Thanksgiving Update 2010: Bulusan ash, Pele and Hawai`i and Indonesia
No long post today – busy with many relative here for Thanksgiving (ah, one of those perplexing American holidays) – but a couple quick notes:
Bulusan: I saw an article today that the latest explosion at Bulusan generated ~466,000 m3 of ash. Now, exactly how much is 466,000 m3? Well, Magma Cum Laude tries to tackle the issue of volcanic eruption rates and volumes. Meanwhile, things are still unsettled at the Philippine volcano.
Indonesia: As you do sit down for Thanksgiving today, give a brief pause for all those in Indonesia who are recovering from the Merapi eruption – an event that might leave lasting scars – and are preparing to evacuate from the area around Bromo. The government has set up an exclusion zone around Bromo as the volcano begins to show signs that it may start erupting again.
Kilauea: Speaking of Thanksgiving, we have a brief volcanoes-meet-culture piece of Pele and Hi’iakaikapoliopele in Hawai`i. The whole dance ceremony is called “He Lei Aloha No Hi’iakaikapoliopele”, which roughly translates to paying tribute to Pele’s sister, Hi’iakaikapoliopele. It was Thanksgiving Eve in 2007 when a new breakout formed on the flanks of Kilauea and lava flows continue to issue from the site of this event – however lava flows headed towards the ill-fated Kalapana area seem to be slowing down.
Have a happy Thanksgiving (or just plain Thursday)!
Top left: A 2010 lava flow from Kilauea winding its way home for the holidays.
