 27, scientists reported new fractures and openings in the upper Drift Glacier on the north side of Redoubt. Fumaroles on the 1968 and 1990 domes also were seen to be steaming more vigorously. A distinct hydrogen sulfide odor also was smelled on the over flight, but instruments did not detect sulfur dioxide. Seismic instruments on Redoubt have not shown increased small earthquakes above normal background levels. Redoubt last erupted in 1989-90, causing ash to fall on the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage, and shutting down air traffic. In the months before the 1989-1990 eruption, increased activity in fumaroles and sulfur odors preceded the eruption - but there also was an increase in earthquakes. If the current low-level unrest leads to an eruption, an increase in earthquake activity should be noticed.

ALASKA - Eruption of 3 volcanoes has scientists asking questions - Is there a common thread or were events just coincidence? How likely is it that three neighboring volcanoes would all erupt at the same time - as the Kasatochi, Okmok and Cleveland volcanoes in the Aleutians did this summer? About as likely as a storm that only appears once in a thousand years, says an Anchorage volcanologist. All 40 active volcanoes in the Aleutian Arc - a 1,500-mile-long necklace of volcanic peaks that stretch from Kiska Island in the west to Mount Spurr near Anchorage in the east - owe their existence to the deep, subterranean collision of two tectonic plates. But the plumbing isn't necessarily connected, and the volcanoes don't all go off at once. Each has its own combustion chamber, its own pressure issues, and one volcano under stress may well border another one that's quiet. Since Alaska has so many volcanoes, it's not that unusual to have two that erupt the same year. In fact that's the average. And it's not unheard of to have two volcanoes erupting at the same time, especially since some volcanoes blow off steam and ash for weeks or even months. Having three volcanoes in the 1,500-mile arc erupting all at once, however, is less likely. And it's even more unlikely that three volcanoes would all erupt at the same time within 300 miles of each other, as the three central Aleutian peaks did, more or less, in July and August. That makes it harder to dismiss the triple-eruption as a chance occurrence. So geologists are exploring other explanations. One of them focuses on the fact that all three volcanoes lie within the rupture zone of the 1957 "Great Aleutian Earthquake," a magnitude 8.3 tremor that generated a tsunami that damaged buildings in far-off Hawaii. Because there was so much disruption of earth along the quake's fault line, the ground around it was drastically distorted and compressed.

RUSSIA - A volcanic eruption on the Kamchatka Peninsula sent clouds of smoke and ash into the air above Russia's Far East on Thursday, with scientists warning of dangers to local inhabitants and passing airplanes. The Klyuchevskoy volcano is spewing out rocks, ash and gases. "The luminescence in the volcano's crater is becoming more intensive, which testifies to the appearance of new lava." The eruption will probably last from two or three weeks to six months. Continuous flows of lava running down Klyuchevskoy's slopes could trigger mudslides as the molten rock melts the snow and ice, endangering people living in nearby villages. 

 

September - Volcanoes 2008:   PHILIPPINES - Mayon and Taal volcanoes in Southern Luzon are still tightly watched by state volcanologists as they continue to show signs of restiveness. For the past 24 hours, 10 volcanic earthquakes were detected around Mt. Mayon in Albay. White steam clouds drifting towards west-southwest and crater glow at intensity 1 could be observed. Taal Volcano in Batangas registered three weak volcanic earthquakes over the past 24 hours.

ALASKA - Aleutian volcano makes dramatic topographical changes - When Kasatochi volcano erupted last month, it did more than release massive clouds of ash and sulfur – it remade the face of the island.

HAWAII - A lava lake is bubbling under the surface of Kilauea volcano's summit. Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Hawaii's Big Island discovered the lake Friday during a routine flyby over the summit’s active Halemaumau crater vent. It was the first time they had seen such activity at the vent since it opened up with an eruption on March 19. The sloshing 160-foot diameter lava lake is about 330 feet below the rim of the vent. HVO scientists have long speculated that magma was bubbling just below the surface of the vent, but were unable to visually confirm this until the helicopter flyby. Scientists say that the volume of material ejected in Tuesday’s explosion and the vent’s unusually bright incandescence on recent nights are consistent with lava ponding just below the surface of the vent.

COLUMBIA - Volcano Nevado Del Huila - Residents have been urged to abandon their homes in a scattering of towns in the western departments of Cauca and Huila as officials put a yellow alert in effect in expectation of the eruption of Volcano Nevado del Huila. As many as 108 seismic events are occurring daily, up from between 80 and 89 in the last week of August. In the last eight days, 761 seismic events have been registered, including 197 relating to fluid dynamics inside volcanoes, and the most powerful have registered up to 4.6 on the Ritcher scale.

Saturday, 13 September 2008 Sky watchers also have seen rings of light around sun and moon By Andrea Thompson Senior WriterLiveScience Reports of unusually fiery orange sunsets on Earth and ruby red rings around the planet Venus have popped up on the Internet in the last week. Some sky watchers suspect that are being colored by the dust and gases injected into the atmosphere by the Aug. 7 eruption of Alaska's Kasatochi volcano. The sky watchers are probably right. Kasatochi, part of the Aleutian Island... Kasatochi, part of the Aleutian Island chain, sent an ash plume more than 35,000 feet into the sky.

