Worldwide Volcano News - Jan 1, 2012

From Worldwide Volcano News - Jan 1, 2012

January 1, 2012
- Indonesia / Gamalama volcano (11:18 UTC) : The Lahar risk (mud/ash flows) continues along the slopes of the still erupting volcano. The bad weather conditions are the main responsible for this very dangerous situation. Pooring rain mixed with eruption ashes are converting the normal streams into torrential damaging flows at the lower part in the volcano. The video below (recorded on December 27) shows a Lahar stream when arriving at the lower end of the volcano slope.

- Indonesia / Lokon volcano (11:13 UTC) : The magmatic eruption of this Sulawesi volcano is still continuing and people are being told not to enter a 2.5 km radius along the crater. Mount Lokon alert level is Siaga or 3 (on 4).

- Canary Islands / El Hierro (11:08 UTC) : A lot of activity this morning. A swarm of 7 earthquakes occurred in between midnight and 10:00, by far the biggest number since many weeks. Additionally a big stain and wide stirring area are the signs of the strength of the magma below the island.

- Russia / Kamchatka : The following volcanos are in an Orange (aviation) alert status : Kizimen (ash explosions up to 10 km high are possible), Sheveluch (10 km) and Karymsky (6 km) – links are heading to the webcam (please remind it might be dark over there when you have daylight !)

- Indonesia / Ljen volcano : Local authorities are preparing evacuation camps in 3 counties close to the volcano. The camps and surrounding area will give space to at least 5,586 people and their livestock, in case an evacuation is imminent. Ljen volcano alert level has been raised to 3 (Siaga) on December 18. 16,000 masks have been distributed to the people. River banks will have to be cleared 100 meter at both sides to avoid fatal Lahar accidents.

Helicopter view of the Ljen volcano area at risk if a strong eruption occurs

- Indonesia / Marapi volcano : Office of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), reported that a thin layer of volcanic ash was ejected up to 500 meter high by Mount Marapi on Saturday afternoon. PVMBG warned that it is prohibited to enter a 3 km radius of the summit.

- Yemen / Zubair group : NASA Modis Terra satellite image shows no longer a medium sized eruption cloud

- Canary Islands / El Hierro : At 09:55 SLS (smoking Lava Stones) have been noticed by our readers. The SLS are probably coming from the main vent.

- Alaska / Cleveland volcano : The volcano did send ash 15,000 feet in the sky during a single explosion event on Thursday. The perfectly conical shaped Cleveland volcano is already sleepless for some months and now and then some explosions occur. As the volcano is located on animal populated only islands, news mostly get to us after study of satellite images or when airplanes flying that sector report ash clouds. In the meantime and due to the single explosive activity, the alert level of the volcano has again been downgraded.