[August 30, 2010]
Volcanoe Inactive for 400 Years Erupts in Indonesia
Two people have died and more than 30,000 were displaced when a long-dormant volcano in Indonesia erupted again on Monday, officials said. Mount Sinabung, which had been dormant for more than 400 years before it erupted early Sunday, erupted again for more than six hours Monday, shooting smoke more than three miles into the air. The rumbling sent tremors into nearby villages, where officials said some residents panicked. Two deaths were reported Monday after the second eruption. "The two people died because of heart attack and respiratory complication," said Priyadi Kardono of the National Disaster Coordination Agency. "We have sent food and gas masks for the rest of the displaced people." After the eruption, glowing volcanic materials spewed out of the long-dormant mountain and could be seen as far as 10 km away (10.2 miles), the official Antara news agency reported. Officials are concerned that if the eruption continues, the smoke -- up to 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) high -- could disrupt aviation. But the nearby Polonia International Airport was still operating normally Monday.
The volcano erupted just after 12:15 a.m. Sunday (1:15 p.m. ET Saturday), the official Antara news agency reported. On Saturday, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation issued a warning and ordered evacuation of a six km (3.7 miles) radius around the volcano. Investigators are studying the volcano, which officials had believed was inactive before Sunday's eruption.
[August 6, 2010]
Volcanoes Erupt in Jakarta
Four people are missing and feared dead after a volcano eruption in Indonesia, according to a National Disaster Mitigation Agency official.Mount Karangetang, on Siau Island, is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, according to The Jakarta Globe. In Friday's eruption, about five people were injured, one seriously, said the disaster official, Priyadi Kardono. Sixteen families, about 65 people, were evacuated from their villages to safer ground. At least one house was buried and several other buildings, including a church, were damaged, Kardono said. Rescue and aid teams have been sent to the area. A bridge was also damaged, isolating about six villages with about 20,000 residents. The eruption wasn't a large one and he said he had received reports that the flow of volcanic debris has decreased.
[May 29, 2010]
2 Volcanoes Erupt in Latin America
Lava and ash from Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano forced the closure of Guayaquil Airport until Saturday afternoon, an airport spokesman said Friday. It was the second volcanic eruption reported in Latin America in the past few days. The Pacaya volcano erupted Thursday in Guatemala, killing at least three people. The eruption sent a large ash cloud into the air, the Geophysical Institute of Peru said. The height could not be determined because of cloudiness in the area.
[April 14, 2010]
Volcano Erupts Under Icelandic Glacier
Icelandic authorities evacuated about 800 people early Wednesday when a volcano erupted beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, an emergency spokesman said. The first evacuations began at 2 a.m. (10 p.m. ET Tuesday), according to Rognvaldur Olafsson, chief inspector at Iceland's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management. He said everyone in the area was safe. "The volcano is under the glacier and it's melting parts of the glacier," Olafsson said. "The rivers will rise and potentially make some damage."Rivers closest to the glacier have already started rising, he added.The glacier is the sixth-biggest in Iceland, just to the west of the bigger glacier, Myrdalsjokull. It is about 100 miles (160 km) east of the capital, Reykjavik. A map from the Icelandic Meteorological Office showed seismic activity of between 1 and 2 magnitude in the area around the glacier Wednesday morning.
[January 2, 2010]
Volcano Erupts in Congo
Africa's most active volcano, Mount Nyamuragira in the Democratic Republic of Congo, erupted early Saturday, spewing lava off its southern flank, the Congolese Wildlife Authority reported. The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History calls Nyamuragira the continent's most active volcano, with 42 eruptions since 1885. Its most recent eruption ended in December 2006.
[December 29, 2009]
Volcanic Ash Disrupts Flights
Volcanic ash led officials Tuesday to cancel dozens of commercial flights into and out of Puerto Rico.
Ports Authority Director of Aviation Arnaldo Deleo cited ash from the Soufriere volcano hovering some 10,000 feet over the Island of Montserrat as the reason for the cancellation of more than 60 flights.
[December 22, 2009]
Volcanic Eruption in Philippines Imminent
Fountains of red-hot lava shot up from the intensifying Mayon volcano as the Philippines awaited an imminent eruption, the country's national news agency reported Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people have already fled their homes. More than 9,000 families -- a total of 44,394 people -- are being housed in evacuation camps after authorities raised the alert status of the country's most active volcano, Albay Province Gov. Joey Salceda said.
The Philippine Institute on Volcanology and Seismology was considering ratcheting up the volcano alert to the highest level, which would mean an eruption was underway, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.
[November 3, 2009]
Kilauea Volcano Status Update
KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-01-)
19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Activity Summary for past 24 hours: Early this morning, part of the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent cavity floor collapsed revealing a circulating lava pond surface. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the Halema`uma`u and east rift zone vents remain elevated. Lava flows are active on the coastal plain. Lava is also flowing through tubes to the coast and entering the ocean at two locations west of Kalapana.
Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: The Overlook vent webcam images again showed fluctuating glow and spattering from several holes deep within the Halema`uma`u vent cavity; just after 3 am, the floor between two of the holes collapsed leaving an elongate opening; just before 6 am, more of the floor collapsed to reveal a circulating and spattering lava pond below. Glow from the vent was visible from Jaggar Museum overnight. This morning, a wispy off-white plume is moving southwestward over the Ka`u Desert. The most recent sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 800 tonnes/day on October 30, which is elevated above the 2003-2007 average of 140 tonnes/day. Small amounts of ash-sized tephra, including a small amount of fresh broken spatter bits and Pele's hair, continued to be dropped from the plume near the vent.
more>>> Kilauea Update
[August, 2009]
Yellowstone on cover of National Geographic
Read all about this supervolcano and why many think it is due for an eruption.
more>>> National Geographic | 