REUNION - A volcano on France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion started erupting on Sunday, forcing authorities to raise the alert for a possible emergency. "A light lava flow escaped from one crack located about mid-way on the slope of the crater" of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano. "A small lake of lava formed at the bottom of the crater and at this stage does not appear to pose any danger." However, access to the volcanic site has been banned. The Volcano Observatory on the island registered a movement of lava and release of sulfur dioxide-laden gas mid-afternoon on Sunday. The eruption is the first since the violent awakening in April 2007 which was dubbed the "eruption of the century."  

 

August - Volcanoes 2008:   ALASKA KASATOCHI VOLCANO near Atka, on the Aleutian chain, erupted Thursday afternoon. Kasatochi is a young volcano with no known historical eruptions, though it is covered in relatively young volcanic debris. The Alaska Volcano Observatory does not have any scientific instruments on the volcano and relies on seismic data from nearby islands. [There has been an ongoing large cluster of moderate and small quakes in the Aleutian Islands near Atka and Adak since Wednesday, including a 5.8 near Adak yesterday. In early May, the nearby island of Adak was hit by three tremors with a magnitude greater than 6 over a two week period. They were followed by hundreds of smaller aftershocks.

PHILIPPINES- Almost two years after its major eruption, Mayon Volcano spewed ash again Sunday morning reaching about 200 meters above the crater before drifting east-northeast. The ash-ejection was recorded by seismic sensors around the volcano as an explosion-type earthquake, which lasted for one minute. Thick clouds covering the volcano’s summit at that time hindered visual observation of the phreatic explosion, which occurred at 9:12 a.m. Sunday. “Seismic activity during the past weeks had slightly increased as well as crater glow which had slightly intensified...observations show that Mayon Volcano is undergoing an episode of increased activity probably related to magma movement towards the crater or a post eruptive behavior of the volcano."

INDONESIA- Mt Anak Krakatau in the Sunda strait had 120 eruptions and quakes throughout Monday, prompting the Volcanological and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centger to declare the volcano and its surroundings in level-2 alert status. "Even now the volcano is still spewing red-hot lava and thick smoke."

COLUMBIA - A volcano erupted twice Tuesday in a rural area of the Canalete municipality in the northern coastal department of Córdoba. No injuries were reported, but several paths and pastures were damaged. Residents of the zone are being evacuated to protect them from further eruptions. The volcano, Lalorenza, has been inactive for the last five years.

 

July - Volcanoes 2008:   CHILE – The government has declared a red alert around the Llaima volcano on Friday, July 4, just days after it spewed lava down one of its sides. Llaima's renewed activity, which on Thursday was quite significant, comes after the Chaiten volcano, 760 miles south of Santiago, started erupting on May 2 for the first time in thousands of years, spewing out ash, gas and molten rock.

CHILE - Llaima volcano, one of the most active in South America, spewed pyroclastic rock 1300 feet into night skies early on Thursday, July 10. At approximately 4 AM, the Llaima volcano began displaying new, intense activity with a series of explosions occurring inside the mountain’s main crater and lava flows being observed in two areas on the western slope of the peak. This reactivation is the most significant episode since January 1st of this year, when the volcano registered intermittent explosions throughout the night and an emergency plan was activated in the four adjoining municipalities of Vilcún, Culco, Melipeuco and Curacuatín. The volcanic activity at the peak began with renewed intensity Thursday after a noticeable reduction had been observed over the previous 48 hours. Three lava flows can be seen on the mountain heading towards the Calbuco River area, which is under constant observation.Chile's chain of around 2,000 volcanoes is the world's second-largest after Indonesia's. At least 50 volcanoes are recorded to have erupted, while a total of 500 are deemed potentially active.

NICARAGUA- San Cristobal volcano rumbled with a series of small explosions on Friday and spewed gases and ash that reached a small town in the northwest of the country, but authorities said no one was hurt. San Cristobal is Nicaragua's highest volcano and one of eight active volcanoes in the small Central American nation. The volcano produced a series of tremors in recent weeks but it does not pose an immediate risk to communities living in surrounding areas.

ALASKA - A volcano erupted Saturday with little warning on a remote island in Alaska, sending residents of a nearby ranch fleeing from falling ash and volcanic rock. The Okmok Caldera erupted late Saturday morning; just hours after seismologists at the Alaska Volcano Center began detecting a series of small tremors. The explosion flung an ash cloud at least 50,000 feet high.

SEA DIE-OUT BLAMED ON VOLCANOES - Undersea volcanic activity has been blamed for a mass extinction in the seas 93 million years ago. In the so-called "anoxic event" of the late Cretaceous Period, the ocean depths became starved of oxygen, wiping out swathes of marine organisms. At the time of the anoxic event, the average temperature was nearly twice that of today. Palm trees grew in what would later become Alaska and large reptiles roamed northern Canada. The Arctic Ocean was ice-free and scientists think it would have had a temperature we might describe today as lukewarm. After the extinction, levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere dropped and Earth lurched into a sudden, but short-lived, period of cooling. Geologists have pondered for years as to the cause of this extraordinary event. The answer to the cataclysm lies in volcanic eruptions which took place on the ocean floor. One possibility is that the volcanoes spewed out metal-rich fluids that seeded the upper level of the ocean with micronutrients. Tiny life forms on the sea surface, called phytoplankton, gorged on the food, and storing up carbon as they grew. They then sank to the sea floor and decayed, stripping the ocean of oxygen. The other possibility is that the volcanoes disgorged clouds of CO2 to the atmosphere, warming the climate to the extent that Earth's ocean circulation system ground to a near-halt. Beyond the surface layers, water was no longer turned over and anoxia (lack of oxygen) was the result.

