Volcano Watch

[Judee]

Cleveland Volcano's lava dome is growing, could blow soon
By CASEY GROVE
Last updated: February 17th, 2012

A lava dome is growing at Cleveland Volcano as its current slow eruption continues, a sign that the restless Aleutian volcano could pop at any moment, the Alaska Volcano Observatory says.

Satellite images show the lava dome has expanded from about 50 meters to 60 meters across in the past week. The hardening lava still only occupies a small part of the roughly 200-meter crater, the observatory says.

The 5,676-foot volcano makes up the western half of Chuginadak Island about 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. If Cleveland's eruption turns explosive -- perhaps blasting ash up thousands of feet, into trans-Pacific flight paths -- it could disable airplane engines that fly through it.

The explosiveness is characteristic for Alaska volcanos, scientists say.

Lava extruding inside Cleveland Volcano, is thick and pasty, "like peanut butter," volcanologist Steve McNutt said.

"The lava's so viscous, it doesn't flow like you're used to seeing in pictures of Hawaii, where it's fluid and runny," McNutt said. "So it piles up and makes a round, dome-like lava flow."

The molten rock flows out of vents inside the volcano's crater and piles up, McNutt said. When the dome grows so big that it covers those vents, gas builds up behind it, he said.

Then, when the pressure is high enough: ka-boom.

A similar explosive event in December mostly cleared a lava dome that had been growing since October, according to the observatory. The brief explosion sent ash up to about 15,000 feet.

The difficulty of monitoring Cleveland Volcano comes from its remoteness. Unlike many other Alaska volcanos, Cleveland has no seismometers on its flanks, so scientists cannot hear its inner rumblings. Instead, they rely on seismometers farther away, satellites that can sometimes be blocked by clouds, and lightning detectors that sense lightning in volcanic ash plumes already high in the air.

There are plans in the works to maybe put sensors on Cleveland Volcano, but "that's just in the talking stage now," McNutt said.

Until then, the volcano could disrupt air travel with little warning.

"There's a half-dozen major flight paths that go from Asia to North America and Europe that fly over Alaska airspace," he said. "So it does depend on which way the wind is blowing, but there's a number of paths that are near it."

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/0...#storylink=cpy

[maryals]

Yup, for years, Mayors, Governors, Representatives and Senators at the State and Federal level have "...been talking about..." arguing about the need (read cost) of placing and maintaining detection equipment for Cleveland Volcano.
Because of it's location no population is in any danger, unless they're in airplanes!

Mary and Baby

[maryals]

Another Alaskan volcano might be waking up

ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY CURRENT STATUS REPORT
Saturday, February 18, 2012 04:02 PM (Sunday, February 19, 2012 01:02 UTC)

KANAGA VOLCANO (CAVW #1101-11-)
51°55'27" N 177°9'44" W, Summit Elevation 4288 ft (1307 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW

Possible explosive activity and an ash cloud indicate new unrest at Kanaga Volcano. AVO elevated the Aviation Color Code to YELLOW and the Volcano Alert Level to ADVISORY at 13:12 AST (22:12 UTC) today.

Volcanic tremor was detected on the local seismic network at Kanaga Volcano from 15:23-15:27 UTC (6:23 AM AKST) followed by numerous small events for about an hour. AVHRR satellite data from 15:35 UTC shows a probable, small ash plume, 8 km in length, of unknown altitude, at about 39 km (24 mi) NE of the volcano.

This new unrest indicates a possibility for sudden explosions of ash to occur at any time, and ash clouds exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level may develop. If a large, explosive, ash-producing event occurs, the local seismic network, satellite ash alarms, infrasound, and volcanic lightning will alert AVO to the new activity.

