Indonesia volcano eruption panics villagers

From Google News: Indonesia volcano eruption panics villagers
JAKARTA — One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes erupted Tuesday, spewing clouds of ash and panicking villagers but no evacuation has been ordered so far, a government vulcanologist said.

The first eruption at Mount Lokon was at 3:07 am (1907 GMT Monday), followed by two more bursts within minutes, Farid Bina told AFP from a monitoring post near the volcano on Sulawesi island.

"The eruption was heard as far as five kilometres (three miles) away, causing panic among villagers living close to the volcano," he said, adding that winds blew volcanic ash to villages up to five kilometres to the east and northeast.

"Two villages with about 10,000 people each have been affected by the ash, which stopped later in the morning," he added.

More than 5,200 people were evacuated to temporary shelters when the 1,580-metre volcano erupted in July, sending huge clouds of ash as high as 3,500 metres (11,500 feet) into the sky.

Lokon's last deadly eruption was in 1991, killing a Swiss tourist.

The Indonesian archipelago has dozens of active volcanoes and straddles major tectonic fault lines known as the "Ring of Fire" between the Pacific and Indian oceans.

The country's most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of violent eruptions last year.

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Volcanic eruption doesn't mean catastrophe: Icelandic expert

From EnglishNews.ccn: Volcanic eruption doesn't mean catastrophe: Icelandic expert
REYKJAVIK, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The next eruption of the southern Icelandic volcano Katla is unlikely to be a century catastrophe, and scientists in Iceland are even not certain about whether it will erupt in the near future, said Icelandic volcanologist Pall Einarsson on Monday.

"It is very little probability that the next Katla eruption will be similar to the Laki eruption in 1783, which is the biggest catastrophe we have ever had in the history of Iceland, making half of the livestock and 20 percent of the population die and also causing global disaster," said Professor Einarsson of Icelandic Institute of Earth Science in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Although the last big eruption of Katla was in 1918, the size of the next eruption doesn't depend on the time when it stays dormant, explained Einarsson, who has been studying volcanoes for more than 40 years.

"In fact, we may have had a small eruption of Katla this summer, on July 9, but we are still debating on whether it was a eruption, because it was too small," he added.

Meanwhile, Einarsson confirmed that the Katla has recently been under a period of unrest, and the water melting from the Myrdal glacier, covering the Katla volcano, had caused flood in southeastern Iceland, lasting three to four hours on July 9 and ruined a bridge.

"It had been relatively quiet before July 9, but after that possible eruption, the earthquakes increased, so we have definitely an agitated state of the volcano, so this is the time we have to be extra cautious about Katla," said Einarsson.

According to him, the increasing melting water and earthquakes can be signs of the active state of the volcano, which means " something is cooking," but whether it is going to be a big eruption in the near future still remains uncertain.

"The last time this happened was in 1999, it also started with a small eruption, but following that, there were four or five years that the Katla volcano was agitated, and then it got quiet again without a big eruption," explained Einarsson, adding that similar situations also happened both in 1976 and 1967.

"We should try to stay away from the alarmist's view of the volcanoes, we have about 30 active volcanoes in Iceland and we have eruptions every two or three years, so when we say there is going to be a eruption, that does not mean there is going to be a catastrophe," stressed Einarsson.

"We have several volcanoes that are likely to erupt in the next few years, but that does not mean this is big news, it's just like saying that there is going to be an automobile accident tomorrow," he added.

As one of the most four active volcanoes in Iceland, the Katla volcano system is even larger than the Eyjafjalla glacier volcano, which erupted in April 2010, shooting smoke and ash thousands of meters into the air, crippling air travel across Europe and causing chaos all over the world.

But Einarsson claimed that "A lot of news reports misunderstand this. They think the Eyjafjalla eruption was a small eruption, which was very damaging, and Katla is much bigger, so it's a catastrophe. This is not true."

According to him, the impact of volcano eruption is not only based on the size of eruption, but also depends on many other factors like the weather during the eruption and the chemical composition of the product.

"The Grimsvotn volcano's eruption, which happened this spring, is ten times bigger than the Eyjafjalla glacier volcano's eruption last year, but it only had a small effect," said Einarsson.

He explained that the Grimsvotn's eruption only lasted a week, and the weather was favorable so it blew the ash away from Europe, and the chemical composition of the product is basaltic, which means the ash was not fine and fell down in a short time.