ALASKA- Okmok Volcano in Alaska continues to produce explosions and ash plumes through a newly created vent and poses hazards to air travel in the area. The gas cloud from the eruption is now over Montana. Human visual observations are limited because airborne ash obscures a view of what is happening inside the volcano's 6-mile-diameter caldera and the area is too hazardous to enter. "We are dealing with a scientific challenge because the volcano went from very quiet to a large eruption, putting ash to high altitudes with almost no warning." The powerful eruption in the Eastern Aleutian Islands began unexpectedly on July 12, sending up a wet, ash and gas-rich plume that reached an altitude of 50,000 ft above sea level. Heavy ash fall occurred on eastern Umnak Island. A dusting of ash fell in the busy fishing community of Unalaska, 65 miles northeast of Okmok volcano. The ash plume soon spanned several hundred miles across the North Pacific, causing many trans-Pacific flights to be diverted and cancellation of flights to the Dutch Harbor airport. The eruption also destroyed or damaged seismic and deformation sensing equipment at two monitoring stations. A third station has lost its communication pathway due to destruction at the other two. Seven seismic stations are still operational and seismicity has gradually decreased in intensity since the initial eruption. At a minimum, activity at Okmok is likely to continue for days or weeks. Strong gas-driven explosions can produce rock ballistics or larger volcanic debris that can be hurled beyond the crater rim of the volcanic caldera, potentially landing in surrounding areas several miles away. Fast moving clouds of ash, larger debris, and hot gas can form and flow across the caldera floor, rise up over the caldera wall and continue to flow down Okmok's flanks. Rain mixed with ash could create mudflows and rapid flooding along island drainages. The Okmok caldera formed during catastrophic eruptions 12,000 and 2,000 years ago.

 

June - Volcanoes 2008:  JAPAN - Hot gas plumes detected at Mt. Kurikoma - The plumes were found near Hanayama in Kurihara, close to the border between Akita and Miyagi prefectures, and near Yu no Hama hot-spring spa. One of the plumes was spotted by Self-Defense Forces personnel Monday morning when they were searching for missing people at the site of a landslide where three vehicles are thought to have been buried. Aerial inspection from a helicopter showed that the plumes were rising from several spots. The plumes might be volcanic gases rising to the Earth's surface. "There's a possibility that volcanic gases that had been confined below ground are gushing out through fissures in the mountain created by the earthquake." It was also possible that the plumes were steam coming from underground hot water channels that had their course diverted by the earthquake. But they ruled out the possibility of increased volcanic activity on Mt. Kurikoma, saying that the plumes were very far from the summit of the volcano.

NEW ZEALAND - White Island still rattled after quake - Vulcanologists are continuing to keep a close eye on White Island. Two or three hundred aftershocks continue to rattle it after a 5.4 magnitude earthquake centered just 10 kilometers south-west of the volcano on Friday. GNS Science is warning people to stay off the island for another day or so. The aftershocks may have made it a bit touchy, and it is best to err on the side of caution. Some of the aftershocks have been as strong as magnitude four, and have been felt in the Bay of Plenty.

FIJI - scientists have discovered two mineral-rich, active volcanoes more than a kilometer under the sea near Fiji, with mining companies already lining up to try to exploit the sites. Measuring 50 kilometers wide by almost 4,000 meters tall, the volcanoes are bubbling away at 1,100 meters and 1,500 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, in an area known as the North Lau Basin, between Tonga, Fiji and Samoa. They are within the Pacific rim of fire, an area of high earthquake activity, and are spewing into the sea black smoke containing precious minerals. The volcanoes are quite remarkable - "Some of the features look like the volcanic blisters seen on the surface of Venus."

Two new columns of smoke erupted from the Chaiten volcano after activity had calmed since late May. The Chaiten volcano, located some 760 miles south of the capital Santiago, started erupting on May 2 for the first time in thousands of years, spewing ash, gas, and molten rock.

North Pole- In a series of different expeditions on the Arctic Seafloor, there have been a number of volcano spots located that are actively spewing red-hot lava out of the seafloor. Jun 26, 2008.

ARCTIC - Researchers from an expedition to the Gakkel Ridge discovered, with a specially developed camera, extensive layers of volcanic ash on the seafloor, which indicates a gigantic volcanic eruption. "Explosive volcanic eruptions on land are nothing unusual and pose a great threat for whole areas. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and buried thriving Pompeii under a layer of ash and pumice. Far away in the Arctic Ocean, at 85° N 85° E, a similarly violent volcanic eruption happened almost undetected in 1999 - in this case, however, under a water layer of 4,000 m thickness." Previously researchers had assumed that explosive volcanism cannot happen in water depths exceeding 3 kilometers because of high ambient pressure. "These are the first pyroclastic deposits we've ever found in such deep water, at oppressive pressures that inhibit the formation of steam, and many people thought this was not possible." The Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean spreads so slowly at 6-14 mm/year, that current theories considered volcanism unlikely - until a series of 300 strong earthquakes over a period of eight months indicated the eruption. It was the largest swarm of earthquakes ever to occur along the planet’s system of mid-ocean ridges. 

