El Hierro

[jand]

Update 29/11 – 08:37 UTC
 Reader Bernhard Steck wrothe this very interesting comment this morning.


Good morning everyone
 Just saw this morning 7am local time El Hierro some lights going on and of at the eruption site (it was above the harbour signal light) optical illusion or a big ship out there or the eruption going on?
 I found on a Swiss newspaper following report in German: (see short translation of a part below)
"Zeitweise ragte der Vulkan 200 Meter über den Meeresboden empor, es fehlten noch 100 Meter, dann wäre eine neue Insel entstanden. Spanische Wissenschafter hatten kürzlich ein ferngesteuertes U-Boot an die fragliche Stelle abtauchen lassen. Dieses brachte beeindruckende Bilder aus der Tiefe mit, sie zeigten ein steinernes Ungetüm mit einem 700 Meter breiten Sockel und einem 150 Meter breiten Krater".
A few days ago Spanish scientists were using a remote controlled submarine to dive to the eruption site. What they saw is that the vulcano is so far 200m high, still 100m below water surface, at the bottom 700m in diameter and the crater is 150m wide. it says they have returned astonishing pics.
 Has anyone seen those pics an can make them available? Or is it just a duck?

Earthquake-report.com comment : We thank Bernhard to be so kind to send us the article of this reliable newspaper (Neue Zurchzer Zeiting).  The publishing date is  "November 29", but we have very strong doubts on the freshness of this information. Why ?
 1) You cannot hide a ROV from the view in the Las Calmas sea. There always has to be an oceanographic ship controlling the ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle). We have not seen this type of ship for at least a week.
 2) The published image is not as recent as it should be and NO trace of the extraordinary pictures which have been recorded
 3) We think it is a general describing article on the El Hierro activity
 4) This article contradicts Ian's words of yesterday. Ian reported that a Spanish scientist told him in La Restinga that : a new scientific ocean survey ship is coming tomorrow to map the area. Why sending this ship if the work was already done a couple of days ago.
 5) once again we see that the open source images from the Cabildo and the Guardia Civil are showing up under a copyright Keystone/EPA logo !
 6) We think that there is a huge difference in following this eruption event on a day to day basis like we do, and the articles in the mainstream press who are sometimes finding this story just now ... but we can be wrong of course
BUT : we hope that this article is right, this would reveal a lot of what we are asking for since so many weeks

[jand]

Update 29/11 – 08:42 UTC – Ian Carson morning report (he leaves El Hierro with the ferry later this morning)
 Good Morning,
 Seemed to have been a couple of harmonic bursts last couple of hours but normal with a lot of stain at daybreak. I thought I would give my views for your reader visitors to Restinga soon.
 1) The authorities seem very well prepared and spare no expense in ensuring the safety of the population whilst keeping them 'on board' and informed. I have been very impressed. I am certain that gas would have been a problem at times if we had not had consistent, strong off shore winds.
 2) The mental comfort ! At times of activity, even knowing everything is monitored, the effect when trying to sleep at night.

[jand]

earthquake-report.com

The eruption webcam has not zoomed yet, but we see a well defined eruption vent in the distance. The vent itself is at the left side of the lighter stain and the sea current (wave direction) is pushing the erupted material to the right. The position of the event is similar than a couple of days ago .

[jand]

Fifi are you watching now is that the Ramon margolf going in to have a look.?

[jand]

Update 29/11 – 10:59 UTC
 Alerted by all your comments and mails we were able to record the passage of the ship Ian referred to as a 'topographic'  ship in his comment yesterday. Let us hope that Pevolca will share the actual depth of the vent with all the internet readers.  Our readers are currently trying to find out which research vessel it is. The Poseidon is one of the possibilities. The Poseidon was traced by one of our readers somewhere in the Canary Islands area.

Video of the boat this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU_AU7Utf2U

[jand]

wired.com

Erik Klemetti is an assistant professor of Geosciences at Denison University. His passion in geology is volcanoes, and he has studied them all over the world. You can follow Erik on Twitter, where you'll get volcano news and the occasional baseball comment.


