Global Volcano Watch

The seismic swarm in the Tjörnes Fracture Zone north off Iceland continues with little changes. About 50-100 earthquakes mostly of magnitudes of around 1-2 are being recorded daily. The largest recent one was a felt magnitude 3.8 quake at 5.6 km depth on Saturday 3 Nov.

At Kilauea volcano on Hawai'i, the 2 lava lakes at the summit and in Pu'u 'O'o on the rift zone remain active. A spatter cone near Pu`u `O`o continued to emit lava flows. In the coastal plain, lava flows remain active as well have been advancing slowly, but are still at least 1 km away from the coast.

Popocatépetl's activity has continues to increase a bit over the past days with about 3 weak to moderate explosions per hour, some producing small ash plumes.

Activity of Fuego volcano in Guatemala continues dominated by the effusion of a lava flow, reaching now 800 meters length. Mild explosive activity was observed as well with 13 weak strombolian explosions during 4-5 Nov with ash plumes rising 2-500 m and spreading west and northwest. Incandescent material was thrown to 100 meters above the crater and generated weak avalanches on the upper crater's flanks.

The viscous lava flows from Santiaguito lava dome resumed their progress. Strong glow from the western lava dome rim and constant avalanches from the flow fronts were observed during 4-5 Nov.

Seismic activity at El Salvador's San Miguel volcano has calmed down compared to some weeks ago, but still shows many small quakes and long-period events.

Eruptive activity at Reventador volcano in Ecuador probably continues. During a rare window of clear weather, a steam column was seen rising 3 km from the crater on 3 Oct. The seismogram shows intense activity as well.

An eruption of Manam volcano in Papua New Guinea produced an ash plume rising to 10,000 ft / 3 km altitude on 3 Nov, indicating that sporadic explosive activity from the volcano goes on.

After a relatively quiet period between 30 Oct - 3 Nov, Sakurajima volcano on Kyushu in Japan had a record number of 6 moderate explosions on 4 November (GMT time). Ash rose to altitudes of 6-8,000 ft (1.8-2.4 km).

November 12, 2012 – ALASKA – Earth-orbiting satellites detected a small ash cloud from Mount Cleveland – otherwise known as Cleveland Volcano – which makes up a large part of a remote and uninhabited island in the east-central Aleutian Island chain. The satellites took note of the small eruption at 11:47 a.m. local time in Alaska (20:47 UTC). The ash was drifting slowly toward the east-northeast from the volcano’s summit. Scientists keep an eye on this volcano, because it can be hazardous to aircraft. The aviation code color for Cleveland Volcano currently has been raised from yellow to orange. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said in a release: Sudden explosions of blocks and ash remain possible with little or no warning. The previous confirmed explosion occurred on August 20 [2012]. Ash clouds, if produced, could exceed 20,000 feet above sea level. his volcano – located about 75 kilometers (45 miles) west of the community of Nikolski, and 1,500 kilometers (940 miles) southwest of Anchorage – is one of the most active in this region. It has erupted at least 21 times in the last 230 years, with its only known direct fatality occurring in 1944. Most recently, Mount Cleveland has erupted three times in 2009, twice in 2010, and once in 2011. Scientists observed the most recent minor ash emission in August 2012, prior to the November 10 event. –Earth Sky

November 16, 2012 – INDONESIA – Mount Rokatenda in Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), continues to spout volcanic ash. Residents living around the volcano have reportedly been evacuated to the shelter at Hewuli village administrative office in Alok Barat district. The Sikka Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) reports that 196 residents living around Mount Rokatenda had fled to Maumere city. The ash cloud from Mount Rokatenda has affected water kept in tanks on the roofs of houses around the volcano. Residents have collected rain water to offset the impact of an eruption. As many as six of 109 Awa village residents in the shelters have been taken to Maumere regency hospital suffering from various illnesses, such as respiratory, eye and skin irritation. A team from Sikka Health Office recently provided evacuees with medical treatment against influenza, cough and respiratory infections. Sikka BPBD head Silvanus M. Tibo said the alert status of the volcano remained at level 3, with the highest being 1, according to the report from the Rokatenda volcano observation post in Ropa, Ende regency, so the volcano is not yet considered dangerous. –Jakarta Post