"I guess the eruption of Eyjafjalla glacier volcano opened people's eyes that this can have a global effect on everybody's daily life. I think that is the first time that this was demonstrated, but that doesn't mean every eruption has that effect, " said Einarsson.

Braving Etna with the airborne volcano ash trackers

From NewScientist: Tech: Braving Etna with the airborne volcano ash trackers
If you're going to fly around volcanic ash, first you have to see it up ahead. New Scientist flies shotgun on Sicilian field trials of a new sensor system

I'M IN a helicopter, flying low over the verdant foothills of mount Etna in Sicily. To my left, a tiny light aircraft is approaching the immense volcano's sweeping flanks as an ash plume rises from it. The diminutive plane looks like a bug buzzing a tetchy grizzly but its size belies the major impact it could have: it is carrying a raft of experimental instruments that could reduce the mayhem that restless volcanoes cause to aviation.

Aircraft engines must be protected from silicate-based volcanic ash particles. That's because they melt at engine-operating temperatures, coating turbine blades with thick, glassy gunk that blocks airflow, hindering fuel combustion and causing engines to cut out. Currently, the International Civil Aviation Organisation tells pilots to avoid flying in ash if its concentration is above just 4 milligrams of ash per cubic metre. That's why in the spring of 2010, when ash began spewing from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, aviation in Europe was grounded for extended periods between 15 April and 17 May. It cost the aviation industry billions of dollars.

Sensors attached to planes are needed to let pilots detect ash clouds up ahead so they can still fly but just navigate around them - much like weather radar warns them of storms. But the geochemistry of volcanoes varies widely and no one knows which are the best particles and gases to detect in-flight to help guide aircraft around ash clouds.

So the scientists I'm observing at the landing strip at Calatabiano, Sicily, are using a light aircraft to do two things. First, they are performing initial low-altitude, low-speed tests on an ash sensor developed at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) in Kjeller, funded by the UK airline Easyjet. Second, Konradin Weber at Dusseldorf University of Applied Sciences in Germany is training four different sensors on Etna's ash-and-gas plume, and exploring what other chemical markers might help predict trouble for pilots.

NILU's Fred Prata says his sensor comprises a pair of fast-sampling infrared cameras - one seeking telltale IR absorption at a wavelength of 10 micrometres and the other at 12 micrometres. Software combines these to detect silicate-containing ash particles of 2 to 40 micrometres in diameter, the size that wrecks engines. This, Prata tells me in the airstrip's tin hangar, measures the ash "dose" ahead of the plane, how far away it is and its altitude. Combining this with lower-resolution satellite data allows the crew to work out an alternate course. His tests last week were encouraging, with a very low false-positive rate, but needs testing at airliner speeds and altitudes.

Out by the runway, Weber says other volcanic emissions could provide important information too. His equipment includes a counter for micrometre-scale particles, a nanoparticle counter, an ultraviolet detector for measuring sulphur dioxide concentration - which can indicate heightened volcanic activity - plus a hydrogen sulphide/carbon dioxide meter. The sulphur dioxide sensor gave Icelandic airport authorities the confidence to reopen airports after the Grímsvötn volcano erupted in May, for example.

Konradin hopes that nanoparticles on the breeze might also give early warning of ash ahead. "It's a new approach," he says. "Nanoparticles might give us an indication of volcanic ash plumes, and may be a way to tell you the age of the plume and how it is developing."

For airlines like Easyjet, which lost £55 million in the 2010 groundings, sensors to help keep planes flying cannot come soon enough.

She's gonna blow
The imminent threat of eruption by the enormous ice-covered Icelandic volcano Katla has helped focus the minds of the airline industry - because it could pump 10 times more ash into Europe's skies than Eyjafjallajökull did in spring 2010.

Throughout history Katla has erupted every 40 to 80 years - but it has not done so since 1918 - making it 14 years overdue. And recent seismic rumblings suggest magma may once again be stirring up beneath Katla.

Ian Davies, engineering chief at UK-based airline Easyjet, says it is vital that technology be in place to keep planes airborne. "This large scale grounding of flights should not happen again," he says

Seismologists set off dynamite to probe volcano

From the Japan Times: Seismologists set off dynamite to probe volcano
KAGOSHIMA — Seismologists set off a large amount of explosives early Thursday to create "artificial earthquakes" as part of their investigations into the strata under the Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Analyzing the reflections of man-made seismic waves is an effective way to grasp the situation, the seismologists said.