 

May - Volcanoes 2008:    Two of nature’s most spectacular forces produced an incredible brew in the skies of Chile as a volcanic eruption met a lightning storm. Tones of dust and ash from the eruption of the Chaitén volcano poured into the night sky just as an electric storm passed overhead. The resulting collision created a spectacular sight as lightning flickered around the dust cloud amid the orange glow of the volcano. The eruption was all the more spectacular because the Chaitén volcano, 800 miles (1,290km) south of Santiago, has been dormant for hundreds — if not thousands — of years. The Patagonian volcano began erupting on Friday and the 12-mile-high plume has left vast tracts of land coated with a layer of ash.

India - The oozing of a lava-like substance from the earth created panic among villagers in Murti and surrounding areas of Baramati in Maharashtra Tuesday and the police cordoned the area off and then sent the liquid's samples for analysis. A hot jet of the molten substance was thrown out of the earth's bowels Sunday night. Though the substance has stopped oozing out since early Tuesday morning, it has turned into a semi-solid brackish rock-like formation spread over more than 30 square feet. The police also sent a message to the state geological department to investigate the substance. "We have sent samples of the material to the geological department and we will decide what to do after we get results of the tests." The material was coming out near an electric pole. "Since nothing has happened to the pole, it might not be lava, but we will wait for analysis results." The incident coincided with the reports of the killer earthquake in China and led to a widespread apprehension in the area.

Continuous eruptions are occurring at Chaitén volcano in Chile. The airfield at Chaitén town has been covered by ash and water, and is currently not able to be used. Ash and pumice is floating northwards along the Chile coast. The bay near Chaitén contains run-off from rivers with a milky-green color. A large amount of sediment has blocked river channels, and lahars will continue to overflow river edges. Over the past two days there has been a marked change in seismic activity at the volcano. Earthquake swarms indicate fracturing of the main conduit, and possible ascent of magma towards the surface. Increasing pressure from magma is creating a potential explosion hazard, and collapse of the dome, generating pyroclastic flows.

Semeru Volcano in Indonesia was upgraded to level 3 alert (out of a maximum 4). During the period 15-19 May there were 432 explosion earthquakes and 6 pyroclastic flows at the volcano.

Burma (Myanmar) - A mud volcano erupted on an island in Manaung Township in Arakan twice on the night of Sunday, May 25, but there are no reports on any damaged caused by the eruption. The volcano, situated on Nantha Kyunt Island along the Arakan Coast, erupted first at 12:30 am and a second time at 4 am. Molten lava spewed from the mouth of the volcano, reaching estimated heights of 120 feet into the sky. After the lava erupted, the area surrounding the volcano was inundated with mud that came from the volcano.

Montserrat - Volcanologists noticed signs of increased activity at the Soufriere Hills volcano, and at about 7.20 a.m. on May 20, the lava dome that had been growing from the main peak collapsed, triggering a pyroclastic flow to the east and emitting a big cloud of ash. Regularly scheduled flights to airports in the vicinity had been cancelled or diverted because of the huge ash cloud above the central Leeward Islands. The rear window of one resident's car was shattered by a rock ejected during the eruption. Nearly eleven years ago, Montserrat’s long-dormant Soufriere Hills Volcano began erupting for the first time in the island's recorded history. A series of pyroclastic flows and sometimes violent eruptions of ash and gases covered much of the southern part of Montserrat, including the capital, Plymouth, rendering it uninhabitable. The volcano is still very much active, though in recent years it's been relatively quiet, with small ash eruptions and pyroclastic flows every six or nine months.

Galapagos Islands - A volcano in the Galapagos Islands spewed molten lava, threatening 100-year-old giant tortoises. Officials say they may have to airlift the tortoises away from the volcano. The Cerro Azul Mountain started erupting on Thursday after 10 years of inactivity. In the last eruption in 1998, several rare tortoises were burned by lava flows.

 

April - Volcanoes 2008:  Warmer World Could Be A More Explosive One -  Much of the focus on global warming is always directed towards the obvious; food, water levels, animals. What makes the whole subject even more interesting though are the unexpected consequences of a warming planet. And if new research is to be believed, global warming may have an impact on volcanic eruptions.  According to Carolina Pagli of the University of Leeds, UK, and Freysteinn Sigmundsson of the University of Iceland, Vatnajökull – the largest ice cap in Iceland – is disappearing at a rate of 5 cubic kilometers per year. Together, the two have calculated the effects that this will have on the crust and magma underneath. Naturally, when ice disappears, the added weight it forced upon the crust below it disappears as well. As a result, according to Pagli and Sigmundsson, this is increasing the rate at which the rocks under the ice sheet melt in to magma. The melt to magma rate was found to be 0.014 km3/yr, which equated to a century average of 1.4 cubic kilometers produced since 1890; a 10% increase on the background rate. Iceland is home to several active volcanoes that exist underneath the ice, including Gjàlp, home of the last big eruption in 1996, and 58 years earlier in 1938. But according to Pagli and Sigmundsson the extra magma produced over the past century and more could reduce that time down to a gap of 30 years between each eruption.  Vatnajökull is somewhat unique in terms of its location, and is not necessarily an indicator for the rest of the world. Vatnajökull sits atop a boundary between tectonic plates, and as a result allows the release in pressure to have a much greater effect deep within the mantle. But the thinning of ice over volcanic areas will have another effect, one which is more widespread. As the amount of weight on top of the crust diminishes – or at the very least changes – subsequent geological stresses will also change and increase the chance of eruptions. “Under the ice’s weight, the crust bends and as you melt the ice the crust will bounce up again,” explains Bill McGuire of University College London in the UK, who was not involved in the study.

