Post by account_disabled on Mar 7, 2024 0:40:56 GMT -5
Emergency teams and scientists next to a tongue of lava from the new La Palma volcano. Flickr/UME The whole world is watching the La Palma eruption. It is an exceptional reflection of the living nature of the planet on which we live and the advance of volcanic surveillance networks and the protection of affected areas. With thousands of evacuees, serious economic losses and lava advancing towards the coast, how can we read what happened and make predictions of what may happen? What do the images of the eruption show? The Cumbre Vieja eruption has generated two eruptive fissures with several mouths that emit lava fountains up to 400 meters high. That is, lava fountains higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The eruption is moderate in explosiveness and fragments the molten rock, generating pyroclasts – fragments of solidified volcanic rock. The larger pyroclasts cool during their fall and accumulate around the eruptive mouths, producing “clinker cones.” The main cone is about 130 meters high and two nights ago it collapsed due to the violent activity of the volcano. The smallest pyroclasts generate clouds of ash mixed with the gases emanating from the volcano.
Which rise several kilometers above the eruptive mouths. On Thursday the 23rd, the interaction of magma with a small aquifer generated a column of gas almost 10 km high. In addition, millions of cubic meters of lava flows have been generated. Its composition is basaltic, that is, poor in silica, rich in magnesium and low viscosity. This type of magma usually generates effusive (Hawaiian) or moderately explosive (Strombolian) eruptions like the ones we see on La Palma. The temperature of the lava exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius and Australia Phone Number destroys everything in its path. In contact with air, lava cools quickly. Thus, a rocky, rough and crumbling crust is formed that isolates the interior of the flow, which continues to flow and generate small fires. This type of colada is described with the Hawaiian term 'a'ã , or “malpaís” in the Canary Islands. When they cool completely, these flows will leave black rocky carpets on the island's landscape like many others seen in the archipelago, transforming into fertile soils over time.
The main lava tongue has a front of almost 600 meters and a thickness of up to 12 meters. In recent days, their progress towards the coast has slowed. If it reaches the sea, explosions are expected related to the vaporization and expansion of cold water in contact with hot lava, the violent fragmentation of the lava and the release of toxic gases. How is the evolution of the eruption followed in terms of surveillance? The National Geographic Institute, the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain have deployed personnel and instrumentation on La Palma and provide official scientific information on the development of the eruption. Volcanology is a multidisciplinary science and its data is essential for the protection of the population. Seismic data from earthquakes and measurements of surface deformation (obtained with GPS systems and satellites) make it possible to follow the movement of magma inside the volcano. This information joins the study of the chemistry of the volcano's products, including lavas, pyroclasts and gases emanating from the eruptive mouths.
Which rise several kilometers above the eruptive mouths. On Thursday the 23rd, the interaction of magma with a small aquifer generated a column of gas almost 10 km high. In addition, millions of cubic meters of lava flows have been generated. Its composition is basaltic, that is, poor in silica, rich in magnesium and low viscosity. This type of magma usually generates effusive (Hawaiian) or moderately explosive (Strombolian) eruptions like the ones we see on La Palma. The temperature of the lava exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius and Australia Phone Number destroys everything in its path. In contact with air, lava cools quickly. Thus, a rocky, rough and crumbling crust is formed that isolates the interior of the flow, which continues to flow and generate small fires. This type of colada is described with the Hawaiian term 'a'ã , or “malpaís” in the Canary Islands. When they cool completely, these flows will leave black rocky carpets on the island's landscape like many others seen in the archipelago, transforming into fertile soils over time.
The main lava tongue has a front of almost 600 meters and a thickness of up to 12 meters. In recent days, their progress towards the coast has slowed. If it reaches the sea, explosions are expected related to the vaporization and expansion of cold water in contact with hot lava, the violent fragmentation of the lava and the release of toxic gases. How is the evolution of the eruption followed in terms of surveillance? The National Geographic Institute, the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain have deployed personnel and instrumentation on La Palma and provide official scientific information on the development of the eruption. Volcanology is a multidisciplinary science and its data is essential for the protection of the population. Seismic data from earthquakes and measurements of surface deformation (obtained with GPS systems and satellites) make it possible to follow the movement of magma inside the volcano. This information joins the study of the chemistry of the volcano's products, including lavas, pyroclasts and gases emanating from the eruptive mouths.