Forums Forums National News La Plama Volcanic Eruption

This is so awful. Being a small island, the gases and dust must be dreadful. I feel very sorry for them, but it could go on for months.

Folks are worrying about their holidays !!

Yes saw this , must be terrible. Made me feel guilty moaning about our recent flooding.

My fascination for these things has kept me occupied since last March when the Icelandic volcano erupted. She seemed to be very angry, and kept on giving birth . Loads of fissures/vents appeared and which ever one it isnow , it's still pumping out lava at an incredible rate. (maybe more than one)
Quite beautiful to see, but the power is something else.
Molten rocks and boulders, being thrown out from great depths to great heights..... and to think we stand on a crust of earth between that and us.

This video is the one of Iceland taken on the 18th September. Plenty more on youtube, but none appear to be 'live' any longer.

Here is live tonight from La Palma. I'm not sure how distant the cameras are from her,(quite a few km's) but she sounds as if she's having a battle down there.

Horrific, but utterly awe-inspiring and mesmerising. We are as nothing in the face of such power. All we can do is run. The inexorability of the lava flow, engulfing everything in its path, is hard to believe. I'm SO glad I don't live in a volcanic area!

It is horrific, Greenwood, and as you say, we are nothing in the face of such power.

This morning 'live' from a different position and it's been reported that another vent has opened up somewhere.

The power of Mother Nature is certainly very humbling.
I read a projection a few years back that a volcano, or something else on one of these islands, would cause some of the island to collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami that would devastate most of the eastern side of America and the Caribbean.
Can't remember if it was a volcano or an earthquake. Also forgot where I read or heard about it. Scary thought.

A volcanic eruption, Mikeeb. This is the same one you refer to. This article from 2014 explains more.:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/mega_tsunami_qanda.shtml

That's it Granny, thanks.
Definitely a scary thought.

More vents and three more towns evacuated. She's been vicious today, poured out copious amounts of smoke and crap. The inhbitants must be worried sick and many , heartbroken. Hope all th animals were out, although a couple on EUnews yesterday said theey couldn't get their cats.

Live at the moment here : Note the lava flow !!

It’s awesome and so scary. It seems to me Mother Nature taking back what’s hers!

How wierd ! Last night into the early hours she was shouting and banging away, throwing rockets of lava/magma into the air, streams of lava running down hill...... and then this morning ... silence !

She hasn't been quiet since last Sunday. Reports coming out that only a few hours before the lava reaches the sea. So we wait and see.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/0927/1249169-lava-la-palma/

Calm before the storm ?

Different coveragel... some turn off and come back..

OMG !! Roll back to 1.05.50 approx. or further if you can // This is horrendous. Lava flow down the mountain.

This is what I was talking about earlier.

Urgh, that's a LOT more runny than the earlier flows.

There is no let up from this volcano. A few more fissures have opened up and it is spewing out more lava. And last night, eight new earthquakes up to a magnitude of 3.5 were recorded.

https://news.sky.com/story/la-palma...-lava-belching-cracks-blow-open-12424777

I've been following these live feeds every night, Mike. Last night's eurptions were really magical from a visual point of view, spewing out what looked like golden sparklers everywhere. (chunks of rock in reality)
Not very magical for the island and residents.
It changes every day/ night but there seems to be no let up yet.
Goodness knows what the air quality must be like, and the smell of sulphur. Someone said that volcanic eruptions have no impact on climate change, well I'd be a bit more inquisitive about that.

I have to turn the sound off, as it tends to make the stress levels rise.

And quite right, you should be inquisitive.

While CO2 emitted from Volcanoes is low-ish (usually stated as between 1% and 2% of global CO2 emissions), that is most certainly glossing over many other aspects.

Volcanoes don't emit a lot of CO2 because of their nature, there is no free carbon to burn nor will CO2 stored within a volcano. You are unlikely to have coal, oil, gas or peat sitting in the layer of earth over a volcanic fissure, it will have burnt off long ago. Lava is mostly a kind of sand product (Silicon based), no carbon involved.

However anything that is burnt in the lava flow is probably carbon based and also sea water when heated will release its dissolved CO2.

But next there is a secondary effect caused by the debris emitted from the volcano, the dust reduces sunlight over a large area, this reduces the CO2 absorption by plants on land and plankton at sea. Apart from the local vicinity the amount of light reduction is small but it is amplified by the very large area it covers. There is a slight offset which is caused by the sea cooling with reduced sunlight which reduces the CO2 naturally released by seawater but this is small compared to the loss of CO2 absorption by plankton.

There are probably more effects caused by Sulpher Dioxide and various other gases (especially acids) emitted by volcanos but that is beyond my knowledge, I've only looked at CO2 which is one of many greenhouse gases.

Interesting info, DD. Thank you.

Anyone awake out there ?

Still blowing her top. Quieter last night, massive tonight . Reminds me of a vindaloo I once had.