November 16, 2012 – NEW ZELAND - New Zealand volcanologists warned Friday that the central North Island mountain of Ruapehu was showing signs of an imminent eruption. The government’s Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science) said the temperature beneath Ruapehu’s Crater Lake was about 800 degrees centigrade, but the lake itself was only 20 degrees centigrade, which suggested a vent was partly blocked. That could lead to a pressure build-up beneath the Crater Lake, indicating a heightened likelihood of eruptions over the coming weeks to months. “We think the pressure beneath Ruapehu Crater Lake has increased and this makes an eruption more likely over the next weeks to months,” GNS Science duty volcanologist Steve Sherburn said in a statement. A build-up of pressure beneath the Crater Lake was thought to have caused the last eruption in 2007 and a smaller eruption in 2006. Since late October, small earthquakes had been occurring about 5 km beneath the summit area of Ruapehu, a popular winter skiing ground, but these might not be directly related to the high temperatures beneath the Crater lake as they were much deeper. As a result, GNS Science had increased the aviation color code warning for aircraft from green to yellow, which reflected a change from a normal non-eruptive state to showing elevated signs of unrest. However, the volcanic alert level remained at 1 on the scale of 0 to 5, indicating initial signs of possible volcano unrest. In August, two other New Zealand volcanoes erupted, but no damage or casualties were reported. Mount Tongariro, also in the central North Island, erupted on Aug. 6, throwing out small amounts of ash in its first eruption since 1897. Two days later, White Island, a marine volcano about 50 km off the east of the North Island, erupted, sending up an ash plume 200 to 300 meters in the air, in its first eruption since 2001. –Xinhuanet

November 21, 2012 – NEW ZEALAND – A teacher who was on Mt Tongariro with a group of 90 students has captured the ‘‘absolutely spectacular’’ eruption of the volcano on video. GNS Science confirmed the eruption, at the Te Maari crater, happened shortly after 1.20pm. It is the second eruption on the mountain this year; an eruption on August 6 was the first on Tongariro for more than 100 years. Tamatea Intermediate teacher Lomi Schaumkel said they were near the Katetahi hot springs when eruption began. “We were right up there next to it. It was just amazing. It was pretty scary from where we were and it just looked absolutely spectacular, the ash that came out. It really did look like one of those atom bomb explosions, and it made a rumbling sound.’’ There were 90 students, six parents and four teachers in the group. ‘‘Some panicked, some didn’t. Everyone came down safely and it was great.” The group was about 1 km away from the eruption, Schaumkel said. “We saw all these tourists running away from it. We didn’t stick around long.” A further 20 Year 8 pupils from Gulf Harbour School in Whangaparoa were making their way off the track with parents and guides after being just 750m from where the crater erupted. Two bus drivers from Nimon and Sons, who took the Napier children to the mountain, had reported back to their base that they could see an ash plume 2km high, a spokesman said. Department of Conservation (DOC) area manager Jonathan Maxwell said 30 to 50 people were being evacuated from the Tongariro Crossing track. No injuries had been reported but the crossing had been closed. Today’s eruption lasted for about five minutes. GNS has updated the alert on Tongariro to level 2, meaning there is “minor eruptive activity.” The aviation color code has been lifted to red, meaning there is “significant emission of ash” into the atmosphere. In this case, the rebel advance has disrupted all the humanitarian work that has been underway as aid workers have been forced to flee. Autesserre said there were also reports of looting by the Congolese government forces as they evacuated Goma, which may in part explain why thousands of people welcomed the rebel troops.

A New Zealand volcano dormant for more than a century has erupted, sending up ash clouds, disrupting flights and closing roads. Mount Tongariro, one of three volcanoes in the centre of the North Island, became active just before midnight local time. Here, residents describe the noise and ash cloud, while volcanologist Brad Scott explains how the eruption had not been predicted.

