Volcano activity May 6, 2013

This (almost) daily post intends to follow up the activity changes of volcanoes all over the world.
This post is written by geologist Rodger Wilson who specializes in Volcano seismicity and Armand Vervaeck. Please feel free to tell us about new or changed activity if we haven't written about it. -

May 6, 2013 volcano activity

John Seach (Volcanolive.com) reports confirmation of an eruption at Gaua volcano (Vanuatu) today. At the time of the report, an ash plume had risen to 10,000 feet above the volcano.

Reader Russel reports : Sakurajima, continues to be very explosive with more pyroclastic flows, down the (presumably south slope of the hill) The view on the Kyoto Uni webcam, is pretty spectacular, as I write, at 22:10 BST

AVO reports continued low-level eruptive activity (including ash emission) continues at Cleveland volcano (Aleutian arc) (not seismically monitored).

Elsewhere,...

KVERT reported no significant changes in eruptive/seismic behavior at the five active Kamchatkan volcanoes: Tolbachik, Sheveluch, Bezymianny, Kizimen, and Karymsky. Seismic activity continues at a moderate level within hydrothermally active Gorely volcano.

Numerous tiny seismic events continue at Korovin volcano (Aleutian arc) (station KOWE).

A burst of small earthquakes occurred at Mount Rainier volcano (Cascade Range) (WA) (station RCS) late yesterday.

Small local earthquakes are visible on seismograms recorded at Medicine Lake volcano (Cascade Range) (CA) (station LAS) and Lassen Peak volcano (station LRR) today.

Another burst of local earthquakes occurred (and continues) beneath Mammoth Mountain volcano (CA) (station MRD) late yesterday, including a very shallow (depth = < 1 km) magnitude M2.5 event.

Still no seismic data provided by UCol from Colima volcano (Mexico). The Colima volcanocam showed no eruptive activity earlier this morning. Eruptive activity remains at a low-level at Popocatepetl volcano today, although exhalation events (of gas and minor amounts of ash) occur at an average of just under once per hour. The Popo seismogram shows a relatively large (magnitude M2.0+?), local earthquake occurred at the volcano overnight.

External activity is generally low at the three active Guatemalan volcanoes: Pacaya (station PCG), Fuego (station FG3), and Santa Maria (station STG3). Minor avalanches from the snouts of active lava flows at both Fuego and the Caliente lava dome at Santa Maria occasionally raise small amounts of ash.

A brief period of volcanic tremor struck San Cristobal volcano (Nicaragua) (station CRIN) late yesterday.

Volcanic earthquakes continue to punctuate continuous, elevated volcanic tremor at San Miguel volcano (El Salvador) (station VSM). The broad bands of "noise" are just that, telemetry noise, not associated with the volcano.

Small volcanic earthquakes and possible hydrothermal "noise" continue at Poas volcano (Cosat Rica) (station POA2).

Another magnitude M3.1 earthquake struck Nevado Del Ruiz volcano (Colombia) (station OLLZ) early today. As usual, the event was followed by elevated volcano-tectonic earthquake activity embedded within the continuous volcanic tremor affecting the volcano since early April. This most recent larger magnitude event was focused at less than 4 km depth (depth = 3.6 km). Such larger magnitude vents have risen rather progressively from 7 km depth over the past week and a half. Small volcano-tectonic events occurred at Cumbal volcano (station MEVZ) this morning. A swarm of smaller magnitude events occurred at the volcano last week. Small volcano-tectoninc events and larger gas and ash emission events were recorded at Galeras volcano (station CUVZ) through early this morning.

Co-eruptive seismicity has continued to strengthen at Tungurahua volcano (Ecuador) (station RETU) as has SO2 output from the volcano (see accompanying OMI satellite imagery). Loud "cannon-like" detonations have also increased the past few days at Tungurahua, but ash emission has remained relatively minor. Eruptive seismicity has waned at Reventador volcano (station CONE) the past few days.

The Planchon-Peteroa (Chile) volcanocam continues to show little activity at the volcano since increased fumarolic emissions were reported there a week ago.

Small earthquakes (embedded in continuous low-level volcanic tremor) remain apparent on seismograms from White Island volcano (New Zealand).

Recent OMI satellite imagery shows SO2-enriched plumes drifting from: Plosky Tolbachik, Popocatepetl, Tungurahua, and Manam (New Guinea) volcanoes today. MODIS satellite thermal imagery depicts "hotspots" at Tolbachik, Sheveluch, Colima, Popocatepetl, Stromboli (Italy), Ambrym (Vanuatu), and Paluweh (eastern Java) volcanoes.