Kanaga Volcano occupies the northern corner of Kanaga Island, one of the most southerly members of the central Aleutian chain. It is a symmetric composite cone 1307 m high and 4.8 km in diameter at sea level, built of interbedded basaltic and andesitic lava flows, scoria layers, and pyroclastic rocks. Kanaga Volcano last erupted 1994-1995 when observed eruptive plumes were relatively dilute, rising to altitudes of less than 3 km (9,840 ft) and dropping ash onto the flanks of the volcano. At least two significant ash plumes were recorded over the course of this eruption: the first, to ~7.5 km (24,600 ft) occurred on February 21, 1995 and the second on August 18,1995, when an eruption cloud reached ~4.5 km (14,760 ft). A light dusting of ash fell on the community of Adak and air traffic was disrupted due to continuing low-level activity and cloudy conditions which prevented visual approaches to the Adak air field.
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/

Mary and Baby

[Judee]

EDIS Code: VA-20120310-34460-USA
Date&Time: 2012-03-10
Continent: North-America
Country: USA
State/Prov.: State of Alaska,
Location: Iliamna Volcano,

An alert level for the possible eruption of a volcano southwest of Anchorage was raised by volcanologists Friday afternoon. The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised Iliamna Volcano’s alert level to advisory and its aviation color code to yellow, from normal and green respectively. “Over the past three months the earthquake rate at Iliamna Volcano has steadily increased and now exceeds normal background levels,” scientists at the observatory wrote in a statement. “Although it is not certain that this sustained increase in earthquake activity represents the movement of magma at depth, it is a significant change and AVO has increased the Alert Level to Advisory and the Aviation Color Code to Yellow.” While the observatory will continue to monitor the volcano, it notes that the seismic activity does not necessarily mean an eruption is imminent, noting that an elevated period of seismic unrest at the volcano from September 1996 to February 1997 also didn’t produce an eruption. Iliamna Volcano is located on the west side of lower Cook Inlet in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, about 130 miles southwest of Anchorage and 60 miles northwest of Homer.

[maryals]

Yeah, a few of Alaska's volcanoes have been grumbling a bit these past many weeks. Neither the State nor the Feds will cough up the $$$ to put any detection equipment there, much less anything state-of-the-art. It's true, no one lives there. But the ash clouds, when there are eruptions, cause havoc for air travel.

Mary and Baby

[Judee]

2012-04-20

Event: Volcano Activity
Location: Mexico State of Puebla Popocatepetl Volcano


Popocatepetl volcano shot a heavy plume of ash into the sky, just southeast of Mexico's capital city, as it spewed glowing rock and magma from its crater around dawn on Friday. Images show the site a smoky plume of ash and glowing rock, rising from the top 17,886-foot peak of Popocatepetl volcano, reported the Associated Press. Mexican television broadcast the images of the eruption rising from the crater and then travelling down the slopes of the volcano. Earlier this week, officials placed a Yellow Level 3 alert at the volcano as the activity increased. The Mexican government has been taking appropriate safety precautions as the volcano began spewing fragments of rock, reported Reuters. Mexico's National Center for the Prevention of Disasters said they recorded eight vapor releases, earlier this week. The most serious occurred around 9 a.m. Sunday, sending vapor cloud a mile into the air, reported the Houston Chronicle. This was a clear sig n that an eruption could happen. On Monday night, the center said that surrounding areas could experience "significant explosions of growing intensity that hurl incandescent rocks significant distances," reported the Associated Press.

Tuesday morning, the center recorded a low amplitude tremor coming from Popocatépetl that lasted about 40 minutes, reported CNN. The coordinator general for civil protection, Laura Gurza, said that officials were not ready to order any evacuations just yet. However, they are "very, very attentive" to the volcano and further developments, reported the Associated Press. Gurza did urge residents to begin to gather important documents and items and plan an escape route in case the volcano begins to threaten them. If it explodes, scientists are expecting an eruption of lava and spewing of ash if the volcano explodes, possibly endangering nearby villages and Mexico's capital, Mexico City. Scientists said they could also expect large amounts of ash and mud and lava to spew from the top. The tiny town of Huejotizngo rests just 18 miles from the peak of Popocatepetl. However, residents did not seem fazed by the rumble of the volcano. People living near the volcano's base ha ve endured this for years. Many see the volcano as one of their own, who would not hurt them.