November 22, 2012 – INDONESIA – Mount Lokon, one of the most active volcanos in Indonesia, erupted twice Wednesday morning. The eruptions from the volcano were less than one hour apart and were confirmed by the Mahawu Volcano Observation monitoring post chief, Farid Ruskanda Bina. An ash cloud was expelled 1200 meters into the air. Residents were warned to be on alert and observe the 2.5 mile exclusion zone established around the volcano. –The Extinction Protocol

November 27, 2012 – HAWAII – A lava flow from the Kīlauea Volcano’s Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent entered the ocean at around 1 p.m. on Saturday. The spectacle drew a number of visitors to the area for tours over the weekend. The activity came a day after a small earthquake, measuring 4.3 magnitude occurred at the Lōʻihi Seamount. Lō’ihi is an active volcano situated on the sea floor about 19 miles from the south shoreline of Hawai’i Island. Despite being felt island-wide officials with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory say there were no observable affects on other volcanoes. The HVO notes that the ongoing eruption of Puʻu ʻŌʻō–Kupaianaha at Kīlauea began in January 1983. Since then, lava flows have destroyed 213 structures, and resurfaced 9 miles of highway, covering it with as much as 115 feet of lava. A flow in mid-2010 and early 2011, reached the Kalapana Gardens subdivision, destroying three homes, according to the HVO.

December 8, 2012 – INDONESIA – Mount Lokon, near the North Sulawesi town of Tomohon, entered its second day of eruption on Friday, belching heaps of ash and smoke into the atmosphere. “People are asked to remain alert and not conduct any activities within a 2.5 kilometer radius around the Tompuluan crater of Mount Lokon,” said Farid Bima, who heads the volcano monitoring outpost near the mountain. The 1,579-meter-high volcano first erupted at around 5:18 p.m. on Thursday, sending a column of ash and smoke that reached some 3,500 meters high. The ash fell mostly on the southeastern slope of the volcano. Farid said that so far there had been no report of casualties or damages, and reiterated that the alert status of the mountain was still at “ready,” or two rungs above normal and one below full eruption. Mount Lokon has demonstrated rising volcanic activities since mid-year, he added, and has been undergoing a series of small and large eruptions. Tomohon Mayor Jemmy Eman announced on Friday a 2.5 kilometer-radius danger-zone and also prepared areas to shelter people if any evacuations needed to take place. However, he said there was no need for people on the upper slopes of the mountain to be evacuated, since the eruptions so far were not deemed major threats. “Therefore, there will not be any evacuations yet,” said Arnold Poli, the city secretary. An eruption of Mount Lokon last month prompted the evacuation of some 5,000 people from its upper slopes. Hoyke Makarawung, the head of the North Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Agency, said that his institution had already readied assistance should any evacuation take place in the areas affected by the discharge. “We are continuously monitoring the condition of the volcano,” he said. –Jakarta Globe

December 8, 2012 – ALASKA - Residents in the Yukon River community of Eagle are excited about a mysterious geologic event that is emitting fire, steam and a sulfur smell. Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve lead Interpretative Ranger Pat Sanders says it all started on Sept. 27. An explosion was heard, in Eagle, which is rare so of course we were interested,” Sanders said. Sanders says on Oct. 10, a fire was spotted about 2 miles up the Tatonduk River, known locally as Sheep Creek. She says the fire spread to about 15 acres. “And on the 15th of October we had snow and the fire was still going although it appeared to be emitting steam and there was a sulfur smell,” Sanders said. No one has been on the ground there yet, but over-flight photographs reveal a slumping area that is steaming and looks a lot like a mini volcano crater. Sanders says the area is about 25 miles Northeast of Eagle and it’s located on Doyon land. She says both NPS and USGS geologists suspect it is a shale oil rock deposit. Sanders says the area has two slumping craters that cover about a five acre area. “It’s been really interesting to watch because it’s still steaming and still burning but if it is indeed oil shale as USGS suspects, oil shale and sulfur, it could be as deep as a thousand feet which means it could have been burning for some time from a lightning strike years ago and it’s been burning underground and finally burned enough to cause a slump or a crater like depression in the earth so until we actually get boots on the ground and we don’t know when that’s going to happen, we’re not going to know,” Sanders said. Sanders says it’s difficult to tell from the hazy aerial pictures, but the craters appear to be as deep as 150 to 200 feet and she says there has been significant slumping since it was first observed. She says the Hard Luck Creek fault is in the area and is an active fault. USGS geologist Marti Miller says it’s more likely to be burning oil shale not a burning coal seam. “But we’re fairly confident that it’s not a hot spring or some other type of volcanic related incident,” Miller said, which will be disappointing news to Pat Sanders in Eagle. “Of course everyone in Eagle is hoping it’s going to be a thermal event and we’ll end up with a hot springs but maybe that’s just because it was 45 below last week,” Sanders said. NPS geologist Linda Stromquist says, although they would like to examine the site sooner, at this point in the year it is probably prudent to wait until better weather and daylight conditions improve, toward spring. –Alaska Public

