El Hierro

[jand]

Fifi shall we both apply on a part share basis

VOLCANOLOGIST
The British Geological Survey (BGS), founded in 1835, is part of the Natural Environment
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You should have a good honours degree in geology, geophysics, physics or mathematics
together with a PhD in Volcano Science. You should have a thorough understanding of volcanic
and magmatic processes, and volcanic hazards. In addition you must possess good project
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complex scientific issues to non-scientists / scientists from different disciplines.
Starting salary will be between £26,180 per annum and £29,410 per annum depending on
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[jand]

volcanoscience blogspot copied.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Smoking Lava Stones at El Hierro This Morning

Video from El Hierro this morning showed smoking lava stones on the surface of the water intermittently, during a period of supposed low harmonic tremor. Many bloggers and volcanologists are under the assumption that a volcano only erupts when harmonic tremor is detected, leading them to falsely report this eruption is at its end. Again, El Hierro is still erupting. You don't get floating lava rocks freshly steaming at the surface from a volcano that is not erupting, period. Earthquake activity has also picked up again on the island.

Harmonic tremor does not denote an eruption. It precedes an eruption. There are a few stages to an eruption, the first is earthquake swarms from breaking rocks and underground explosions. Second, harmonic tremor starts when magma finds a channel toward the surface. Once a channel reaches the surface, you generally have an eruption with a decrease in harmonic tremor. Once the channel of lava becomes more stable, harmonic tremor decreases. If the vent collapses and plugs the main fissure, harmonic tremor will again pick up, building pressure and attempting to find another outlet. This is what is occurring at El Hierro. The summit vent has collapsed several times. When it does, you see harmonic tremor pick up.

The vent at El Hierro has collapsed several times, each time harmonic tremor drops, and people say "Oh the eruption must be over". Shortly after there is always an explosion, with lava rocks reaching the surface, with another gradual decrease in tremor (when the vent can erupt again). The likely scenario is that the vent has a stable magma tube coming to the surface, and periodically gets plugged, which results in collapses and underwater explosions. This is NOT simply hydrothermal, as magma/lava is rarely involved.

My own thoughts are that El Hierro will continue to be active for a long time, and will continue its on/off phases until it finally gives up the ghost and settles down. However the vastness of the underground low-velocity zone, coupled with CO2 emissions on the island itself suggest that this may not be the only vent that will open up during this eruption. As I've pointed out in an earlier post, there appears to be two separate magma chambers under El Hierro, a smaller one to the ENE of El Hierro, and one to the WSW/SE of El Hierro (covering the area of El Golfo to the E of La Restinga, and through the main island). I believe the smaller one is related to the erupting vent, and the bigger one may not have erupted yet (and may or may not).

It is still too early to say whether or not El Hierro is in its last gasps, even though some other bloggers seem to think so. I surely do not.

I will post more updates as they become available.

[jand]

Video of the Guardia Civil flight yesterday,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lTovJueusQ0

[jand]

Carl le Strange says:

 January 3, 2012 at 19:21


Well that kind of did it...
 Bob is healthy, alive and kicking down there. No doubt about it.
 I actually wonder how deep it is now, it looked quite a lot more shallow now than it did on the last video I watched.

My guess is that the decrease in tremoring is due to the secondary vents having closed down, and that the feeder up to Bob is now "unproblematic". Less resistance in the feeder could very well explain diminishing tremor. And with less resistance I mean that the tube by now is fairly smooth and let a steady stream of gasses and solids through to the top of the vent.

Very nice video, Una Canaria, thank you brother from us!

[jand]

VIRTUALLY CONSTANT.


03-01-2012... 15: 37 - Ministry of economy, finance and security

The tremor signal recorded by the seismic stations of the network for monitoring of the National Geographic Institute (IGN) has remained practically constant during the two day of January, as reported by the Agency at the address of the Civil Protection Plan by volcanic risk (PEVOLCA).

In particular, that signal remained until 3: 00 pm a constant amplitude to decrease then sharply amplitude, initiating a slight increase in gradually until stabilizing at 6: 00 for ten hours. After this period and at a low level of tremor, the signal began recording a slight decrease in the amplitude for four hours, recovering the level of the Central hours of the day. Although the signal has low levels of amplitude, the tremor is present in the registry which confirms that the eruptive process continues.

About seismicity should be noted that, during the day yesterday, two events of low magnitude were located in the area of El Julan, around three o'clock in the morning, which were not felt by the population... In total, 11.959 events have been located since on July 19, 2011.

Deformation
The deformation monitoring stations show a stable pattern in the horizontal and the vertical component throughout the island. Stations to the South there is a vertical tendency of deflation.