"He's just breathing up there, that's all," said Carmela Silvestre, 78, according to the New York Times. "We're used to it." Luz Maria De Olate, 35, gave her son a surgical mask, however, fearing the ash could cause damage to her son's lungs. However, she is not concerned for her safety and does not fear an eruption, nor does her son, Oscar. "I'm not afraid," said Oscar, reported the AP. "He's my uncle," referring the uncle. Like Silvestre, Oscar has fondness and personal connection to the volcano. Popocatepetl volcano is considered the most dangerous volcano in the world because of its proxity to the Mexico's capital city, Mexico City. It rests only about 40 miles away and over 30 million people live within areas surrounding the base. The volcano's latest activity comes after a series of earthquakes struck southern and central Mexico in the past three weeks, reported the Houston Chronicle. On March 20, a 7.4 quake damaged hundreds of buildings in Oaxaca and Guerrero. The volcano, which means "Smoking Mountain" in the native tongue of the Aztecs, is an active volcano that experiences exhalations often. On Dec. 18, 2000, the volcano had its most violent eruption in 1,200 years. President Felipe Calderon said that Mexicans only living in some of the most difficult times of their lives and the eruption of the volcano would just be another layer on the cake to these trying times. "All we're missing is an eruption of Popocatepetl and we'll complete the picture," he said in a speech late Thursday, reported the AP. "Hopefully not," he added, knocking on wood.

[Judee]

2012-04-23

Event: Volcano Eruption
Location: Mexico State of Puebla Popocatepetl Volcano


The white-capped volcano that looms over Mexico City emitted a terrifying low-pitched roar Friday and spewed roiling towers of ash and steam as it vented the pressure built up by a massive chamber of magma beneath its slopes. Authorities prepared evacuation routes, ambulances and shelters in the event of a bigger explosion. Even a large eruption of the 17,886-foot (5,450-meter) cone of Popocatepetl is unlikely to do more than dump ash on one of the world's largest metropolitan areas. But the grit could play havoc with Mexico City's busy airport and force the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in the farming villages on its flanks. Popo, as it's commonly known, has put out small eruptions of ash almost daily since a round of eruptions began in 1994. A week ago, the eruptions started growing larger and authorities slightly elevated the alert level for people living nearby. Before dawn on Friday, the mountain moved into what appeared to be a new level of activity, spitting out dozens of ash and shot fragments of glowing rock down its slopes and frightening the residents of surrounding villages with deep roaring not heard in a decade.

Residents of the village of Xalitzintla said they were awakened by a window-rattling series of eruptions. Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center said that a string of eruptions had ended in the early morning, then started up again at 5:05 a.m., with at least 12 in two hours. "Up on the mountain, it feels incredible," said Aaron Sanchez Ocelotl, 45, who was in his turf grass fields when the eruptions happened. "It sounds like the roaring of the sea." A 35 million cubic foot (1 million cubic meter) chamber of magma is seething about six miles (8 to 10 kilometers) beneath Popocatepetl, a mountain named for a legendary indigenous warrior, Roberto Quaas, director of the disaster prevention center, told a press conference laying out emergency preparations. Scientists have no way of predicting whether the molten rock in the chamber will be slowly released, or erupt in a powerful explosion like one on Dec. 18, 2000 that sent up a plume of red-hot rock and forced the evacua tion of thousands of people who live at the volcano's base. He compared the volcano to a bottle of champagne, saying "you could take the cork out quickly and all the gaseous material and liquid rushes out suddenly, or it could also happen slowly." However, he said, "we know that this lava dome, sooner or later, will be destroyed by internal pressure."