A sudden strong ash explosion occurred at Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador today at 14:35 local time. According to local reports, the eruption produced an ash plume rising to 6 km altitude and was visible from Ambato, Riobamba, Pelileo and Patate. The explosion followed an increase in seismicity over the past days.

This report on the status of Kilauea volcanic activity, in addition to maps, photos, and Webcam images (available at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php), was prepared by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park status can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/ or 985-6000. All times are Hawai`i Standard Time.

KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-01-)
19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary: Kilauea continued to erupt at two locations: At the summit, tilt and lava lake levels were stable. At Pu`u `O`o, at least two lava flows issued from sources inside the crater. One lava flow was active on the coastal plain and lava was entering the ocean near Kupapa`u. Seismic tremor levels were low and gas emissions were elevated.

Recent Observations at Kilauea summit: The summit tiltmeter network recorded meager inflation and the lava lake level fluctuated but generally remained high and stable below the inner ledge. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 800 tonnes/day on December 13, 2012. A small amount of ash-sized tephra (mostly fresh spatter bits and Pele's hair) was carried out of the vent in the gas plume and deposited on nearby surfaces.

Seismic tremor levels were at low values. Four earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath Kilauea: 1 beneath the west edge of the summit caldera and 3 on south flank faults.

Background: The summit lava lake is deep within an ~160 m (520 ft) diameter cylindrical vent with nearly vertical sides inset within the east wall and floor of Halema`uma`u Crater. Its level has varied from about 25 m to more than 200 m (out of sight) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater. The vent has been mostly active since opening with a small explosive event on March 19, 2008. The surface level of the lava lake has remained below the inner ledge (~31 m or 100 ft below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater on October 29, 2012) and has not risen above and flooded the ledge since October 28, 2012. The lake level responds to summit tilt changes with the lake receding during deflation and rising during inflation.

Recent Observations at the middle east rift zone vents: Lava flows remained active on the coastal plain in one 1-km-wide (0.6 mi wide) flow with scattered surface activity extending from near the pali to the coast east of the easternmost boundary of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park (see images). An ocean entry marked by a weak and variable plume continued near Kupapa`u; the active lava delta has grown slowly to about 50 m (165 ft) width.

HAZARD ALERT: Lava entering the ocean builds lava deltas. The lava delta and adjacent areas are some of the most hazardous areas on the flow field. Frequent delta/bench collapses give little warning, can produce explosions capable of throwing both dense and molten rocks hundreds of meters (yards) in all directions (inland as well as out to sea), and can produce damaging local waves. The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets that can be harmful to your health. The rapidly changing conditions near the ocean entry have been responsible for many injuries and a few deaths.

At Pu`u `O`o, lava levels remained high. The north rim of the northeast spatter cone/lava lake collapsed at 11:30 am; the collapse was followed by a brief overflow that almost reached the north edge of the crater floor; the lava lake surface was visible in the thermal camera after the collapse and there was another, much smaller, overflow at about 4 am this morning. A larger lava flow issued from the spatter cone on the north edge of the crater floor starting around noon and continued through evening followed by another flow starting around 4 am this morning that continued to be active at the time of this posting; both flows initially advanced to the west before splitting and going north and south at the base of the west crater wall.

The tiltmeter on the north flank of Pu`u `O`o cone recorded minor deflation between 8 am and noon yesterday before flat-lining (no significant ground tilt); the deflation did not correlate with any other changes and preceded the lava activity mentioned above by several hours. Seismic tremor levels near Pu`u `O`o remain low. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 200 tonnes/day on December 13, 2012, from all east rift zone sources.