Mancha
For its part, the spot was visible throughout the day with a well-defined bubbling and material area fine. Green party widely extended East of the Centre of emission, by the action of sea currents. The previous day, the first of January, broadcast area was very well-defined with Brown Centre and during the morning there were moments of material emissions. During the rest of the day was observed intense bubbling

[jand]

http://212.170.244.196/

There have been smokimg stones showing on the above webcam since 0800 this morning.

[jand]

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acn-media

The smoking stones can be seen more clearly on this webcam and are still going strong.

[jand]

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acn-media

The boat is over the stain now and there are still ongoing smoking stones have beeen since 0800 this morning.

[Deso]

Still smoking at the moment.  17:11 seeing as how the clock on here is STILL an hour out, unless I'm missing something which is entirely possible. []

[jand]

Deso have also just looked and there are still smoking stones even now being errupted into the sea.

[jand]

volcanocafe copied.

Newby says:

 January 4, 2012 at 17:41

Looking at the moviestar cam I am wondering if Bob has got quite a bit closer to the surface. There seems to be constant white turbulance there and still loads of smoking stones coming up.
 I have just got home so haven't had a chance to check any other news on the eruption.

[jand]

http://www.ign.es/ign/layoutIn/volcaSenalesAyerHoy.do#

All the islands graphs are showing some form of movement today even Fuerteventura.

Click into the heading ESPEC on the right side to view,

The screw movements are again on La Palma.

Tenerife has sqiggles again.

Please could someone correct me if I am mistaken,

[jand]

Avcan FB copied and translated

These days ago climbed some photos of a new island that has emerged from the sea by volcanic activity in the archipelago of the Zubair Islands in the Red Sea, this video is part of that activity.
These images may help us to imagine what could happen in iron.... La Restinga is more or less the same distance from the point of emission to the little island of back on which passes the eruptive column and which drops throughout the ash.... best thinking, that does not pass... (Henry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YoMLNEJC-Nk

[TripleH]

Hi jand, is it still going on?

[jand]

Yes TripleH smoking lava stones have been errupting into the sea since 0800 this morning someone is watching the webcam now on one of the other sites and has written copied below.

Newby says:

 January 4, 2012 at 19:21

I have been away from the computer for an hour then just checked the moviestar cam and i was just going to close the link when I saw a flare of flame! I am 100% convinced it was a smoking stone as it was there and gone but beyond any shadow of doubt a tongue of flame. I will now watch for a while and let you know if I see anymore. So excited as it was definitely flame, just a quick flare then gone.
 If you find it hard to connect just keep trying. sometimes it takes 4 or 5 tries.
 http://212.170.244.196/

Reply

Newby says:

 January 4, 2012 at 19:25

Yep, just saw another very small flash. The first was larger and a definite flame, this was just a small white momentary glow.

Reply

Newby says:

 January 4, 2012 at 19:40

Huh, I am gutted now, nothing more though I have watched the screen for 12 minutes until my eyes were sore and my arms ached from having my fingers hovering over control and print screen buttons. Perhaps it was a hot stone coming up at the same time as a bubble of gas and igniting it.

Reply

Newby says:

 January 4, 2012 at 19:48

Ah, just saw another white flash so patience is most definitely needed! I just want to see another flame though, I had thought it was Bob getting glose to surfacing first then realised it must be gas igniting.

[jand]

https://picasaweb.google.com/110327184570944806725/ElHierroJanuary42012?authuser=0&feat=directlink#

Photos of the lava stones collected today from the Salvamar.

[jand]

[jand]

[jand]

[jand]

Does anyone else not think this is amazing to see rocks that we have seen on the island of Fuerteventura that were formed maybe thousands or hundreds of years ago but now we actually are having the privilege of seeing them first hand being thrown into the sea today live from a volcano that is now errupting under the sea near El Hierro.

[jand]

Note 409 AVCAN - earthquake activity - VOLCANIC - island of HIERRO - 05 January 2012-09: 45 pm peninsula - earthquake and volcanic activity continues moderate with moderate seismicity today in the northern zone, located in the sea of the Gulf, as well as some events more detected weak. Continues the signal of volcanic tremor in the eruptive zone of la Restinga, with an amplitude that is maintained in oscillating pulses of about 12 h 30 min up and down in intensity, doubling the amplitude in the maxima to minima. Yesterday all day and night were smoldering floating pyroclastic in webcams. The extent of 1.8. New earthquakes 1. Depth to 13 km. yesterday 1. Yesterday 1. Today will be 1. In total van 11967 earthquakes located in El Hierro by IGN from 9: 00 pm of the day 19 July 2011.