The break is done! First update looks at the continuing activity at El Hierro in Canary Islands continues. The "jacuzzis" persist to the south of the island (see below) with some indication that they might be closer to shore than before – however, they still don't appear to be in shallow enough water or vigorous enough activity to be Surtseyan in nature. Plenty of the the steaming, black floating pumices are still being spotted on the water's surface (see above). You can see some video of the "jacuzzis" with a helicopter hovering over them (video) and it clearly shows the ocean steaming. All the activity so far has been focussed to the south of El Hierro and the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) now says that there are "no signs" of an impending eruption to the north of the island.
IGN posted some information (spanish) on the petrology of the clasts being erupted from the submarine vents and it looks like the floating clasts don't float for long: "The high vesicularity of both liquids is what gave a relatively low density, allowing them to reach the surface of the water and survive in it for few hours until the gas vacuoles were filled with water, finally sinking to the seabed." (Google translation). This is typical for pumice clasts in most situations – once water saturates the rock, it loses the ability to float. IGN has now collected some impressively-sized pieces, too, measuring up to 2 meters (see above).

Compositionally, the clasts are a mix, as we've known for a while, but it seems that even the end members of the mix might be a mix. The dark material is low silica basanite (43-45 wt% silica) that is normal for El Hierro. The lighter material is more peculiar – not only is it different from the basanite, but it might be a mixture in itself. It contains both trachyte (similar to dacite but more sodium, potassium and calcium – 64-65 wt% silica) and rhyolite (74 wt% silica). [SPECULATION] That compositional different might suggest that the two true end members are the basanite and the rhyolite while the trachyte might be a mix of the two. Considering the clasts preserve the light and dark of the basanite and rhyolite, then the mixing that occurs during (or right before) the eruption is incomplete. Some samples preserve more of the mixing, thus contain the trachyte. The magmas are stored in very different conditions as well – basanite at 1200°C, likely in the newly intruding dike, and the rhyolite/trachyte at 850-900°C, likely as a crystal mush that the dike intersects. [/SPECULATION] There isn't much of the lighter magmas either – IGN estimates there is roughly 10:1 volumetrically basanite to rhyolite/trachyte – similar to what is found in Iceland, where small volumes of rhyolites are found at many Icelandic volcanoes. The lighter rhyolite/trachyte might not be that old either – research at La Palma in the Canary Islands suggests that the time to differentiate a phonolite (similar to rhyolite) from a basanite is less than 1750 years.

[jand]

The INVOLCAN continues registering an increase of the diffuse emission of CO2 by the island volcanic system of El Hierro

The diffuse emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) currently by the volcanic edifice island of El Hierro reaches the 2,398 ± 115 tons per day

Since last July scientists of the Institute and for renewable energies (ITER), body dependent on the Cabildo Insular of Tenerife, and now forming part of the Institute Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN), have made numerous scientific campaigns on diffuse emissions of volcanic gases that have materialized in the entire insular surface of the island of the Meridian. To date, the results reflect the registration of an upward trend of the diffuse emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by the island volcanic edifice of El Hierro, who has reached the 2,398 ± 115 tons per day; a value equivalent to almost 7 times the normal average value for the diffuse emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the island of El Hierro (345 tons per day).

This increase in the diffuse emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) reflects that the pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the magmático-hidrotermal system existing under the island of El Hierro this increase as a result most likely movement of magma from deeper positions to more shallow that favor the exsolución of the carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolved in the molten Silicon (magma).

The purpose of these scientific campaigns is to investigate variations spatio-temporal of the diffuse emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by El Hierro Island volcanic system given that the results of the same can not be obtained through permanent instrumental networks and contribute to the analysis of the evolution of the current eruptive phase that is registering in El Hierro. On the other hand, it is widely accepted that the gases are the driving force of the volcanic eruptions and the importance of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the volcanic monitoring programmes given that not only is the second major component of volcanic gases, after water vapor but that its low solubility in molten silicitados (magma) favours that the carbon dioxide (CO2) from escaping with ease of volcanic systems in depth.

These scientific campaigns have been able to realize the project MAKAVOL "Strengthening of the capabilities of I+D+i+d to contribute to reducing volcanic risk in the Macaronesia (MAC/3/C161)" is being co-funded by the programme for transnational cooperation of the European Union Madeira-Canarias - Azores (MAC 2007-2013) and the collaboration of Cabildos island of Tenerife and El Hierro.

[jand]

[fifi]

quote:Originally posted by jand

Fifi are you watching now is that the Ramon margolf going in to have a look.?

