El Hierro

[emmi]

According to Word Reference Pepinazo = smash/crash

[fifi]

Thanks a million Emmi. I will have a look out for more tweets about it.[]

[fifi]

There was a 3.6 earthquake recorded for that time so I guess they were tweeting about that and maybe a landslide.http://www.ign.es/ign/layoutIn/volcaDetalleTerremotos.do?evid=1113159&zona=2

                        .................

17/11/2011 ... 16:48 - Ministry of Economy, Finance and Securityhttp://www.gobcan.es/noticias/index.jsp?module=1&page=nota.htm&id=145050

In recent days, the number of earthquakes has decreased in number and  magnitude, which may mean an eruption is "less likely". However, the expected seismicity is still high and we must allow 20 days from the earthquake of 4.6 on the morning of November 11, to reduce that likelihood. "

 The distance between the sea surface and the crater of the volcanic cone is maintained at about 180 meters, "which rules out any explosive process with risk for people. " (156 reported earlier on today)

[jand]

earthquake-report.com

Update 17/11 – 15:29 UTC
 Mexican reader and Google+ fan Martin Rey (also a contributor to our Nabro volcano report (Eritrea)), attracted our attention to a number of very interesting reports from the IEO (Instituto Español de Oceanografía). The Román Margalef belongs to this oceanographic institute. Most of the research of the Ramón Margalef is only communicated to Pevolca or to the IEO itself. The outstanding reports are giving a scientific insight in their research until now.  The reports have been published from November 9 until today.
Martin Rey has created a very good image on the depth of the erupting vent, a question raised regularly in the comments. Why don't we see a lot of action on the surface while everybody is telling that the eruption goes on ? Although we have no official confirmation of our version we expect that the present eruption takes place in at least 2 major vents. The red colored stream on the picture is the erupting magma which gradually changes into yellow when the magma it is cooling.
 Martin has calculated that the depth of the vent closest to La Restinga would be 156 meter. The second vent deeper in the Las Calmas sea is approx. 400 meter deep.
 The eruptive material from the La Restinga vent arrives at regular times at the surface (with or without Jacuzzi).  The material from the deeper vent is picked up by the currents and is carried away at a depth of approx. 300 meter.
 Finally, the stain can well be seen at the image as the yellow color hanging at the upper part of the image.
We presume that the days that we do not see any surface action from the vent, although everything indicates that the eruption is continuing, a strong sea current maybe the reason for a diluted stain.
 If you do not agree on our theory, just let us know in the comments.
Our sincere congratulations to Martin Rey, IEO and the crew of the  Ramón Margalef. Click on the picture to watch the bigger size image.

http://i41.tinypic.com/33usaza.jpg

[jand]

http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/oldroot/volcanoes/canary/canary.html

Photos of Volcanoes in the Canary Islands.

[jand]

http://www.01.ign.es/ign/head/volcaSenalesAnterioresDia.do?nombreFichero=CHIE_2011-11-17&ver=s&estacion=CHIE&Anio=2011&Mes=11&Dia=17&tipo=2

One persons comments on the above graph.

Tyler Mannison says:

 November 17, 2011 at 16:30

Seems like something has changed at El Hierro.

[kevin2003]

[jand]

http://www.avcan.org/?m=Noticias&a=noticia&N=911

On the origin of the 'restingolita'" by John J. Coello Bravo, geologist on Tenerife. Published 10/11/2011 on the AVCAN website.
 http://www.avcan.org/?m=Noticias&a=noticia&N=911
 With a working theory on how they may have formed, very interesting.

[jand]

http://www.01.ign.es/ign/head/volcaSenalesDiasAnterioresHora.do?nombreFichero=EHIG_2011-11-17_16-17&estacion=EHIG&Anio=2011&Mes=11&Dia=17&tipo=1&hora=16-17

Does anybody know whats happening on the graphs on La Palma today ?

[kevin2003]

quote:Originally posted by jand

Does anybody know whats happening on the graphs on La Palma today ?