Giant Underwater Volcano Discovered in Iceland: Volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson from the University of Iceland and a team of scientists recently discovered a giant volcano off Reykjanes peninsula, southwest Iceland, almost as as large as the peninsula itself, and expect it to erupt at any time.  In the center of the volcano there is a caldera measuring ten kilometers in diameter.  “People shouldn’t be surprised if there would be an extensive volcanic eruption underwater there soon. Nothing has happened for hundreds of years and it is in fact only a matter of time before there will be an eruption,” Höskuldsson told DV.  Since the volcano is at a depth of 1,500 meters eruptions would not have any effect on Iceland, except perhaps causing earthquakes.  The volcano’s discovery is considered significant because geographers believed it couldn’t exist in that area. “Such large volcanoes are not located on oceanic ridges. They are always drifting apart and that prevents a volcano from being created. This is why the volcano’s existence came as a surprise,” Höskuldsson said.  In summer, Höskuldsson and his team will present the conclusions of their studies at the annual conference of the International Association of Volcanologists, which will be held in Iceland. Nine hundred people have already registered for the conference.  In summer 2009 they plan use a small submarine to undertake more detailed research of the underwater volcano.  

INDONESIA - Mount Ibu in the eastern Indonesian province of North Maluku spewed thick smoke up to 500 meters into the sky in the past few days. "Earthquakes continue to occur at and around the volcano. On average there are 40 earthquakes per day." The volcanic activity is not considered dangerous and no residents have evacuated. There are 6 villages located on the volcano's slope. Mount Ibu began showing signs of increased activity in mid-March.

COLUMBIA - Nevado del Huila volcano has erupted in a shower of hot ash, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people and declare a state of alert. There were no reports of damage or injuries. The volcano, about 180 miles southwest of Bogota in the northern Andes, erupted at 11:08 p.m. Monday (0008 Eastern Tuesday). Authorities were unable to estimate the size of the eruption. The eruption amounted to a "Level Red" - the most severe designation for volcanoes - but darkness made it difficult to gauge precisely what had happened. The volcano was expelling ash. "Other types of material could come, like lava, but we don't at the moment know the exact situation." Between 13,000 and 15,000 people who live near the volcano were being evacuated. Authorities warned of possible avalanches and urged local officials to monitor the volume of rivers near the volcano. The volcano stood silent for more than 400 years, releasing only columns of steam, until an eruption last year which caused damaging mud flows.

INDONESIA - MOUNT EGON - Hundreds of Indonesians have fled their homes after a volcano erupted spewing ash and smoke thousands of meters into the air. Breathing masks and clean water have been rushed to the eastern island of Flores where Mount Egon erupted late yesterday. 600 people from a village near the crater have been evacuated. "There are more than 23,000 people in three subdistricts within the danger zone. Initial contacts with the heads of the subdistricts said that many people panicked yesterday evening because the eruption was preceded by earthquakes. But there are no figures available yet (on numbers of evacuated)." Authorities were thrown into confusion by the eruption, which came about 10.15pm. Magma coming into contact with water triggered the eruption.

INDONESIA - MOUNT PAPANDAYAN - authorities raised the alert level on the volcano near the country's third largest city. "Since April 16, we have upgraded the alert level of (Mount) Papandayan to 'vigilance' (level two)," a statement on the Volcanology office's website said. The alert level for the mountain, near the city of Bandung, is now two rungs below that for an impending eruption. Bandung city has a population of three million, while the greater Bandung area is home to about 4.5 million. The mountain had not shown visual signs of activity but measuring equipment indicated an increased frequency of shallow volcanic quakes. Magma in the crater was also increasing steadily. Authorities are monitoring a possible formation of dikes following the collapse of the river banks in the upper reaches near the crater, which is a potential source of flash floods like those which occurred in 2002. Besides Mt Papandayan, 13 other mountains are also currently being intensively monitored. Mt. Egon (alert/ level III) currently has the highest alert level of the 13. Other mountains with an alert status (level II) are Gunung Anak Papandayan, Lokon, Talang, Kelud, Soputan, Karangetang, Kerinci, Gamkonora, Semeru, Duukono, Ibu and Gunung Bromo. 

 

March - Volcanoes 2008:  NEW GUINEA - Thermal activity at the Bagiai cone on Karkar Island in Madang is still continuing and is a concern. Thermal activity from within the cone has caused the vegetation to die and turn brown. Withered and dry vegetation could be observed at Bagiai’s flanks. In the meantime, seismic activity in the form of volcanic earthquakes is continuing, but at low levels. Three portable seismic recorders were deployed close to the summit area on the outer caldera, 3.5 km from Bagiai. They recorded 15-20 volcanic earthquakes per day. “Generally, the seismic activity is at a low level and our team on the ground is keeping an eye on it."

INDONESIA - The Indonesian Energy and Mineral Source Ministry and the United States Geological Survey have agreed to establish cooperation in natural disaster monitoring, analysis, early warning and mitigation of volcanoes in North Sulawesi. Indonesia has the largest number of volcanoes in the world, namely 129 volcanoes, and 80 of them have the potential to erupt and cause disaster. Around 3.3 million people live around active volcano areas which could endanger their lives In North Sulawesi Province, about 460,000 people live and perform their activities in areas within a radius of 10 km from volcano`s eruption points. 11 volcanoes in North Sulawesi will be closely monitored. The volcanoes include: Mt. Ambang, Mt. Lokon, Mt. Tangkoko, and Mt. Klabat on northern Sulawesi Island, and Mt. Awu, Mt. Karangetang, Mt. Ruang, Mt. Submarine, and Mt. Banua Wuhu on Sangihe Talaud Islands.