Background: The eruption in Kilauea's middle east rift zone started with a fissure eruption on January 3, 1983, and continued with few interruptions at Pu`u `O`o Cone, or temporarily from vents within a few kilometers to the east or west. A fissure eruption on the upper east flank of Pu`u `O`o Cone on Sept. 21, 2011, drained the lava lakes and fed a lava flow that advanced southeast through the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision to the ocean within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park in early December 2011. Since late December 2011, the flows have remained intermittently active on the pali and the coastal plain and finally re-entered the ocean starting on November 24, 2012. In general, activity waxes with inflation and wanes with deflation.

Hazard Summary: East rift vents and flow field - near-vent areas could erupt or collapse without warning with spatter and/or ash being wafted within the gas plume; potentially-lethal concentrations of sulfur dioxide gas may be present within 1 km downwind of vent areas. All recently active lava flows are within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, adjacent State land managed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and private property; the lava flows do not pose a hazard to any structures not already within the County-declared mandatory evacuation zone. Lava deltas, which can collapse into the ocean without warning, are extremely hazardous and should be avoided (see HAZARD ALERT above). Kilauea Crater - ash and Pele's hair can be carried several kilometers downwind; potentially-lethal concentrations of sulfur dioxide can be present within 1 km downwind.

Viewing Summary: East rift zone flow field - The active lava flows were within the closed-access Kahauale'a Natural Area Reserve (NAR) and the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision and can only be viewed from the air. Under favorable weather conditions, these flows can be seen from the County Viewing Area at Kalapana (Lava hotline 961-8093). Pu`u `O`o Cone, the strip of coastal plain nearest the ocean, and Kilauea Crater - these areas are within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; Park access and viewing information can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm.

Additional Information:

For a definition of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/activity/alertsystem/index.php

Maps, photos, Webcam views, and other information about Kilauea Volcano are available at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php. A daily update summary is available by phone at (808) 967-8862.

A map with details of earthquakes located within the past two weeks can be found at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/seismic/volcweb/earthquakes/

December 17, 2012 – ECUADOR - Ecuador has issued an orange alert — the second-highest warning level — for towns near the Tungurahua volcano, as its level of activity rose, civil defense officials say. The area of the warning covers the adjacent provinces of Tungurahua and Chimborazo, according to the national civil defense agency. Greater activity has been building since Wednesday, along with a slight increase in gas emissions from the 5,029-metre volcano, located about 135km south of the capital Quito, the Geophysical Institute said. Eruptions at Tungurahua, which means “Throat of Fire” in the indigenous Quechua language, peaked in 2006, killing six people in a Chimborazo village. Several communities near Tungurahua, including the tourist town of Banos with 15,000 people, also were forced to evacuate during the volcano’s violent eruption in 1999. Residents could only return to their homes a year later. –The Australian

December 18, 2012 – INDONESIA - Mount Lokon, which has erupted 800 times since July, spewed hot lava and volcanic ash as high as 10,000 feet on Monday, according to an Indonesian government official. The volcano has been one of the most active in Indonesia. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the Sulawesi shoreline prior to the eruption. Mount Lokon, together with Mount Empung, is a twin volcano in the northern Sulawesi, Indonesia, roughly 10 km south of Manado. Both rise above the Tondano plain and are among active volcanoes of Sulawesi. Mount Lokon has a flat and craterless top. Mount Lokon has shown an increase in volcanic activity since early December. The Lokon and Mahawu monitoring station recorded eruptions on Dec. 3, Dec. 5 and Dec. 8, spouting volcanic dust up to 3,500 meters into the sky. –Reuters, Jakarta Post

December 20, 2012 – GUATEMALA CITY – Pacaya Volcano, located 47 kilometers south of the capital, has had increased activity in recent days with ash and gas being released into the air, said the Institute of Volcanology (Insivumeh). On Wednesday, the institute issued a preventive alert and recommended the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conrad) to keep monitoring the 2,500-meter-tall volcano, located between the departments of Guatemala City and Escuintla. “The activity yesterday [Tuesday] was a manifestation of reactivation, so people should be aware of developments in coming days,” Insivumeh experts said. Conrad also released a statement on its website that recommends people “to keep informed and be aware of official information provided by authorities.” The last eruption of Pacaya occurred in May 2010 when a powerful explosion sent ashes to three departments, including the capital, and forced the closing of La Aurora International Airport for five days. One person was killed, thousands were injured and $500 million in losses were reported. –Tico Times