[jand]

jonfr.com/volcano

It seems that the geological interpretation of the eruption is getting clearer. This is a *very* interesting reading dealing with El Hierro magma origin, composition, fractioning and evolution:
 http://www.uhu.es/antonio.castro/antonio.castro/VOLCAN_EL_HIERRO.html
 The author is Antonio Castro, from the University of Huelva.

[jand]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/noticiacanaria/with/6352766523/

Two new photos from the helicopter.

[jand]

Fuerteventura had some movement on the graphs earlier today.

http://www.ign.es/ign/head/volcaSenalesDiasAnterioresHora.do?nombreFichero=CFUE_2011-11-17_16-17&estacion=CFUE&Anio=2011&Mes=11&Dia=17&tipo=1&hora=16-17

[jand]

Regarding the bizare graphs on La Palma today some of the other sites are saying there are army/military excercises going on there and these maybe causing the unusual graphs.

[jand]

http://www.ieo.es/apartar/ieoprensa/hierro/171111.pdf

This is interesting will need to be translated.

[jand]

The above link shows that helium is now being produced between 4000 and 35000 times more than normal.

Copied from jonfr.com/volcano

Helium enrichment recorded between 4,000 and 35,000 times higher than normal. Much helium ... But no oxygen to 100m deep. A layer deadly to marine life, is acidic (pH 5) and has no oxygen .. The IEO report today. http://www.ieo. es/apartar/ieoprensa/hierro/171111.pdf

There is a discussion now on the internet that maybe this volcano is now changing from a shield volcano .

This is a link re how helium is released from an erruption and what it may mean.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=F0HstDk_cgYC&pg=PA153&lpg=PA153&dq=what+type+of+volcano+produces+helium&source=bl&ots=SbxLm6BMtl&sig=ci1S0xwvyBE9RaqklpTEbhr9V2o&hl=en&ei=z3bFTov3McbKhAfnscGHDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

[jand]

jonfr.com/volcano

Noble gas and other isotopes
 Main article: helium-3

3He is considered a primordial isotope as it was formed in the Big Bang. Very little is produced, and little has been added to the Earth by other processes since then (Anderson, 1989). 4He includes a primordial component, but it is also produced by the natural radioactive decay of U and Th. Over time, He in the upper atmosphere is lost into space. Thus, the Earth has become progressively depleted in He, and 3He is not replaced as 4He is. As a result the ratio 3He/4He in the Earth has lowered over time.

Unusually high 3He/4He have been observed in some, but not all, "hot spots". In mantle plume theory, this is explained by plumes tapping a deep, primordial reservoir in the lower mantle, where the original, high 3He/4He ratios have been preserved throughout geologic time.[13] In the context of the Plate hypothesis, the high ratios are explained by preservation of old material in the shallow mantle. Ancient, high 3He/4He ratios would be particularly easily preserved in materials lacking U or Th, so 4He was not added over time. Olivine and dunite, both found in subducted crust, are materials of this sort"

[TripleH]

Boing!! "Time for bed" said Zebedee

[Deso]

Woe, could you please edit your picture posts as they are making the pages very wide and dragging all peoples posts way off the screen? []

[jand]

This was written in 2003.

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003AGUFM.V12G..03H

The westernmost and youngest Canary Islands La Palma (2.0 Ma) and El Hierro (1.1 Ma) are presently in their shield stages. The subaerial and submarine morphology of both islands is characterized by one or three elongated ridges, respectively, commonly interpreted as volcanic rift zones. Our investgations indicate that young submarine volcanic activity off the islands is not confined to the extensions of these rift zones, but is also dispersed along the island flanks. Fresh basaltic rocks dredged along these flanks (RV "Poseidon" cruise 270 in 2001, and RV "Meteor" cruise M43 in 1998) comprise basanites to tephrites and alkali basalts. Remarkably, the dredged lavas are geochemically more diverse than those of the Holocene subaerial ridges. Fresh basalts have been recovered from 21 young volcanoes on the submarine flanks of El Hierro at depths from 800 to 2300 m. Another 25 volcanic cones can be tentatively identified from morphologies similar to the dreged ones. These submarine volcanoes off El Hierro occur in a dispersed manner on the blunt noses representing the extensions of the postulated suabearial northeast and northwest rift zones but also off the rift axes. Young volcanoes also occur within the Las Playas and El Julan landslide scars, testifying to renewed volcanic activity following large landslides. On the east flank of La Palma, we recovered basaltic rocks from 8 volcanic cones at depths between 850 and 2200 m and at a distance of up to 30 km off the rift axis, recognizing another 20 possible volcanoes in the same area from high-resolution bathymetric data. Remarkably, young submarine volcanoes are comparatively rare on the western flank and the submarine extension of the Cumbre Vieja rift zone. The high density of apparently young volcanoes on the NE and NW slopes of El Hierro suggests that submarine volcanism is volumetrically important during subaerial growth stages of the Canary Islands. Our results indicate that a broad melting anomaly involving distinct sources must occur in the mantle beneath La Palma and El Hierro.