Scientists have detected fracturing about 3.5 miles (5 to 6 kilometers) down, accompanied by small earthquakes measuring about 3.4 on the Richter scale, he said. They are monitoring the shaking and the gas and ash put out by the volcano so that. An iconic backdrop to Mexico City's skyline on clear days, Popocatepetl sits roughly halfway between Mexico City and the city Puebla — meaning some 25 million people live within a 60-mile radius of the volcano, Quaas said. "These are figures that obviously alarm and concern us," Quaas said. Gregorio Fuentes Casquera, the assistant mayor of Xalitzintla, a village of 2,600 people about seven miles (12 kilometers) from the summit, said the town had prepared 50 buses and was sending out its six-member police forces to alert people to be ready to evacuate. "Everyone needs to take this seriously. This buzzing, this roaring isn't normal," he said, adding that he believed about half the populace would be willing to evacuate, w hile the rest would want to stay. As the quiet of the corn fields and fruit orchards was pervaded by the volcano's spooky roaring, dozens of women lined up in Xalitzintla's main square to get free face masks and bottles of water. Health authorities were giving out 10 masks and 10 bottles of water to each family, and the surgical-style masks, intended to filter out the fine ash released by the volcano, were becoming common among the town(asterisk)s students, who are required to wear them in school. Few adults wore them.

"Right now we're not scared. When it's scary is at night, when it's putting out lava," said Nancy Agustin Inclan, 14, as she removed her mask and took a break outside the gate of the town's middle school. President Felipe Calderon said live on national television that authorities are keeping open roads around the mountain, preparing emergency shelters and making sure residents know the latest information about a potential eruption. Leon Analco Analco, 83, chopped corn stalks with a machete as he related some residents' plans to simply move to a shelter they'd constructed on a ridgeline about 200 feet higher than the rest of the village. "This is a ravine. All the mud will run down here. It's dangerous," he said. Webcam images on the site of the National Disaster Prevention Center showed the plume rising from the top of the peak at dawn, though clouds obscured the volcano for people further away. The Televisa television network broadcast imag es of red, glowing material rising from the crater and falling on its slopes. Authorities this week raised the alert level due to increasing activity at the volcano, whose most violent eruption in 1,200 years occurred on Dec. 18, 2000. The ash was blowing to the northeast, in the general direction of the city of Puebla.

Residents of Huejotzingo, 18 miles (30 kilometers) from the peak, went about the day as normal despite a magnificent plume of ash and water vapor. Luz Maria de Olate, 35, put her 5-year-old in a surgical mask because the teachers said the ash could damage children's lungs. But like hundreds of other residents on the flank of the volcano, she doesn't fear an eruption. Neither did her son as they headed for school. The recent round of eruptions, which began in 1994, ended a period of decades in which the volcano was seen as peaceful, sleeping giant, and a tourism attraction. Epifanio Inclan, 77, a farmer, recalled guiding tourists to the very crater of the volcano in the 1950s. "They paid us a peso or two, and a peso meant something back then," he said. Making the day-long climb in huaraches, the young guides would play soccer near the top of the peak while tourists descended into the crater. "I'm not afraid. He's my uncle," said Oscar Olate, expressing the personal relationship many in the Mexico Valley feel toward Popocatepetl, whose name means "smoking mountain" in the indigenous Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. People view it with fondness, said street vendor David Gorzo Navarro, 45. "When the ash falls, it's like fertilizer," he said. More than 30 million people live within view of the volcano, which sits at a point where the states of Mexico, Puebla, and Morelos come together.

[Judee]

Ref.no.: VA-20120529-35245-COL

Situation Update No. 4
On 2012-06-07

Event: Volcano Activity
Location: Colombia Cordillera Central, Andes Nevado del Ruiz Volcano


Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz volcano has been getting rather gassy in the past few days. On Monday, it shot a plume of ash and gas almost 6,000 feet into the sky, reports the BBC. The Colombian Geological Service said the volcano could erupt "in a matter of days or weeks,” according to reports by BBC as well as Spanish news wire EFE. That is a terrifying possibility. The last time Nevado del Ruiz blew its top was 1985, killing some 25,000 people in the nearby town of Armero in one of the deadliest eruptions of the 20th century. According to research by San Diego State University, besides the massive death toll of villagers and animals, the disaster had an estimated cost equal to about one-fifth the country's economic output. Now, amid the spewing gas and ash, residents are wearing protective masks and Colombian authorities have issued an emergency warning, shutting the nearby La Nubia airport as a precaution.