HAWAII - In the 96-year-history of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, geologists have NEVER SEEN ANYTHING EXACTLY LIKE WHAT APPEARED IN THE VENT that broke open in Halemaumau Crater last week: sulfur that glows in the dark. Scientists plowed through old records of sulphur vents (solfataras) at Kilauea going back to the founding of the observatory in 1912. If previous observers ever saw them glow, they did not mention it. What does it mean? Not an eruption. The right signs are not there. But beyond that, the scientists just are not sure. Instruments are recording tremors, jiggling of the ground, but it is disorderly. An eruption would show harmonic tremors. That is the orderly "sound" of lava moving through a tube.

Ancient Global Dimming Linked to Volcanic Eruption - A "dry fog" that muted the sun's rays in A.D. 536 and plunged half the world into a famine-inducing chill was triggered by the eruption of a supervolcano, a new study says. The cause of the sixth-century global dimming has long been a matter of debate, but a team of international researchers recently discovered acidic sulphate molecules, which are signs of an eruption, in Greenland ice. This is the first physical evidence for the A.D. 536 event, which according to ancient texts from Mesoamerica, Europe, and Asia brought on a cold darkness that withered crops, sparked wars, and helped spread pestilence. The team suspects the eruption occurred near the Equator, since its ash fell on both ends of the globe. The Greenland evidence is also consistent with tree-ring data from around the Northern Hemisphere that show reduced growth rates lasting more than a decade starting in A.D. 536. Curiously, the eruption's cooling effect did not extend to the southern hemisphere. Together, the tree-ring and acid evidence suggest the sixth-century eruption was even bigger than Indonesia's Mount Tambora eruption of 1815, which also dimmed the sun. According to written records, the dry fog lingered for just over a year — leaving an indelible mark on human history. Chinese historians recorded famine events and summer frosts for years after the event. If a similar volcanic eruption were to occur today, the effects could be just as devastating, experts say. The reduced sunlight and ashfall would affect agriculture worldwide, and the thick veil of dust and ash could cripple transportation and communication systems. "Most aircraft cannot fly in [volcanic] dust clouds. And these dust clouds have a large electrostatic potential that disrupts radio communication."

Geologists have been analyzing the steam and gas plume that’s been gushing from Halemaumau crater at the summit of Kilauea since March 11th. They've found something they didn’t expect: the H2O in their test tubes is not from ground water. It's been released from the molten subterranean magma itself. They’re calling it “juvenile water,” and its NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET. 
RUSSIA- Volcanoes of Kamchatka Awake - Koryaksky and Avachinsky volcanoes, located 25 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka, have become more active. Specialists of the Geophysical Service detected the highest activity on March 25. Over 60 separate seismic shocks were registered by the devices in the volcanic area. Visual observation is complicated in view of weather conditions. A veil of clouds hides tops of the volcanoes. The last eruption of a volcano from the group of the Kamchatka “home” volcanoes – Avachinsky – occurred in 1991. As all three volcanoes are seen within a distance of 100 km, the eruption could be seen by dwellers of Petropavlovsk and closely located towns.

NEW ZEALAND - volcano erupting - under water. You wouldn't know it but a large volcano eruption is taking place in New Zealand. It's not visible because Monowai is completely underwater - north of the Kermadec Islands, and is about 1500 meters deep. Its conical cone reaches to just 120 meters below the surface of the Pacific. They recorded a "big acoustic event on February 8". It was strong "but not a monster". Monowai is in an eruptive phase but it is difficult to say whether the event was a strong eruption. Monowai has erupted regularly over the years. In May 2002 the volcano itself collapsed creating an "explosive interaction and cooling of hot magma and volcaniclastic rubble with ambient seawater". Monowai is similar to Mount St Helen's in the United States which collapsed and then rebuilt itself over time. The latest activity has gone unnoticed on the surface as its location is off the main shipping routes. In previous years Royal New Zealand Air Force over flights have spotted large sulphur slicks. What was thought to be a shoal of fish was first reported in the area in 1944 but it was not until 1977 that it was recognized as a volcano.

 

February - Volcanoes 2008:   ECUADOR - Tungurahua volcano shot columns of ash miles into the air as officials ordered 3,000 villagers living near its slopes to evacuate. A state of emergency already in place will be extended for 60 days. Experts at the Geophysics Institute warned that the intense activity shows no sign of slowing down, and compared it to the massive 2006 Tungurahua eruptions that buried entire villages. "The volcano has entered a new explosive eruption cycle, a process which does not seem to be slowing down." Ash billowing from Tungurahua has already covered thousands of acres of farmland, destroying property, crops and livestock.

ALASKA - Cleveland Volcano on the Aleutian arc began erupting Friday evening, spewing a plume of ash about 20,000 feet high. Short-lived explosions of ash exceeding 20,000 feet could occur without warning, the Alaska Volcano Observatory said. The observatory has upgraded the alert and aviation levels to their second-highest ratings, indicating the volcano poses a limited threat to aviation and nearby communities. Clouds in the area have prevented the observatory from determining whether the plume has separated from the volcano. There is no real-time seismic equipment in the area. The volcano has been fairly active in recent years, with one eruption in 2007 and four in 2006.