[jand]

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2509028

Comment from someone today.

So...basaltic shield volcanoes usually pull from very deep in the mantle. Strato volcanoes normally contain cinsistent ingredients that are often, not found in baslatic types. However...Helium is now being found present in Hierro, and it's more common in strato's. Now, we're seeing that the only helium eruption source in the Canaries was Tenerife. That means, it's possible, the chambers beneath these islands are interconnected!

This is surely now food for thought or is it way off the mark?

[TripleH]

Woe, can you delete your rhubarb pic please

[falkirkdan]

quote:Originally posted by jand

http://www.flickr.com/photos/noticiacanaria/with/6352766523/

Two new photos from the helicopter.

The pictures from the helicopter really show better than anything elso what is going on.   Looking at the stuff in the water would think this is more than the Iceland volcano of last spring.

[fifi]

I dont know why but for some reason I thought there was a link between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote and that the other Islands were linked separately jand. Maybe I read it somewhere or I could be wrong.

It is very hard to understand a lot of what goes on allright but you pick up bits along the way and it adds to the enjoyment of each stage of the eruption process. I agree Danny the photos today are fantastic and really show the force behind the eruption which we cant really pick up properly on the webcam. This one is my favourite.[]








The harmonic tremor at 22:46 UTC. Notice how the drop is sudden when the new eruption fissure stops erupting. What happens is that the magma source that fed the erupting fissure dried up.

This might mean that a new fissure might open up in the next few hours to days. Where that might happen is impossible to know. But as the fissures have been open up so far, it is going to be in a North – south line (about) in El Hierro volcano. What has however become a problem in my opinion is that the magma might have "boiled" the rock and made it soft. So it might not make a earthquakes before a eruption starts in it. This might be the case if the magma has been in the crust for the past 5 weeks. But the only example of that type of event that I know of was in Eyjafjallajökull volcano last year (2010), when a new fissure did open up suddenly and without any earthquakes or warning after 4 weeks of eruption. The reason for that was the same one on what I think might be happening in El Hierro volcano. (Source Iceland volcano and eruption blog)

[SurfJames]

I too was impressed by todays photos on flicker.

I wish they would put a camera down there so we can see what's happening.

Logically you'd expect the mantle to be larger than the total area of the Canaries, so
I see no reason why the magma is not interconnected throughout the islands.

As a point of interest: Have a look at the peak of Teide using Google Earth. It's an amazing site and you can clearly
see massive lava tubes from the peak to the base all around it. The Canaries really are the most stunning
and unique parts of the World.

[SurfJames]

The harmonic tremors have stopped suddenly tonight and the vent has closed again.

Could lead to stronger earthquakes as pressure builds up.

Here is a simulation of what an eruption might look like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N86oJmQJsH8

[Florence]

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames

The harmonic tremors have stopped suddenly tonight and the vent has closed again.

Could lead to stronger earthquakes as pressure builds up.

Here is a simulation of what an eruption might look like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N86oJmQJsH8

Well, what ever it does - it will never be able to emit as much sh@t you can.  Of that we can be assured.

[jand]

jonfr.com/volcano 17/11

It seems by the harmonic tremor data that a new erupting fissure has opened up somewhere in El Hierro volcano. But given lack of visual observation I do believe that this fissure is at really great depth, and is not leaving any signs on the surface that a new eruption is taking place. Where this new fissure might be is unknown to me at present time. But based on the harmonic tremor data this new eruption seems to be powerful one. It should be expected that new fissures opens up a random while El Hierro volcano is erupting. So far the fissures that have been opening up have been short and out in the ocean. It should also be expect that erupting fissures stop erupting for no reason and with no warning at all. This seems to have happened as I am writing down this blog post.