Volcanic activity continues: The Tungurahua volcano in central Ecuador keeps spewing gas, ash and red-hot rock, forcing hundreds to evacuate from their homes. The country’s Geophysical Institute says incandescent rock shot from the crater of the 16,479-foot (5,023-meter) high mountain fell about half a mile (a kilometer) down its flanks. Explosions early Wednesday rattled windows 9 miles (14 kilometers) away, while rain-borne ash has been falling to the southwest of the crater. Regional emergency director Lourdes Mayorga says that about 100 families are staying in shelters away from the danger zone, though they return during the day to work their fields. She says there will be forced evacuations if the volcanic activity intensifies. Tungurahua has been active for the past 13 years. An outburst in 2006 left four dead and two missing. -AP

December 19, 2012 – JAPAN - Our earthquakes near volcanoes page showed that a shallow magnitude 3.7 quake occurred yesterday very near Adatara volcano near Fukushima City in Japan. Adatara is part of a group of overlapping active stratovolcanoes and was last active in 1990. The volcano is located about 15 kilometers southwest of Fukushima city and east of Mount Bandai. Its last known eruption was in 1996. –Volcano Discovery

December 24, 2012 – CHILE - Chilean authorities on Sunday issued a red alert — the most severe in their warning system — that the Copahue Volcano, high in the Andes Mountains on the border with Argentina, might be poised for a significant eruption. A familiar threat to New Zealand air traffic is emerging from a mountain 10,000 kilometers away. The Andes Copahue volcano on the Argentinian-Chilean border has started erupting, sending up ash and gas high into the atmosphere. When the Cordon Caulle volcano erupted in June this year, the ash reached New Zealand about three weeks later, forcing some airlines to curtail flights. While Air New Zealand continued its flights, although at a lower flight level, Qantas and Jetstar suspended domestic services on both sides of the Tasman. The BBC reported Copahue started erupting on Saturday and sent a plume of smoke and ash up about 1500 meters. The ash plume has gone over Chile and aviation authorities in South America have warned fliers to avoid the area. Auckland has direct flights to Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires in Argentina but they have yet to be affected. The June ash which hit Australia and New Zealand moved from west to east before reaching here. –Stuff, CNN

Stromboli volcano has greeted us again with a Christmas present - since the evening of 23 Dec, a lava flow has been issueing, at least intermittently, from the eastern crater area and spreading over the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco. Activity at the volcano has been elevated since some time, and we will have a look ourselves in the near future.

Etna volcano instead has been rather quiet over the past weeks, bt occasional ash emissions from the New SE craterhave been observed recently. Will there be more paroxysms as during 2011-April 2012? No one knows, but certainly, Etna will surprise us again sooner or later.

Some earthquakes in slightly elevated numbers have reappeared at Santorini volcano. For now, this might mean nothing much unusual, but it is a volcano we closely watch for obvious reasons.

The number of emissions from Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico has risen again to about 3 per hour, and some of them are moderate in size and produced small ash plumes. Glow from the growing dome inside the crater remains bright at night and a constant emission of steam and gas drifting eastwards is visible, and the latest satellite image shows a significant content of SO2 in the plume.

New ash emissions started at Nicaragua's San Cristobal volcano earlier today, following an impressive increase in seismic activity.

No new explosions have been observed from Pacaya volcano in Guatemala. The only activity at the surface is degassing. INSIVUMEH mentions that tremor and volcanic quakes are visible, suggesting new eruptions could occur any time.

Activity at Fuego volcano has remained dominantly effusive. The lava flow on the southern slope has increased its length to 500 m on 24 Dec morning. Mild strombolian activity with infrequent (a few per day) small explosions have continued at the volcano.

Explosive activity has picked up at Santiaguito with a few moderately strong emissions heard and observed during 24-25 Dec. The lava flows from the dome have remained active as well.