[maryals]

AVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice

Volcano: Cleveland (CAVW #1101-24-)

Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Previous Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY

Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Previous Aviation Color Code: YELLOW

Issued: Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 3:06 PM AKDT (20120619/2306Z)
Source: Alaska Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2012/A9
Location: N 52 deg 49 min W 169 deg 56 min
Elevation: 5676 ft (1730 m)
Area: Aleutians Alaska

Volcanic Activity Summary: A pilot report, web camera image, and infrasound data indicate an ash producing explosion occurred at Cleveland Volcano today around 22:05 UTC (14:05 AKDT). The pilot report suggests the cloud height is 35,000 feet (10 km) above sea level. Infrasound data indicate the eruption is short in duration.

Additional sudden explosions of blocks and ash are still possible with little warning. It is possible for associated ash clouds to exceed 20,000 feet above sea level. If a large ash-producing event occurs, seismic, infrasound, or volcanic lightning networks should detect the event and alert AVO staff. There is no real-time seismic monitoring network on Mount Cleveland so AVO is unable to track activity in real time.

Recent Observations:
[Volcanic cloud height] Estimated at 35,000 ft
[Other volcanic cloud information] Unknown

Remarks: Cleveland volcano forms the western half of Chuginadak Island, a remote and uninhabited island in the east central Aleutians. It is located about 75 km (45 mi.) west of the community of Nikolski, and 1500 km (940 mi.) southwest of Anchorage. The volcano's most recent significant eruption began in February, 2001 and it produced 3 explosive events that produced ash clouds as high as 12 km (39,000 ft) above sea level. The 2001 eruption also produced a rubbly lava flow and hot avalanche that reached the sea. The most recent minor ash emissions were observed in December 2011.

Contacts: John Power, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS
jpower@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497

Steve McNutt, Coordinating Scientist, UAF
steve@giseis.alaska.edu (907) 474-7131

Next Notice: A new VAN will be issued if conditions change significantly or alert levels are modified. While a VAN is in effect, regularly scheduled updates are posted at
http://www.avo.alaska.edu

The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.

Mary and Baby

[Judee]

On 2012-07-31

Event: Volcano Activity
Location: New Zealand Northland Mount Tongariro Volcano

Sesimic activity has picked up under Tongariro volcano in New Zealand, GeoNet confirms in its latest bulletin. The earthquake activity had started on 13 July, peaked on 20 July, sharply decreased and picked up again with currently about 3-10 events per day. The earthquakes cluster in a zone between Mount Tongariro and the eastern side of Lake Rotoaira at 2-7 km depth. They are mostly very small and unlikely to be felt are occurring each day. Scientists have increased their monitoring of the volcano. Gas samplings of springs and fumaroles confirm that volcanic gases above normal levels are present. A GPS instrument has been installed to detect possible ground movement. The alert level remains unchanged at 1 (out of 4). Mount Tongariro is a volcanic complex north of Mount Ngauruhoe. It consists of numerous craters, cones and lava flows. The Te Mari craters lie about two kilometres east of Ketetahi hot springs on the north side of Mount Tongariro. They are the last craters to be active on Tongariro. Ash eruptions from Tongariro are recorded from 1855 to 1897, as well as unconfirmed activity in 1926-27.

[Judee]

On 2012-08-03

Event: Volcano Activity
Location: New Zealand North Island Volcano Whakaari, White Island


White Island volcano's unrest is possibly being caused by magma pushing closer to the surface, GNS Science says. GNS yesterday changed the volcano's code from a "normal, non-eruptive state" to "experiencing signs of elevated unrest above known background levels" after crater lake began to re-fill quickly and the number of tremors began to increase. The volcano, located about 49 kilometres off the coast of Whakatane, is a popular tourist spot, but vulcanologist Michael Rosenberg said those visiting it should be cautious. Scientists could not rule out a volcanic eruption in the future, as history showed White Island could be unpredictable, he said. "It can erupt with virtually no warning at all and that happened in July 2000. "It was in a slightly elevated state of unrest, higher than what it is now, and just overnight it was just bang." However, Rosenberg also said episodes of volcanic unrest could frequently lead to nothing. Last week, the volcano's lake level quickly rose by about three to five metres sometime between Friday and Saturday, exposing a "vigorous" flow of gas and steam into the air, he said. "There used to be a lake there in the early 2000s, and it slowly evaporated and it was virtually down to nothing and then overnight the water level rose by maybe five metres."

