SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 12 (EUROPA PRESS)
Scientists who follow the evolution of the La Palma volcano eruption have observed a drop in seismicity in recent hours, after having recorded the largest number of deep earthquakes since the beginning of the eruption, and the emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) associated with the volcanic plume, which has once again registered much lower levels than in previous days.
The director of the National Geographic Institute (IGN) in the Canary Islands and spokesperson for the Pevolca Scientific Committee, María José Blanco, indicated that last Wednesday more than 40 events were recorded at depths greater than 20 km, the largest number since this episode began. volcanic, but yesterday there were less than 25 and today there have only been 7.
María José Blanco pointed out that although we are at a descending level (even the tremor in the last 24 hours continues to remain at low levels), this trend has to be looked at in the long term and insisted that the current level of seismicity continues to indicate that It is possible that more felt earthquakes are produced, being able to reach intensities of V and VI on the EMS scale.
Regarding the emission of SO2 associated with the plume, the spokesperson for the Scientific Committee stressed that it continues to be high, registering a value between 7,000 and 21,000 tons yesterday. And in the case of the diffuse emission of carbon dioxide associated with the Cumbre Vieja building, he pointed out that it still continues to register values above the background levels (established between 200 and 1,300 tons per day), obtaining a value yesterday in the range between 1,800 and 1,950 tons per day.
For his part, the technical director of Pevolca, Miguel Ángel Morcuende, reported that yesterday Thursday, around 2:15 p.m., there was a small overflow in the volcanic cone with an abundant lava spill that ended a few hours later without creating new flows. However, this new lava contribution has fed streams 1, 9 and, to a lesser extent, stream 2, which has joined stream 1 in the new fajana that has been created on Los Guirres beach, making it grow.
Miguel Ángel Morcuende pointed out that this new contribution of lava has always flowed through the original lava flows and in central areas, causing no further damage, and the growth has only occurred on the beach of Los Guirres, where there have been small affections, as well as the beach bar itself, which has already been razed.
The technical director stressed that this flow of the lava is good news, because in the end all the energy is finding an outlet and the height of the streams is not increasing nor is it encountering dikes that could overflow in some of the boundary areas of the flows, both from the south and from the north.
As for the rest of the casts, he pointed out that their situation remains stable. However, he affirmed that there is a probability that casting 9 could reach the sea at some point. According to Morcuende, this would be the most desirable, since it is “the best way to avoid swelling or widening that leads to more property damage.”
In any case, Miguel Ángel Morcuende clarified that we depend on the topography of the cone and the areas where new lava evacuations can occur. In this sense, he pointed out that if there were an evacuation to the north, the lava would flow through streams that have already flowed north or into a new stream that would stick to the previous ones.
MORE THAN 470 PEOPLE HOSTED.
In another vein, he explained that the number of people housed in hotel centers today stands at 471, three more than yesterday. Of the total, 404 are staying at the Fuencaliente hotel and 67 in Los Llanos de Aridane. In addition, there are 43 dependent people cared for in insular health centers.
In addition, he reported that in Los Llanos de Aridane a generation center has been changed, at the request of the City Council, which has been moved some 300 meters to the north, and the conditioning works of the road that gives current access to Puerto Naos is finished.
On the other hand, the area affected by the lava is now 1,009.43 hectares, which is 3.63 more than yesterday, and the maximum width between external flows remains at 3,100 meters. The expansion of the second lava delta also continues, mainly in a direction perpendicular to the coastline, overlapping with the first.
HIGH TURBIDITY EPISODES.
The Pevolca Scientific Committee report shows that in the last hours episodes of high turbidity have been detected in the water column at distances of up to 1 kilometer from the lava front, caused by the invasion of lava material in the ocean in the deltas D-1 and D-2. These episodes could again cause the appearance of dead fish on the surface. These deaths of pelagic organisms could be due to the massive ingestion of ash that saturates their gill systems, and not to a significant variation in the physicochemical parameters of the ocean.
The height of the eruptive column measured today at 8:45 am was 2,900 meters and the weather forecast indicates that the wind will dispose of the ash cloud in a S-SW direction, so the arrival of fine ash to El Hierro is not ruled out. During the next 36-48 hours, the favorable scenario for the operation of the airports will continue.
Likewise, the numerical prediction models indicate that with a high probability a low pressure system will form south of the Azores from the end of Sunday to Monday. At the moment the models indicate that the system would be located to the west of the Canary Islands as of Tuesday, although at the moment the areas and islands that could affect it are unknown.
Regarding air quality, yesterday there were good and reasonably good levels in all stations. Only at the El Paso station was there an hourly value above the alert threshold at 1:00 p.m., which remitted the following hour. There were no exceedances of the daily threshold in any of the stations and during this morning values between reasonably good and regular are registered in Puntagorda and Los Llanos, and good or reasonably good in the rest of the stations.
In relation to PM10 particles, yesterday values similar to those registered in the previous days in Los Llanos were maintained, although the maximums measured between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. derive in a new exceedance of the daily limit value in this station, and in an unfavorable air quality index. Subsequently, the hourly values recorded last night and early morning have remained low. In the rest of the stations the air quality levels were good or reasonably good.
During the morning of today the unfavorable level is maintained in Los Llanos and good or reasonably good in the rest of the stations. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, in the area of Los Llanos, El Paso, Tazacorte, Tijarafe and Puntagorda, for risk groups and sensitive populations, it is recommended that they consider reducing all outdoor activities and doing them indoors or postponing them until air quality is good or reasonably good, and for the general population, to consider reducing prolonged and vigorous outdoor activities especially if they experience coughing, shortness of breath or any other symptoms, and doing them indoors or postponing until the air quality is good.