[jand]

Because there are actually 5, but the two new are on the other side of the island... There is activity in la Candelaria fault - Guimar - Puerto de la Cruz... alignment with enough activity...


1120155 05/01/2012 05:56:28 28.2781 -16.3055 1.3 4 SE CANDELARIA.ITF
1120156 05/01/2012 06:00:58 28.2416 -16.2611 1.8 4 ATLÁNTICO-CANARIAS
1120158 05/01/2012 06:41:49 28.2855 -16.3164 0.7 4 SE CANDELARIA.ITF
1120159 05/01/2012 06:44:54 28.2796 -16.3085 1.4 4 SE CANDELARIA.ITF
1120160 05/01/2012 07:19:55 28.4928 -16.6200 1.2 4 ATLÁNTICO-CANARIAS

http://www.avcan.org/#8203;mapas/#8203;AVCAN2428.jpg?d=1325753614

[jand]

Update 05/01 – 18:29 UTC
 -  Smoking lave pieces can still be seen on the Eruption webcam. Not the big chunks like yesterday but smaller material.
 - CAP person on duty was told today about the fire in the sea, but nobody had seen the effects in the office !

Update 05/01 – 16:02 UTC
 - The glowing lava that we were able to see during the night is probably caused by brittle lava blocks who are breaking apart. IGN did measure the temperatures the last couple of days of the lava blocks while they were picked up out of the sea.  The lava blocks which we can see are hollow inside and are containing a lot of gas. This gas is the reason that they are floating to the surface waters. At the outside the blocks were no warmer than 40°C but the gases at the inside were 200°C.  A theory for the flames we saw last night (it was no glowing but ignited gas -  see video Julio) is that the hot gas (hard to say which composition)  is ignited just by the oxygen when the brittle lava is breaking apart or that the gas is ignited by the high temperature of the lava at the inside.
 Once the gas is burned, the lava sinks back to the sea floor.

Update 05/01 – 15:22 UTC
 - A very curious pattern in GPS deformation patterns (the data which are published are probably 2 days old). The deformation at HI02, HI03 and HI04 climbed strongly ! La Palma deformation stayed approx. the same, but Tenerife and  La Gomera GPS data decreased the strongest since the beginning of El Hierro activity.  The current earthquakes at Tenerife may have an origin in this strong deflation (tension).  The smoking lava Yesterday and Today also. @ IGN to solve the clue here. Hopefully they will explain in their report later today.
 Comment from reader Mr. Moho :  FRON gps station, located roughly on the middle of El Hierro island, according to the latest data got farther relatively to HI01, HI02, HI03, HI04 (especially) which are disseminated all around the island. At the same time, FRON is getting closer to ALAJ, TN03 and AZAN located on other islands to the West of El Hierro. To me, it looks like there is a renewed inflation ongoing on the entire island.

[jand]

A bit to close for my liking a 3.5 which says felt and this was only 11km deep !!!!!

Se sintió: 1120245 05/01/2012 17:05:58 29.1047 -14.2260 11 Sentido 3.5 4 ATLÁNTICO-CANARIAS
 http://www.ign.es/ign/#8203;layoutIn/#8203;volcaDetalleTerremotos.do?e#8203;vid=1120245&zona=2

[jand]

El movimiento entre Lanzarote y Fuerteventura está mas relacionado con fuerteventura que con Lanzarote ,aún así me parece muy al norte, es posible que en los próximos dias haya otro mas al sur .

The movement between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura is more related to fuerteventura with Lanzarote, still seems far to the North, it is possible that in the next few days there another more to the South. (Translated by Bing)

[jand]

Todays quake near Fuerte showing on the graph of IGN for Fuerte.

[jand]

Todays flight of the helicopter over the stain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pZc7eMvduM&feature=player_embedded

[jand]

Collection of Photos taken yesterday from the Guardia Civil Helicopter.

https://picasaweb.google.com/110327184570944806725/ElHierroJanuary52012?authuser=0&feat=directlink#

[jand]

Update 06/01 – 09:58 UTC
 - The area where the smoking blocks are surfacing is a lot wider than yesterday.

Update 06/01 – 08:26 UTC
 - Smoking Lava stones (SLS we call them, just to make life a little simpler) in the (faint) Jacuzzi area
 - stain is very well visible in the calm Las Calmas sea
 - harmonic tremor stayed at the same level as last night 21:30, when it picked up after subsiding a little
 - NO earthquakes so

[jand]

http://212.170.244.196/

Have just looked at the wecam the stain seems to have trebeled in size and looks like its nearly touching the harbour wall.