It has risen in the past, but took much longer than the 24 hours, he said. During the past few weeks there had also been some minor volcanic tremors, including several hours on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. "There hasn't been very much of that volcanic tremor in the last couple of years, this is one of the reasons that we issued the alert bulletin." Rosenberg said scientists believed there was something changing in the magma underneath the volcano. "It's either that a pulse of gas is being released from that magma and that's providing a bit of extra pressure to push everything else towards the surface, or possibly it's a small amount of magma pushing closer to the surface. We are unsure at this stage." He said GNS Science would stop tourists from visiting the island if the volcano began to erupt a plume of ash, rocks or mud. "From where the volcano is now, there would have to be quiet a significant change over many days to weeks before it got to the stage where we thought it would erupt," he said. Further west, Mt Tongariro has also been showing signs of increased activity, with more than 100 minor shakes since July 11. Rosenberg said having White Island and Mt Tongariro both on a yellow code - meaning "signs of elevated unrest" - was just a coincidence. "Each volcano behaves in its own way. Yes, they both lie pretty much of either end of the Taupo volcano zone that runs through the North Island that's on top of the plate boundary. But that's about as closely related as they get."

[maryals]

IT HAS ERUPTED, NEW ZEALAND

NZ Herald
Tuesday August 7, 2012 8:38 AM NZT
Auckland, 16° 8° Change

Mt Tongariro eruption: Code red
UPDATED8:29 AM Tuesday Aug 7, 2012

A thick ash cloud is covering much of the central North Island after Mt Tongariro erupted for the first time in more than a century late last night.

The volcanic alert level for Mt Tongariro has risen from 1 to 2, while the aviation colour code has been raised to red.

Roads are closed, flights are likely to be disrupted and nearby residents are advised to stay indoors as ash and rock spews from the mountain.

Turoa Ski Area manager Chris Thrupp told Firstline the ski field remains open and has not been advised to close. He said the ash has not drifted to Ruapehu, south of Tongariro.

"The ash is the concern - if the wind changes, which we don't believe it will."

GNS science is reporting that about 11.50pm on Monday night ash fall began to be reported in the volcano's vicinity - it has since been reported as far east as SH5 near Te Haroto and in Napier.

It is the first time the mountain has erupted since 1897.

GNS duty volcanologist Michael Rosenberg told Radio New Zealand that some people are reported to have left their houses on the southern shores of Lake Rotoaira, though no formal notices of evacuation have been issued so far by Civil Defence.

He said residents in the area have told GNS of hearing several loud explosions, lightning and plumes of smoke and police have been told by an onlooker that "a new hole in the side of the mountain" had formed.

They have also reported bright red rocks flying out of the mountain.

The eruption reportedly happened at the Te Mari Craters, which are close to the Ketetahi Hot Springs on the northern side of the mountain.

There have been no further eruptions since midnight, according to GNS seismic records.

Mr Rosenberg said while volcanologists have been monitoring small earthquakes under the mountain in the past few weeks, the eruption was "quite unexpected".

Activity at the mountain is expected continue for some time, bit it was "anyone's guess" whether there would be larger eruptions.

AREAS AFFECTED

Civil defence spokesman Vince Cholewa told Newstalk ZB ash could reach those living in Waikato, Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu-Wanganui, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki.

"The advice to people is to stay indoors, because volcanic ash can obviously be a health hazard, if they're indoors please close windows and doors to try and limit the entry of ash."

"Evacuations have not been ordered, please listen to the radio for advice from local authorities and police, any evacuations would be issued at that level, and based on the evidence from GNS Science."

Police are sending search and rescue teams up Mt Tongariro at first light to check no one is stranded in huts. However, they say there have been no reports of injuries or damage.

AVIATION

Air New Zealand said flights to and from airports east of Mount Tongariro, including Gisborne, Rotorua, Taupo, Napier and Palmerston North, may be delayed or cancelled as a result of the eruption.