I didnt see it jand. The Ramon Margalef is blue on the bottom so if you mean the ship that was in the video its definitely not the same one. As far as I know the Ramon Margalef has left El Hierro. The new ship is due to arrive though with proper ROVs and was being discussed on AVCAN this morning. Maybe that was the ship you saw. I hope so.[]

[jand]

Fifi

There is a ship now on the webcam panaoramic view.

[jand]

Update 29/11 – 11:38 UTC
Wow ... this was an amazing experience - our readers were the best reporters on the globe. Within minutes after they saw the ship everybody started searching for the name, and ... yes,  you did it ! Thanks to you all. Sorry for the server problems we had.  They are a direct result of being poor and having to use the best available software on the wordpress platform.

Update 29/11 – 11:26 UTC
 User Martin Rey has traced the ship currently navigating in the stain area
 New oceanographic boat on La restinga th "Sarmiento de Gamboa".. 70m, its the BEST oceanographic boat that can be send, i think. It's called a "grand Cientific Instalation" by CSIC, its owner.

[fifi]

Yes that looks like the boat that was due to arrive jand.http://www.utm.csic.es/sarmiento.asp

[jand]

Thanks Fifi lets hope we might get some more upto date information.

[fifi]

You can see all the stones just beneath the sea at the moment. I wonder why they are not steaming any more? They should be able to film the eruption hopefully so maybe a video on the way. Hope so.[]

[TripleH]

quote:Originally posted by jand

The eruption webcam has not zoomed yet, but we see a well defined eruption vent in the distance. The vent itself is at the left side of the lighter stain and the sea current (wave direction) is pushing the erupted material to the right. The position of the event is similar than a couple of days ago .

Just a query jand. You say its a well defined eruption but the pic you put up says "probable". Which is it?

[fifi]

quote:Originally posted by TripleH

quote:Originally posted by jand

The eruption webcam has not zoomed yet, but we see a well defined eruption vent in the distance. The vent itself is at the left side of the lighter stain and the sea current (wave direction) is pushing the erupted material to the right. The position of the event is similar than a couple of days ago .

Just a query jand. You say its a well defined eruption but the pic you put up says "probable". Which is it?

The assumption is based on the webcam view Triple H from watching the appearance of this mornings stain and the direction of the waves. The ship should be able to see whats happening under the water today hopefully and finally map the size and locations of the erupting areas The information provided by the other ship the Ramon Margalef was inaccurate.[]

[jand]

TripleH

Just to confirm I am not saying anything this was copied from Earthquake report.com.

Sorry in future I will quote the website for reference I am posting information from .

You will find 99% of my posts are not what I am saying the information and facts and quotes including maps graphs and comments are from other people and other sites.

Have added the link earthquake-report.com to the post now.

[TripleH]

quote:Originally posted by jand

TripleH

Just to confirm I am not saying anything this was copied from Earthquake report.com.

Sorry in future I will quote the website for reference I am posting information from .

You will find 99% of my posts are not what I am saying the information and facts and quotes including maps graphs and comments are from other people and other sites.

Have added the link earthquake-report.com to the post now.

So really you could just be posting supposition

[jand]

European Space Agency

http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMDT02XFVG_index_0.html

Just seen this on the above website?

29 November 2011
With the need to understand global change one of today's most pressing scientific challenges, ESA is exploring novel techniques for future space missions. Firing laser pulses between satellites is promising a step up in tracking greenhouse gases.

More renowned for their appeal as holiday destinations, the Spanish Canary Islands recently played host to an experiment that involved shooting laser beams from a peak on La Palma to Tenerife.
Over the course of two weeks, the night sky lit up with green pulses of light between the two islands – looking more like a scene from a Star Wars film than an experiment to help understand Earth's atmosphere.

The experiment was devised to test the concept of using 'infrared differential absorption spectroscopy' as a way of making extremely accurate measurements of trace gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

 Optical ground station, Tenerife
The approach links two satellites orbiting Earth: one acts as a transmitter and the other acts as a receiver, with the atmosphere being probed as the beam travels between them.

Radio occultation involves tracking signals from satellites as they rise or set behind Earth and is a well-established method of sensing the atmosphere using microwave signals.

This new concept, however, uses shortwave infrared laser pulses.

At the right wavelength, the atmospheric molecules affect the beam. This information can then be used to calculate concentrations of trace gases, and potentially wind.

