Latest news on the La Palma volcano
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Oct. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Cumbre Vieja volcano has been celebrating two weeks this Sunday since it erupted and the explosive activity has increased, so the appearance of new emission centers is not ruled out, as is clear from the opinion issued daily by the Scientific Committee from Pevolca.
The national responsible for volcanic surveillance of the IGN, Carmen López, has indicated in a press conference that although the activity of the tremor is more intense, it has not yet reached the one recorded between September 24 and 27, which was a lot more intense than now.
Carmen López recalled that when this activity reached its maximum, there was a stoppage of the activity, since it did not allow more emission to go out, and the tremor decreased sharply and the system was opened based on a series of violent explosions.
However, he insisted that now the situation is not the same, because although the tremor is more intense and explosive activity has been registered, it has not reached such high levels. In any case, he warned that this alternation of phases is within expectations and could happen again in the next few days.
Regarding the evolution of the volcanic eruption, Carmen López reported that the fissure eruption continues showing the strombolian mechanism and at the same time explosive and effusive phases are detected.
The new stream that appeared on October 1 continues to flow westward, parallel to the stream that reaches the sea, having reached the previous stream at the Los Campitos road and in the last hours a lower emission rate in relation to past days.
In addition, several active centers are observed inside the main crater and two located in the north-northwest sector of the side of the cone. The extensive fumarolic field also continues on the north-northwest flank.
This activity can destabilize the upper part of the cone, whose morphology changes repeatedly due to successive growth and reconfiguration processes and currently the main cone is wider, lower and closed.
The fajana continues to increase its extension with four main feeding points. The marine plume also continues along the edge of the lava delta, producing clouds of water vapor and hydrochloric acid that are concentrated in a small area around the contact.
VOLCANIC PUMPS EMISSION.
The production process can show processes of increase and decrease of strombolian activity, as well as courses of phreatomagmatic activity. Emissions of volcanic bombs, a type of pyroclast of several meters that reached the base of the cone, have been observed throughout yesterday. The measured height of the ash and gas column reaches 3 kilometers, showing a more dispersed part, which reaches a height of 5 kilometers.
In relation to the weather, the predominance of the north component wind in the middle and lower levels of the troposphere will place the ash cloud and sulfur dioxide towards the south of the eruptive focus, and the area most affected by the ash fall will be the slope south of the island.
This configuration could cause the arrival of fine ash to the island of El Hierro and on the west slope, in the areas close to the eruption and the pouring areas, the prevailing wind regime will be breezes. The presence of a marked thermal inversion, together with the prevailing wind regime on the west slope, are meteorological conditions that are considered unfavorable from the point of view of air quality.
Seismicity continues to be located near the seismicity of the first days, at depths between 10-15 km. There are also earthquakes located at depths greater than 20 km. In the last 24 hours, dozens of earthquakes have been located, the largest of 3.6 magnitude, which has been felt with intensity III. Remember that felt earthquakes can occur even of higher magnitudes that can cause small landslides in sloping areas. A somewhat more intense tremor was also recorded yesterday, and high frequencies were recorded in some seismic stations near the lava delta.
The deformations show a slight downward trend in the stations far from the eruptive center, as in recent days, while in the nearby stations they continue to show stability.
HIGH VALUES.
The emission of sulfur dioxide associated with the volcanic plume continues to register relatively high values in line with the process, reaching values of 3,401 tons per day. The emission of these gases is becoming richer in sulfur and poorer in carbon over time, reflecting the emission of more degassed magma from a shallow conduit. The diffuse emission associated with the Cumbre Vieja ridge has reached values of 1,813 tons per day, and the emission of non-visible gases does not represent a danger to the population.
During the day yesterday they have remained stable, gradually reducing the measured values of sulfur dioxide in the stations of Tazacorte, Los Llanos and El Paso, to the current values that are below 20 micrograms / m3. In the rest of the island’s stations, the values are still low.
Regarding particles smaller than 10 microns, we are measuring high values in all the stations on the island, with the daily threshold being exceeded yesterday at the Los Llanos, Las Balsas, El Pilar and La Grama stations. Los Llanos station is the one with the highest daily average. At this moment there is an intrusion of Saharan dust that is added to the values of particles from the volcanic eruption.