Captain David Morgan, Air New Zealand general manager airline operations and safety and chief pilot, said the airline is working with the relevant authorities to make adjustments to flight routes to ensure aircraft remain clear of any ash.

Passengers are advised to check the Air New Zealand website for flight arrivals and departures information.

Civil Aviation Authority manager of meteorology Peter Lechner said the plume is leading off to the east and south east affecting a zone of airspace stretching as far as from Tongariro to north of Gisborne then south to Hawkes Bay and possibly northern Wairarapa.

The CAA alerted all aircraft using a volcanic ash advisory system, working with MetService.

WEATHER

WeatherWatch chief analyst Philip Duncan said westerlies will continue to blow the ash east to south east of the mountain.

"The winds don't look especially strong over the next few days as the centre of a low crosses the North Island - the lighter the winds are the more ash will fall locally around the mountain and less likely to cause widespread disruptions further afield."

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) is currently assessing information with the assistance of GNS scientific advisors.

It has not yet activated the National Crisis Management Centre which is called upon in times of emergency like the Christchurch earthquake.

WHITE ISLAND

New Zealand's other high profile active volcano, White Island, also had its alert level raised from 1 to 2 on Monday after a small eruption was recorded in its crater lake.


© Copyright 2012, APN Holdings NZ Limited

Assembled by: (static) on akl_a2 at 07 Aug 2012 08:39:07 Processing Time: 62ms http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10825125

Mary and Baby

[Judee]

Lightning storms and volcanic ash

Friday 10th Aug, 2012


Bay of Plenty residents were treated to a rare sight as an electrical storm lit up the sky and White Island spewed ash into the atmosphere overnight.

The active volcano White Island, about 48km off the Bay of Plenty coastline continued to erupt overnight after beginning a new eruptive episode on Sunday.

Reports last night of red lights coming from the volcano have been confirmed as lightning in an electrical storm about 50km north of White Island.

GNS duty volcanologist Michael Rosenberg says the two incidents are unrelated.

He says the electrical storm was misinterpreted as lightening in the ash plume of the volcano.

“Last night many residents on the Bay of Plenty coastline reported seeing lighting out over the sea and initial assessments were that the lightening was being produced in the White Island ash plume.

“Now that we have reviewed the data, it’s clear that the lightening was not anything to do with White Island.”

He says people reported flashes and everyone assumed it was connected to White Island.

“But we now know from MetService data that that’s not correct.”

There are also reports of a light ash falling on cars in Papamoa and other areas of Tauranga. Papamoa east resident Dave Congalton went to wash his car on Thursday afternoon when he noticed a fine layer of ash on the roof.

“At first I thought it was pollen but on closer inspection it was ash.

“It is only very fine, nothing like when Ruapehu erupted.”

Other Mount Maunganui residents have also reported seeing a light sheen of ash on cars and one person in Greerton commented on SunLive that they had ash on their car in Greerton.

Michael says the ash in Tauranga may not have come from White Island, as the wind has been blowing in the wrong direction.

“It seems unlikely the volcanic ash is related to White Island because the wind direction would have been carrying the ash from White Island away from the coastline and not towards it,” says Michael.

“We can’t make the connection between that and White Island. We would be very happy to receive any samples of that ash that we can analyse and check on the origin.”

Scientists at visited White Island on Thursday morning and confirmed it is erupting with a 300m plume of ash visible from a new vent formed at the back of the crater lake.

Today Michael says the activity on White Island remains unchanged and there are no plans to travel to White Island to inspect the volcano.

“There’s been no change, everything is pretty much as it was yesterday with some ash cloud being produced to very low levels and earthquake activity, the volcanic tremor, staying at a slightly elevated level. But about the same as it has been in the last couple of days.

“We don’t plan any visits to White Island today, we do plan to be making a volcanic gas measurement flight tomorrow, weather permitting.

“That will give us another measurement on how much of the volcanic gas is coming out and whether that has changed since the last survey.”

Mount Tongariro erupted earlier this week for the first time in 100 years.

The volcano erupted at 11.50pm on Monday evening spewing ash and rocks into the air from the Te Maari crater.

http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/29755-...eruptions.html