Repeated at different altitudes, a vertical profile stretching from the lower stratosphere to the upper troposphere could be built up.

Transmitter station, La Palma
As an important part any new development, the theory has to be put to the test.

The equipment was placed on the two islands, taking advantage of ESA's optical ground station on Tenerife. This facility, built on a peak 2390 m above sea level, is part of a larger astronomical installation called the Observatorio del Teide run by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC).

The station offered the perfect location to install the receiver hardware, which was integrated into the main telescope. IAC runs another facility, the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, on top of a similarly high peak on La Palma.

Perched on these volcanic mountains and separated by 144 km of Atlantic Ocean, there is an unobstructed path between the two facilities, making them one of the best sites in the world to conduct such experiments.

 Green laser
During the two weeks, the core team of scientists from the Wegener Center of the University of Graz in Austria and the Universities of York and Manchester in the UK recorded the first data of this kind.

The infrared beam is invisible to the naked eye, but the impressive green guidance laser was used to record atmospheric turbulence alongside the infrared laser.

Gottfried Kirchengast from the Wegener Center said, "The campaign has been a crucial next step towards realising infrared-laser occultation observations from space.

"We are excited that this pioneering inter-island demonstration for measuring carbon dioxide and methane was successful."


The experiment was carried out within ESA's Earth Observation Support to Science Element.


Tenerife Station


Transmitter Station La Palma

[jand]

TripleH

No the posts are not supposition I am sure you will find 99% of the information I am posting is facts and because I am on Fuerteventura reading .papers and watching spanish Tv and talking to spanish people some of the information posted is done so before the goverment or Pevolca get their act in order!!!

[SurfJames]

quote:Originally posted by fifi

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames


I've always been very attracted to patient people [][][][8D]

But - YES - we want roosters!!!!

          ..........

Im very nosey.[] Are you a nurse Surfjames?

No

Have another guess!  [][][8D]

[TripleH]

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames

quote:Originally posted by fifi

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames


I've always been very attracted to patient people [][][][8D]

But - YES - we want roosters!!!!

          ..........

Im very nosey.[] Are you a nurse Surfjames?

No

Have another guess!  [][][8D]

Not a Gigolo eh?  http://www.fuerteventura-forum.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17646

[jand]

SurfJames

I think you are into microbiology or something to do with say the blood testing for abnormalities .

Or you work for CSI .

[SurfJames]

quote:Originally posted by jand

SurfJames

I think you are into microbiology or something to do with say the blood testing for abnormalities .

Or you work for CSI .

You are so close jand.....[]

I am a pathologist- a disease detective. I have done a lot of work on Malaria and lived in Africa, but my main area is Leukaemia and other related blood disease. I have also done a lot of research on syphilis. I used to enjoy peoples reaction when I told them this at parties. 'So, what do you do James?'..'I work on syphilis.' [][][8D]

There - spilt the beans. Can I ask what you do jand and fifi?

[SurfJames]

quote:Originally posted by TripleH

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames

quote:Originally posted by fifi

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames


I've always been very attracted to patient people [][][][8D]

But - YES - we want roosters!!!!

          ..........

Im very nosey.[] Are you a nurse Surfjames?

No

Have another guess!  [][][8D]

Not a Gigolo eh?  http://www.fuerteventura-forum.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17646

Tiple.....Don't go digging up past posts mate.

Besides I've got a beautiful girlfriend now. [][][][8D]

[TripleH]

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames

quote:Originally posted by TripleH

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames

quote:Originally posted by fifi

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames


I've always been very attracted to patient people [][][][8D]

But - YES - we want roosters!!!!

          ..........

Im very nosey.[] Are you a nurse Surfjames?

No

Have another guess!  [][][8D]

Not a Gigolo eh?  http://www.fuerteventura-forum.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17646

Tiple.....Don't go digging up past posts mate.

Besides I've got a beautiful girlfriend now. [][][][8D]

True shouldn't do that sorry mate. Congrats on the beauty and full respect for your profession.

[SurfJames]

quote:Originally posted by TripleH

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames

quote:Originally posted by TripleH

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames

quote:Originally posted by fifi

quote:Originally posted by SurfJames


I've always been very attracted to patient people [][][][8D]

But - YES - we want roosters!!!!

          ..........

Im very nosey.[] Are you a nurse Surfjames?

