Friday Flotsam: Webcams, busy Central America, Iceland fights back and more!
Where did the week go?
Some news!
Webcams: Eruptions readers have been keeping an eye on a lot of volcanoes lately – and it sounds like it has paid off. A few of the webcams where activity was spotted were Kirishima (see below) and Sakurajima along with lava lake in the Halema`uma`u Crater. Speaking of Kirishima, the Japanese volcano is still impressing us with ash plumes from this new explosive period, although there is some worry that people are getting complacent about this still potentially dangerous eruption. Keep your eyes peeled because you never know what might be around the corner at some of these volcanoes. Remember, you can find most of the volcano webcams on the planet here. And if the webcams get boring, try watching a pile of volcanic eruption videos, be sure to check out this site suggested by Eruptions readers.
Central America: Two volcanoes in the Central American nation are acting up – Fuego and the Santiaguito dome on Santa Maria – producing ash and potentially some minor pyroclastic flows. Santiaguito produced a 800 meter ash plume on February 10. The INSIVUMEH in Guatemala issued a warning to local air traffic for the plume and the area around the volcano was placed on Yellow Alert status even though the activity is seen as “normal” for the volcano. At the same time, Fuego was also placed on Yellow Alert status after increasing signs of activity at the volcano. In Guatemala’s neighbor to the south, Costa Rica (yes, they don’t touch but they’re close eonugh), both Poas and Turrialba have experienced, for the former, small phreatic explosions and, for the latter, increasing steam-and-gas emissions.
Iceland: Although some of the media still haven’t gotten the message, it is fun to see Dr. Páll Einarsson take the media down for convoluting his interview about potential activity at under/near Vatnajökull. in Iceland. He definitely makes it clear that although earthquakes in the area could be important clues to future activity, he was by no means saying an eruption was around the corner, and especially not one bigger than Eyjafjallajökull. One of these days we might not see the press running around in panic after an interview with a volcanologist.
Odd and Ends:
Enjoy the weekend (it might actually get above freezing here in Ohio!)
Top left: Webcam capture by Eruptions reader Raving of an explosive eruption at Kirishima on February 11, 2011.
