Tag Archives: Volcano

Natural Disasters

Volcanic lightning on display in Iceland

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The Chaitén volcano erupting in Chile in 2008. (Carlos Gutierrez)
The Chaitén volcano erupting in Chile in 2008. (Carlos Gutierrez)

The images are nothing less than astounding – so unreal appearing in fact that the reaction of many people is to conclude they are fake. However, volcano-induced lightning is a very real phenomenon and one that is not well understood.

The Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted last month and that event was followed by a larger eruption on Wednesday, April 14th. While not a big eruption by most standards, volcano-induced lightning was once again photographed.

Images of the light show put on by Eyjafjallajokull were taken by many photographers including the Associated Press as well as astronomer and volcano expert Marco Fulle. Fulle’s images – click here to view them – show lightning shooting from the ash plume as the stars pass overhead in an amazing display of nature’s fury.

In May of 2008 the Chaitén volcano in Chile erupted for the first time in more than 9,000 years. In an impressive explosive eruption, nighttime images taken by Carlos Gutierrez displayed lightning shooting from the rising plume of ash, smoke and steam. So incredible were the images that many believed they were digitally manipulated even prompting myth-busting website Snopes to issue a story explaining that they were real.

Because of copyright protections we cannot display all of the images of volcano-induced lightning here but we encourage you to head over to the Natural Disasters Examiner to check them out.  They are truly amazing.

Natural Disasters

Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano disrupts travel across the globe

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Taken Wednesday, April 14, 2010, this image from the Icelandic Coastguard shows smoke and steam rising from the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, which erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. (Icelandic Coastguard)
Taken Wednesday, April 14, 2010, this image from the Icelandic Coastguard shows smoke and steam rising from the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, which erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. (Icelandic Coastguard)

With no signs of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland stopping its latest eruption, international flights to and from Europe at Denver International Airport were cancelled for the second day in a row in Friday. The ash plume from the volcano has cancelled thousands of flights worldwide and stranded tens of thousands of passengers.

Travelers through Denver expect the weather to cause problems but rarely would they think a volcano more than 3,500 miles away would cancel their travel plans.

Both United Airlines and British Airways canceled their non-stop service to and from London Thursday and Friday and it now appears Saturday’s flights will be cancelled as well.  London’s Heathrow Airport is reporting that it will remain closed until at least 1:00am (local time) on Sunday.

As the ash cloud has spread, so too have its effects. The European air traffic control agency, Eurocontrol, said that flights have also been grounded in France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium.

Volcanic ash presents a very real danger not only those close to an eruption but also to airplanes flying anywhere in the vicinity. The ash from volcanoes can travel hundreds of miles and when ingested by jet aircraft engines, can result in a total loss of power.

KLM Flight 867, a 747 bound for Anchorage, Alaska in December 1989 inadvertently flew into ash that had been discharged by Mount Redoubt. All four engines lost power for give minutes and the aircraft fell from 27,900 feet to 13,300 feet before it was able to restart its engines.

In 1982 a British Airways 747 flew through the ash cloud of an erupting Mount Galunggung in Indonesia. All four engines on the aircraft lost power but were able to be restarted after the aircraft exited the cloud.

More information on the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption from the Natural Disasters Examiner:

Natural Disasters

NASA’s Terra satellite captures images of erupting Iceland volcano

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NASA's Terra satellite captured astounding images of the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. See a larger image below. (NASA)
NASA's Terra satellite captured astounding images of the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. See a larger image below. (NASA)

A week ago the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate as lava and ash shot into the air. The eruption has continued since and NASA’s Terra satellite recently flew over the island nation and captured stunning images of the volcano.

A fissure in the earth nearly one half mile long has opened and continues to experience heightened activity.

In addition to the dangers presented by the ash and lava, Eyjafjallajokull sits beneath a massive glacier of the same name. Should the eruption spread, it could begin to melt the glacier creating massive flooding.

Eyjafjallajokull last erupted in 1821, an event that lasted for more than a year but was relatively minor in nature. Prior to that, an explosive eruption occurred on the mountain in 1612.

Officials fear that the increased activity at Eyjafjallajokull may trigger an eruption at Katla, a bigger and potentially more powerful volcano. Past activity at Eyjafjallajokull has done just that and residents are casting a wary eye on both mountains.

NASA’s Terra satellite flew over the area on Wednesday and from its perch in space, it captured images clearly showing the flowing lava, steam and plume of smoke.

Editor’s note: The images above and below are from the March 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull.  Newer satellite images of the most recent activity can be found from the Natural Disasters Examiner – click here.

For all the latest on volcanoes as well as all types of natural disasters, be sure to visit the Natural Disasters Examiner!

Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland (NASA)
Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland. (NASA)

National Weather

Philippine volcano eruption possible within days

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With glowing red lava now flowing regularly down its sides and seismic activity ‘dramatically increased,’ an eruption of the Mayon Volcano in the Philippines is now considered imminent. Activity on the mountain has steadily increased over the past week and prompted the evacuation of nearly 45,000 area residents.

Today the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the alert level for the volcano to level four which means an eruption is possible within days. A level four alert is second to only level five which would involve an actual eruption taking place.

In its latest alert, the service said “seismic activity dramatically increased in number and size” noting that nearly 2,000 volcanic quakes had been detected. Glowing, red hot lava was easily seen flowing down the slopes of the mountain at night and booms and rumbling were heard. The lava flow now extends more than three miles down the mountain and sulfur dioxide (SO2) is being emitted at a rate of more than 6,000 tons per day.

Emphasizing the danger, PHIVOLCS said in its warning that “a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within days.” With the heightened alert level, it is expected that the evacuation radius will be extended out to five miles from the mountain possibly impacting thousands of more people.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!For the amazing photos of the volcano’s recent activity and more details on the possible eruption, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.

Natural Disasters

NASA satellite captures image of Russian volcano’s smoke

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NASAs Terra satellite captured this image of a smoke plume coming from the Bezymianny volcano on the the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.
NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of a smoke plume coming from the Bezymianny volcano on the the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. (NASA)

The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia is a relatively active area for volcanic activity, like much of the rest of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The Bezymianny volcano in the east-central part of the peninsula is the smaller of three neighboring volcanoes.

Bezymianny was thought to be extinct until it erupted from 1955 to 1956. Prior to that, it had experienced a period of 1,000 of dormancy. The 1956 eruption was comparable in size to the Mount Saint Helens eruption in 1980 and resulted in a horseshoe shaped crater that has since been filled by other, smaller eruptions and pyroclastic flows.

On Wednesday, Novebmer 25, 2009, NASA’s Terrra spacecraft captured an image of a smoke plume emanating from the volcano. Using the craft’s Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), the plume is clearly seen as is its shadow.

For a larger image of the volcano, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.