No

Have another guess!  [][][8D]

Not a Gigolo eh?  http://www.fuerteventura-forum.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17646

Tiple.....Don't go digging up past posts mate.

Besides I've got a beautiful girlfriend now. [][][][8D]

True shouldn't do that sorry mate. Congrats on the beauty and full respect for your profession.

No worries mate. I've always enjoyed your humour. You come across as a cool dude [8D]

[fifi]

There - spilt the beans. Can I ask what you do jand and fifi? (Surfjames)



I do my best to be a jet setter Surfjames.[][] Congrats for all the medical research. Keep those nasties away.[]

[jand]

SurfJames

As a certain amount of people on here think I am a raving looney then think its best I dont divulge what work I do on the island cos I get enough ribbing on here about my posts about El Hierro and dont want anymore.

My part time work is being an avid El Hierro Volcano follower and proud to be part of the FiJanSurfPenny Detective Agency!!!!

[jand]

earthquake-report.com
Data Update 29/11 – 16:08
 - Only 4 M+1.5 earthquakes since midnight
 - 6 earthquakes if the ones below 1.5 are included too
 - the strongest was a 3.2 magnitude earthquake which occurred at 01:59 at night
 - harmonic tremor at medium strength

Update 29/11 – 16:08
 We guess that you will also have the same problem with the 'eruption webcam". It does not return an image.

General non-El Hierro Update for Volcano lovers
 Take a look at an update we have published on our Nyamulagira November volcano eruption 2011 (Rwanda) article. We have some new images taken by Jean-Yves Saliez, residing in Rwanda. We are sure you will love them.

Update 29/11 – 14:29
 Martin Rey just told us that the Ramón Margalef is returning to El Hierro for the next research phase called "GEOLOGIA-GEOMORFOLOGIA BIMABACHE 1011-6#8243;

Update 29/11 – 14:29
 As people have discovered already, we have added 3 more webcam pages. We did this on our readers demand as some people did not like to heavy load of the 3 webcams, others did not like the ads (although they could be removed by clicking on the cross) and some did not like the sound (could be stopped also). The links are above.  3 in 1 page  – Las Calmas Ustream – La Restinga village – Eruption webcam

Update 29/11 – 14:25 UTC – Sarmiento de Gomboa : what is the ship doing near the stain ?
 The Sarmiento de Gomboa oceanic research vessel belongs to the CSIC, is navigating under orders of IGME (Instituto Geologico y Minero de España) and is specialized in bathymetry (a complicated word which means study of underwater depth of lake or ocean floors) and geological survey. As we could see on the webcam, the ship made a lot of zigzag movements and will be disclosing a perfect 3-D picture of the eruptive volcano vent soon. The vessel has scientists from the IEO on board and will also do some research on the geological layers beyond 15 km depth.

Update 29/11 – 13:48 UTC
 Just received from Ian Carson :I must confess to being a poor reporter as I was told the name of the oceanographic ship, however, it was spoken very quickly in Spanish and I didn't want to be more trouble to scientists by having to repeat it. Now it is written,, it sounds familiar. As I drove up to El Pinar to depart, I could see a brown stain developing,- just to tease me...
 Again the friendliness of the Herreinos (?) (ER : should be Herreños) is astounding, it is not just the odd one who is friendly, it is everyone you meet.
 I have been fortunate in being a 'magnet' for news, even my solitary last vigil on the coast this morning brought the girl with last nights earthquake tales to tell (now 3.2) – incredible... The Salvamar (stone collector) ship is currently in the port. I am going to view the webcam now – its not the same as the live view, however, I have seen some action for that I am grateful.
 Ian is still at the port until 1500, he had to return his car to the airport at 1100 thats why he left Pinar early... He wrote me at the end : I am just pleased to be a little part of it and so happy to have discovered this paradise. I would have been so happy even without the volcano.  On behalf of our readers and earthquake-report.com, thank you Ian for your involvement and your great images.

Update 29/11 – 12:18 UTC
 It is not official, but due to the many ups and downs along the stain, we are almost sure that the Sarmiento de Gamboa is mapping the sea floor very carefully.
 - Todays webcam image is rather complicated with a number of stains. We will need an image from a helicopter to find out whether these are Jacuzzis or patches of earlier emitted material.

Update 29/11 – 11:38 UTC