During the two-hour experiment that started shortly past midnight, experts from nine universities as well as the Meteorological Agency set off numerous sticks of dynamite at 14 locations in succession. Tremors caused by the explosions were measured by 250 seismometers.

Scientists: Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano has an explosive future

From the Weather Space: Scientists: Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano has an explosive future
(TheWeatherSpace.com) - Many believe the Hawaiian volcano of Kilauea is a silent volcano, but scientists predict an explosive future coming up.

Located on the Big Island if Hawaii, Kilauea is awesome view to behold. The lava fountains, the fiery glow at night, and the unique weather patterns bring tourists to the area on a daily basis. But is there a darker side to it?

Kilauea is also known in history to produce violent eruptions, a surge of moving hot gas and ash down the sides of the mountains at hurricane velocity. You cannot escape that if it happens.

The violent eruption study has been done by the University of Hawaii. Geology professor Michael Garcia studied samples of the volcano and has viewed the past eruption phases over the last 2,500 years. About 60% of the eruptions during that time were violent.

Kilauea does have the eruptive power to dwarf Mt. St. Helens back in 1980, which killed 57 people and destroyed 150 square miles of forest.

TheWeatherSpace.com Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin states that these phases could alter the climate across the low latitudes.

"Volcanoes tend to have an affect on the winters preceding their major eruptions and if this one goes off like advertised, it will make the weather patterns go whacky for a few winters following such an eruption," said Martin.

Scientists do not know when Kilauea will erupt violent again, but do say it should not steer people away from the beautiful place.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park offering hikers access to lava flow’s ocean entry

From Hawaii Magazine: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park offering hikers access to lava flow’s ocean entry

Hawaii_Big Island_volcanoes_lava_ocean-entryHawaii Volcanoes National Park is providing hiking access to a sea cliff area at its eastern border where lava from Kilauea volcano’s remote Puu Oo vent is pouring into the ocean.

The lava reached the ocean-entry site, dubbed by scientists as “West Kaili ili,” late last week, marking the first time since 2007 that lava has entered the ocean within park boundaries. Other recent ocean-entries have occurred by way of private land and within County of Hawaii jurisdiction.

Currently, several streams of lava are pouring into the ocean, providing dramatic views (pictured, right and below). Visitors who stay after dark can also see channels of lava flowing down the pali (slope) and across the flow field, but conditions can change at any time.

Want to catch a glimpse of the dazzling spectacle of molten lava slipping into steaming ocean waters?

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando is pleased to extend the opportunity. But before dashing out to the Big Island site, better double-check whether you’re ready for the 4-mile hike to the West Kaili ili entry, which starts at the bottom of Chain of Craters Road.Hawaii_Big Island_volcanoes_lava_ocean-entry

“Hikers must be adequately prepared with plenty of drinking water, dressed for rain or sunshine, wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, carry a flashlight and spare batteries, and be in good physical shape for this hike,” across and uneven flow field, Orlando said in a news release issued yesterday by the national park.

In addition, hikers must heed all warning signs and ranger advisories, and be aware of earth cracks and crevices, sharp terrain and rain-slick pahoehoe (smooth) lava and other hazards. Further, steam plumes produced by lava entering the sea contain fine lava fragments and acid droplets that can be harmful. Also, scientists have confirmed that a lava delta is being formed at the base of a sea cliff at West Kaili ili. Lava deltas can collapse with little warning, produce hot rock falls inland, and generate large local waves.

Visitors who are not up for the hike can observe the ocean-entry plume from the end of Chain of Craters Road, near the ranger station. After sunset, flowing lava from Puu Oo has been visible from the turnout on the hairpin curve on Chain of Craters Road, weather permitting.

Puu Oo, a cinder cone Kilauea volcano’s eastern flanks, began erupting in January 1983. The ongoing 29-year Puu Oo eruption, among the longest-lasting Hawaiian eruptions in recorded history. The first written accounts of eruptions in Hawaii date back to the 1820s, when American missionaries arrived on the Big Island.

Daily updates on Kilauea volcano activity are available at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website.