The harmonic tremor from the eruption in El Hierro volcano yesterday. It can be seen on this harmonic tremor chart that the eruption was powerful all yesterday. Copyright of this picture belongs to IGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional).

The harmonic tremor around 22:07 UTC. At that time the eruption was in full power as can be seen. Copyright of this picture belongs to IGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional).

The harmonic tremor at 22:46 UTC. Notice how the drop is sudden when the new eruption fissure stops erupting. What happens is that the magma source that fed the erupting fissure did dry up. Why and how that happens in unknown to me. Copyright of this picture belongs to IGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional).

This might mean that a new fissure might open up in the next few hours to days. Where that might happen is impossible to know. But as the fissures have been open up so far, it is going to be in a North – south line (about) in El Hierro volcano. What has however become a problem in my opinion is that the magma might have "boiled" the rock and made it soft. So it might not make a earthquakes before a eruption starts in it. This might be the case if the magma has been in the crust for the past 5 weeks. But the only example of that type of event that I know of was in Eyjafjallajökull volcano last year (2010), when a new fissure did open up suddenly and without any earthquakes or warning after 4 weeks of eruption. The reason for that was the same one on what I think might be happening in El Hierro volcano.

From what I can tell, based on data and earthquakes it does not seems that the eruptions in El Hierro volcano are over. As new magma continues to flow in from depth (the mantle). Until that flow stops, El Hierro volcano is going to continue to erupt. However there might be breaks from few hours and up to several weeks between eruptions, in that case no eruption would be taking place. This has its origin in the fact that this is a fissure rift events of shorts, a similar eruption took place in Krafla volcano in Iceland for over a 10 year period. Movement and flash inflation and deflation are also to be expected during this period in El Hierro volcano eruption. As it has many similarities of the eruption in Krafla volcano in Iceland. But it is not exactly the same, just similar. As Krafla volcano is on the inter-plate rift zone. While El Hierro volcano is on a hot spot rift zone, far inside the Africa Plate.

[jand]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86lP8-EkbPo&feature=youtu.be

[jand]

jonfr.com/volcano

Here are some updated plots to 17/11/2011 21:28.

Overview: http://oi42.tinypic.com/2wpt4yv.jpg
 Analysis: http://oi41.tinypic.com/fwqa0l.jpg

KarenZ says:

 November 18, 2011 at 00:23

And:

Latitude: http://oi41.tinypic.com/29gboue.jpg
 Longitude: http://oi44.tinypic.com/2571ws4.jpg

It looks as though the silent gap between the newer activity at NW and W Frontera is not as wide as it was pre-Bob.

KarenZ says:

 November 18, 2011 at 00:34

Hope Lurking can do a 4D plot to verify.

Reply

Lurking says:

 November 18, 2011 at 02:56

http://youtu.be/86lP8-EkbPo

M. Randolph Kruger says:

 November 18, 2011 at 04:35

Lurk, next plot with terrain just make it a line drawing if possible for the island. They are now coming up from underneath. If this is invading a lava tube system and moving up then it will quake lightly and we might be able to kind of line it up with the .pdf about the caves that are already there.

I couldnt get it how this thing formed up and your plot is starting to confirm the lava tube/cave connections. They are just deeper I think its all it its. The magma chamber might just be a huge lava tube thats filling in kind of a stupid non linear fashion.

With the line drawing showing depth we will know if its invading the mountain by the plots.

Agreed, they aint fessing up on all they know but what else could they do? If they acknowledge it, it will tank the already tanking economy there. Who is going to drive in a tunnel full of gases? Who is going to hang in a town if they know its going to go in the future?

If they leave then the govt is going to have to house, clothe, feed, and educate them.

Again, I think that they are going to make the call way too late. 4 hours my butt.

A units in the military have to sortie within 24 hours of the go order. Towns people can do it in four. Pass the crack will you......