Over the past days, Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador has calmed down compared to the previous week. However, the eruption is far from over. Glow at the summit indicates fresh magma continues to rise, and there is still a constant steam and ash column rising about 2 km, along with sporadic weak to moderate explosions.

Ash emissions of low intensity continue as well from time to time at Ecuador's other currently active volcano, Reventador .

The alert level of Copahue volcano in Chile was lowered to orange. Seismicity has remained low and only a few weak emissions were recorded recently. A warning of possible lahars remains in effect for the municipality of Alto Biobío.

The eruption at Plosky Tolbachik volcano in Kamchatka has started to decrease over the past days and it looks as if it might be approaching an end in a near future. However, tremor is still high and some lava flows are still active with reduced output. The thermal anomalies have started to become smaller and also confirm the flash flood of lava to the east reported earlier caused by a spectacular cone collapse on 23 Dec.

After taking a break during 23-25 Dec, Sakurajima volcano in Japan has been quite productive today with at least 3 explosions so far today, including a moderately large one with ash rising to 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude.

In Indonesia, Lokon volcano in North Sulawesi and Paluweh north off Flores remain the most active volcanoes of the country.
Lokon continues produce a large steam plume and near-daily ash explosions, sometimes strong ones with ash falls occurring several km away.
Paluweh's new lava dome continues to grow, and has likely produced pyroclastic flows to the S and SE, along with ash plumes rising up to 8-9,000 ft (2.4-2.7 km) altitude.

A SO2 plume is visible from Bagana volcano on Bougainville island in Papua New Guinea today, suggesting that the volcano is erupting as well.
http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/view_news/25217/Volcanic-activity-world-wide-24-26-December-2012-Stromboli-Etna-San-Cristobal-Tungurahua-Tolbachik-a.html

Hmmm...

December 27, 2012 – MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaraguan authorities say they’ve ordered the evacuation of some 300 families living on the flanks of the country’s highest volcano after it began spewing hot gas and ash Tuesday. Some 1,500 farmers living on the slopes of the San Cristobal volcano refused to leave, despite being ordered to evacuate as the volcano spewed gas, sand and ash. “People have not evacuated because we do not want to go and leave the area abandoned,” Maria Pereira told AFP. Pereira lives in “Grecia 4,” a community of about 600 people at the base of the volcano, in the Chinandega department. She said columns of ash “bathed the trees, houses, and roads in white” and “pretty sand fell” in the morning. She said by early afternoon volcanic activity had decreased, though in the evening new columns of ash shot up. In another community near the volcano, Bethlehem, some farmers resisted efforts of Civil Defence officials to convince them to obey the evacuation order.Federal government spokeswoman and first lady Rosario Murillo told a local radio station that a yellow alert was declared Wednesday in a 1.8-mile radius around the San Cristobal volcano to allow the evacuation of residents who would be at highest risk during a significant eruption. Murillo said 15 eruptions had been recorded over the last day at the volcano northeast of the capital of Managua. She said the volcano has emitted regular small eruptions, but larger ones are unpredictable. Authorities had wanted to move the closest residents away from the volcano as a precaution. –Chanel News Asia

December 31, 2012 – COLOMBIA – Mild ash explosions continue to occur sporadically at the volcano, such as recently seen on 29 Dec. For the month of December, this is the 6th time ash emissions were observed (although more could have occurred and gone unnoticed during times of bad weather). In comparison, there have been 2 emissions observed in November, 12 in October, and 5 in September. The volcano’s last major eruption occurred in 2010. –Volcano Discovery

January 4, 2013 – TURKEY – A new submarine volcanic eruption might have recently started off Turkey’s west coast in the Marmaris Sea between the mainland and the Greek Island of Simi near Rhodes. Scientists from Istanbul’s Technical University announced that they have found evidence of 2 active vents at about 200 m water depth along a north-south trending fissure of 2.5-3 km length. According to local newspapers, a rise in sea temperature was detected which suggests that lava might be erupting from the vents. According to Prof. Ahmet Ercan, it might take 1-3, or 20 years for the volcano to surface if at all. The area is located at the eastern end of the volcanically active Hellenic Arc and volcanic activity here would not be a huge surprise, in fact. Possibly preceding the eruption, as magma was rising through the crust, the area was affected by a series of seismic swarms during the past months. According to the scientists, a previous submarine eruption already occurred here in 2009. –Volcano Discovery