HAWAII - The Kilauea eruption is creating a hazard on state land, forcing its closure to visitors. The public will be banned from the current site of the Kilauea eruption on state land next to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park until July 25, 2009. The board voted to keep the Kahaualea Natural Area Reserve closed because of safety concerns over flowing lava and toxic fumes generated by the eruption. At this time, "there is no clear trend to suggest that the magma supply is decreasing significantly." The lava flows erupting near the vents are full of gas and form pahoehoe flows that are treacherous to walk on and can lead to deep cuts on the legs and arms or broken ankles if one falls. Because there are two active vents, it is difficult to predict the direction of the lava flow from one day to the next. Officials also said downwind exposure from sulfur dioxide fumes can be hazardous, especially for those with breathing problems.

HAWAII - Sulphur dioxide emissions at the summit of Kilauea volcano were more than more than 1,000 tons/day yesterday. This is the SECOND HIGHEST EMISSION RATE SINCE REGULAR MEASUREMENTS WERE STARTED IN 1979 at Kilauea summit. The National Park Service has closed all pullouts and parking areas in the south caldera due to hazardous gas emissions. Seismic tremor levels are elevated at Kilauea summit. Two small earthquakes were located beneath the summit area and on south flank faults.

MEXICO- Popocatepetl volcano in central Mexico was very active Thursday and three times spewed ash into the air in 3- kilometer-high columns. The volcano, which can be seen from Mexico City, had 44 bouts of low to moderate activity between midday Wednesday and Thursday morning. Some of the events also involved minor tremors. After each bout "the volcano's activity returned to the previous level." Despite recent activity, the authorities kept the security ring around the volcano at its usual distance of 12 kilometers.

CHILE - Llaima, one of South America's most active volcanoes, belched ash and a nearly mile-long river of lava crept down its slopes on Wednesday as geologists warned activity could intensify. Columns of ash and smoke rose from the crater, some of them as high as 16,400 feet (5,000 meters) above the volcano. Llaima's volcanic activity in the past month has drawn some tourists, but it is mostly making nearby residents nervous and scaring away vacationers.

PHILIPPINES - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in Canlaon City has monitored the INCREASING ABNORMALITY of Kanlaon volcano. Three volcanic quakes were recorded within 24 hours. Continuous eruption of clouds and fogs were also monitored. Contrary to reports that Philvolcs has lifted the alert status on Kanlaon volcano as its activity has returned to normal, it's slightly elevated unrest could possibly lead to steam ash ejections. There is still no recommendation for possible evacuation of residents outside the four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone.

MICRONESIA - residents are complaining of a foul smell in the air with hazy skies throughout Thursday evening. The conditions are being caused by low concentrations of sulfur gas as a result of a gas and steam plume being emitted by the Anatahan volcano, affecting most of the Micronesia region. Northerly wind gusts have carried the smell and haze to Guam and the Marianas. A Volcanic Haze and Sulfur Advisory has been issued for Saipan and Tinian; Rota and Guam are not impacted so severely as to call for an advisory at this time. The smell is projected to persist until sometime this afternoon.

 

January - Volcanoes 2008:  PAPUA NEW GUINEA- BAGIAI - The Rabaul Volcano Observatory is preparing to send two of its seismologists to monitor the increased activity at the Bagiai cone on Karkar Island in Madang. The Bagiai cone, situated in the inner caldera, continues to release thin to moderate white vapor. The white vapor is visible from the mainland. Communities in the vicinity have been hearing occasional roaring noises associated with gas emission. Three portable seismic recorders deployed on the northwest, southwest and east of the island for three days indicated increase in thermal activity. Results also indicated a total of 30 high frequency earthquakes recorded during the three days. High frequency earthquakes were occurring as a result of rock-breaking due to movement of magma beneath the volcano. The overall seismicity on the island is still at low level. Vegetation on the south-east flank has withered completely. The last eruption at Karkar was in 1979.

Yellowstone Super-Volcano Hit with 3.7 Quake:  Yellowstone National Park - A magnitude 3.7 earthquake was recorded in northwestern Yellowstone National Park Wednesday. The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology says there were no immediate reports of damage.

Villagers Flee As Major Eruption Begins: Updated: 08:50, Thursday January 10, 2008; Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano has begun erupting and is poised for a major explosion, a volcanologist has said. The 16,575-foot volcano, 80 miles southeast of the capital Quito, has started to send shafts of molten lava into the sky after a fortnight of spitting ash. Patricia Mothes, a US expert on volcanoes, said Tungurahua "is preparing to generate, in days or weeks, a great eruption." she said that could mean pyroclastic flows -- blasts of volcanic material "that descend at high speeds and burn everything in their way."

