Spain Volcanic Eruption
The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma erupted for the first time in half a century after days of increasing seismic activity that resulted in more than 22,000 earthquakes.
After days of rising seismic activity, the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma erupted on Sunday, causing people to escape and spraying lava that destroyed countless houses.
The eruption started on the island’s southern tip on Sunday afternoon, prompting fissures to emerge, allowing lava to burst into the air and seep down hillsides and onto highways.
According to The Associated Press, the lava flow damaged approximately 100 homes in a farming part of the island. There have been no reported injuries.
The lava was traveling at a speed of 2,300 feet per hour, according to the Associated Press, and was predicted to generate explosions and clouds of toxic vapour when it reached the seas of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. The lava was found to have a temperature of above 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
La Palma is one of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, with a population of around 85,000 people.
“We believed it couldn’t be real when we saw the column of smoke, but it continued increasing, and we realized we had to get out of there,” Carlota Martn, a local who was nearby when the eruption originally began, told the Associated Press. “You walk away, but you peek back to see what will happen.”
According to the Associated Press, roughly 5,000 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding the volcano and lava flow. Due to falling volcanic ash, authorities have advised certain locals to stay indoors. According to the Associated Press, Mariano Hernández, the president of La Palma, said, “People should not get near the eruption location where the lava is flowing.” “The evacuation is causing severe problems since the roads are clogged with people attempting to get close enough to watch it.”
The Civil Guard of Spain has stated that if necessary, up to 10,000 people might be evacuated.
“But now the most remarkable thing, which I’ve never experienced,” local tour guide Jonas Perez told the BBC, “is that the noise coming from the volcano, it sounds like… 20 fighter planes taking off and it’s really loud, it’s unbelievable.”
The BBC stated that La Palma was placed on high alert for an eruption after more than 22,000 tremors were detected in the area of the volcano in less than a week.
“A swarm of earthquakes can frequently precede a volcanic eruption,” Meteorologist said .
This eruption is similar to the Lower Puna eruption in Klauea’s Lower East rift zone in Hawaii. The eruption started in 2018 and was still going strong in mid-2019.
Cumbre Vieja erupted in 1971 and 1949, thus the island is no stranger to volcanoes. According to The Associated Press, the previous eruption of La Palma lasted three weeks. The most recent eruption in the archipelago occurred in 2011, when an underwater eruption on El Hierro island lasted nearly five months.
Because the Cumbre Vieja volcano has not emitted a substantial amount of ash into the atmosphere, there has been no significant disruption in air traffic.
“The area won’t be subjected to any substantial storms in the following days,” Roys said, “which should help if any extra evacuations are required.” “Dry weather will prevail for the remainder of the week, except a few small showers.”
reference – Accuweather
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