January 5, 2013 – ITALY - This was the view out the International Space Station’s cupola on Jan. 1, 2013, around 09:37 UTC, looking nearly straight down the gullet of Italy’s Mt. Vesuvius. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Just a little more than 1,900 years ago, it blew its top in the most famous volcanic eruption in recorded history. About 16,000 people lost their lives that day due to pyroclastic flow—searing hot ash blasting outward from the stratovolcano’s maw. The volcano has erupted many times since then, including in the 20th century. Got that? It’s still active. The last major eruption occurred in 1944. Now take another look at that photo, and let the volcano’s surroundings settle in to your mind. It sits just a few kilometers from Naples, and more than half a million people live in the volcano’s red zone—where destruction from a big eruption would be swift and brutal. That’s why volcanologists consider it the world’s most dangerous volcano. Given all we’ve learned about volcanoes in the past few decades, I hope scientists would be able to give people a few days’ warning about an eruption. Science, after all, saves lives. I have to admit, the ISS photo makes it clear how incredibly beautiful that area is and how wonderful it must be to live there. And, not to coin a cliché, I’ll admit: I’d love to visit, but I’d certainly not want to live there. –Slate

January 7, 2013 – ITALY - According to a recent report by INGV Naples, the ground deformation of the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) near Naples has increased considerably lately. During the last 12 months, the ground in some places near the town of Pozzuoli was uplifted by about 8 cm. The largest uplift, recorded by GPS devices, occurred during the months of July-August 2012 and since December. The trend appears to be continuing at the moment. Such (sometimes dramatic, totaling up to several meters in a few years) ground uplift and subsidence have been known in the Phlegraean Fields since antiquity and are not a new phenomenon. They can usually be explained by normal pressure, temperature and density variations of the giant hydrothermal system of the Campi Flegrei caldera and may not necessarily indicate an imminent eruption. However, in addition to the detected ground deformation, scientists also measured increased numbers of micro earthquakes, a rise in temperature and in particular, an increase in the proportion of the gases of magmatic origin at fumaroles in the Solfatara crater. As the hydrothermal system is closely connected with the underlying complex magma chamber of the Phlegrean Fields, new magma movements could in fact be the culprit for the observed changes. Whether these, and if so when, will lead to a new volcanic eruption is currently uncertain. A much larger increase of such observed changes should probably be expected if in fact should new volcanic activity was to announce itself. The last volcanic eruption occurred after a rest period of about 3000 years in the year 1538 AD and built a new cinder cone, the Monte Nuovo (“New Mountain”) near Pozzuoli. Strong ground uplift, earthquakes and changes in springs and fumaroles preceded the eruption according to historical sources. Even though it was – geologically speaking – a rather small eruption, the effects of a similar event today would be devastating for the very densely populated area. It should be hoped that the residents and all involved are spared such a scenario, at least for the near future. –Volcano Discovery

January 8, 2013 – MEXICO – Yesterday afternoon, the day of Epiphany, a violent explosion of Volcán de Fuego de Colima Mexico has affected causing a high alert in the Mexican civil protection system with the immediate evacuation of about 3,000 tourists inside the National Park Nevado de Colima. In locations around the volcano, there has been an intense rain of ashes, and from the summit of the mountain has run raised a cloud of lava and eruptive material over 2 km high. At the time there were no damages nor was required the evacuation of the countries closest to the volcano, from which we have only been able to enjoy the unique spectacle of nature, but in the next few days is not impossible that the eruption could intensify , although at the moment it is quiet. As a precaution, the National Park is closed to visitors indefinitely. –Metoweb

January 13, 2013 – PAPUA NEW GUINEA - A large eruption seems to have occurred this morning around 05:30 GMT from Manam volcano north of New Guinea. VAAC Darwin reported an ash plume rising to 45,000 ft (approx. 14 km) altitude. A hot spot is visible on MODIS satellite data. For the moment, no precise other information about the nature of the eruption is available, as the island is remote and most of its population had been relocated after the last major activity in 2004. –Volcano