INDONESIA - Mt. Kelud is demonstrating a new natural phenomenon in its history. On Nov. 2, 2007, at around 16:00 hours, countless shallow and deep volcanic tremors occurred. Over 500 quakes have been recorded since the volcano was placed on full alert status on Oct. 16, 2007. As the hours passed, Kelud's summit remained relatively calm. On Nov. 29, the volcano's alert status was lowered again. "No other volcano in Indonesia has ever 'survived' such (a series of) quakes. Mt. Kelud should have exploded." Mt. Kelud has erupted 30 times since 1311, the latest taking place in 1990. The volcano is now in the phase of developing a lava dome. The dome has continued to expand at 8 square meters per second, and now measures 130 meters in diameter, with an area of 700,000 sq m. At present, the lake is 38 m deep with a water volume of 2.5 million cubic meters. Once, the lake was reportedly more than 600 m deep with a capacity of 40 million cu m. Kelud's new dome and recent emissions with accompanying tremors and smoke pillar - up to 120 m high - should be taken with extreme caution, as they could be signs of a devastating explosion like that in 1919. "In theory, this volcano is on the verge of erupting. The higher and more massive the dome, the greater its blast impact."

BURMA- a mud volcano, known as Sai Chung volcano, located on the Sai Chung Island east of Kyawk Phyu town in the Arakan state of western Burma erupted on Saturday, January 5th, at about 11:45 a.m (local time) sending rocks, tongues of fire, lava and smoke up into the air and prompting residents to flee their homes. "Till today the lava is still overflowing. And fearing that there might be more eruption, local villagers are fleeing from the village. Many fled to Sai Kathein, and Sittaw villages and some even fled up to Kyawk Phyu town." There were no human casualties. The eruption of the mud-volcano sent fire flashes, ashes, and lava up to 300 meters into the air. The whole mountain is covered with lava and ashes.

WASHINGTON - Small quake reported at Mount St. Helens - Steam seeping from a fracture atop the lava dome in Mount St. Helens' crater and the mountain's first noteworthy seismic activity since 2004 have caught scientists' attention this week as signs that something is moving inside it. While the likelihood of a major eruption seemed low, scientists have quit venturing into the volcano's crater and are checking the monitoring equipment along St. Helens' flanks. "We're just being cautious. It's not that we're anticipating any activity." A magnitude-2.9 earthquake was followed by a small tremor that lasted nearly an hour and a half, an UNUSUALLY long period, punctuated by a second quake of magnitude 2.7 — all in the same period in which the steam was visible. Tiltmeters also registered alternate ground swelling and deflation near the lava dome, which has been growing in the crater since fall 2004. All are typical signs that magma, superheated gases or both are moving through conduits beneath St. Helens The precise cause of the recent activity was not entirely clear. "The settling of the growing lava dome might have caused some fracturing and might have changed the subsurface openings so that water was either being squeezed out of openings or opening new areas." The last noteworthy tremor at the volcano lasted 55 minutes on Oct. 2, 2004, and was much more powerful.

YEMEN- JABAL AL-TAIR - The Environmental Emergencies Department at Yemen’s Ministry of Water has warned that the volcano on Jabal al-Tair, a tiny island in the Red Sea close to the Yemeni coast, might cause environmental damage to nearby areas. The warning comes after continuous volcanic eruptions on the island since December 2007. Emissions - mainly sulphur dioxide 2 (SO2) and 3 (SO3) - from the volcano could lead to acid rain. "If the wind takes such emissions to nearby areas, the acid rain will destroy agricultural fields and cause water pollution." The threatened areas include Tehama, a huge agricultural region in the western province of al-Hudeidah, about 70km from the island. The volcano has not cooled since it erupted on 30 September 2007. Serious eruptions, accompanied by lava flows, occurred again on 3 December and geologists say the eruptions could continue for a long time. A military garrison on Lesser Hunaish Island, close to Jabal al-Tair, has not been allowed to return after it was evacuated on 3 December. There are no facilities or resources on the Red Sea islands which could be used to deal with natural disasters, just as there is no institutional authority to deal with natural disasters in al-Hudeidah Province. "Volcanic gases are rising from the southern part of the island. If they hit the sea, marine life may be threatened." There are 151 Yemeni islands in the Red Sea, of which around 18 lie in the volcanically active part of the sea-bed between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.

INDONESIA- ANAK KRAKATAU - The red hot glowing rocks spewed by Mt Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, Lampung province, on Sunday at 8:30 p.m have reached an altitude of up to 2.5 km, posing a potential threat to fishermen or other people getting close to the volcano. It could be clearly seen from Sertung and Rakata islands that each of the eruptions had a deafening sound and smoke bellowing to 2,000 meters high. The temperature of the red hot rocks hurled by the volcano may reach as high as 1,500 degrees centigrade, and would cause immediate death to those hit by them. The volcanic tremors of the volcano still continue with shortest intervals of 3 to 6 minutes, and the longest 10 to 16 minutes apart. In the last three days, the frequency of the volcanic tremors of Anak Krakatau reached 700 to 900 times per day, while the earlier frequency was only 600 times per day. Monday 28th January 2008

Anatahan Volcano, Mariana Islands: Since 23rd January 2008 there have been periods of elevated tremor lasting for several hours at Anatahan volcano. Satellite images show low level sulphur dioxide emissions. Anatahan is still unsafe for habitation. Travel to the island remains restricted, except for scientific study. Emergency declaration for Anatahan has been in place since the first recorded volcanic activity in May 2003.

QUITO, (Xinhua) -- Volcano Tungurahua in central Ecuador has remained highly active in more than three weeks after it first began showering the nearby region with ash, the National Polytechnic's Geophysics Institute said in a statement Monday.   "The volcano's activity has not really seen major changes. It continues to be high, characterized by constant gas and ash emission, and the number of the explosions persists," said Santiago Arellano, from the Guadalupe monitoring station. He said the mountain was also roaring, something which had attracted tourists rather than scaring them away.