La Palma volcano eruption news summary: 6 October 2021
La Palma volcano eruption: live updates
Headlines
- Researchers announce that the volcano’s main cone has collapsed, increasing the lava flow.
- Lava now covers over 420 hectares, according to Spain's Dept of National Security (DSN)
- Last week the lava reached the sea, forming huge delta on La Palma coast
- Lower seismic activity on the island
- More than 1,000 buildings affected by the lava flow, with 6,000 people evacuated
- Spain's government announces 213-million-euro relief package for La Palma
Useful information
- Volcanologist speaks to AS about the effects of lava reaching the sea
- An overview of the active volcanoes on the Canary Islands
- When was the last volcanic eruption on the Canary Islands?
Related news articles:
Spanish king visits La Palma
Spanish king Felipe VI arrived in La Palma this morning, to present the gold medal of Royal Academy of Fine Arts San Miguel Arcángel to the Canary Islands parliament and also to get a clearer picture of the situation on the island following the volcanic erruption.
La Palma volcanic ash for sale on Ebay
Some enterprising islanders are finding ways of cashing in on Cumbre Vieja's recent activity. Some have put small jars of volcanic ash from La Palma on sale on Ebay. For 10 euros, you can buy an eight-gramme jar of volcanic ash as a unique, original present.
La Palma registered 16 earth tremors during Wednesday night
Spain's National Geographic Institute recorded 16 tremors during Wednesday night and Thursday morning - five of them of a magnitude over 3 on the mbLg scale. The largest magnitude registered was 3.5 mbLg in Villa de Mazo at 01:33 hours this morning.
La Palma airport closed due to formation of large ash cloud
La Palma airport was closed on Thursday morning as a precaution. Airport operator Aena said the airport was ‘inoperative’ due to the accumulation of ash. The airport has been temporarily closed since Cumbre Vieja started errupting 19 days ago.
NASA detect lenticular cloud formations in La Palma
NASA's Terra satellite has captured images of lenticular clouds forming above Cumbre Vieja via its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Photo: NASA.
Cumbre Vieja has entered its "mature phase" says researchers
Cumbre Vieja has stabilised and is now in a "mature phase" as it enters the 19th day of acitivity. However María José Blanco. Director at the National Geographical Institute (IGN) explained that the volcano is not expected to stop errupting anytime soon but that should not be a cause for alarm. "I think media exposure and understanding of of volcanic phenomena puts the minds of the public at peace, and that is a good thing. We live in a zone which is volcanically active so we have to know what is normal and usual and distinguish between other, different kinds of volcanic behaviour," she explained.
"It is not foreseeable that anyone else will have to be evacuated. The lava is moving towards the coast and the damage will be material. According to experts there are about 17-20 million cubic meters of lava."
Live footage shows continuing eruption
The La Palma volcano is continuing to spew lava and has now reached as many as 1,000 buildings across the island. The Spanish government has initiated a 213 million euro relief package for the island, where thousands of residents have been evacuated.
New videos from the La Palma volcano
Researchers from the Spanish Geological and Mining Institute have captured amazing new footage of smoke plumes eminating from the La Palma volcano which has been active since Sunday 19 September.
NASA shot shows the scale of volcano impact
Lava flow from the La Palma volcano now covers more than 420 hectares, and has now been active for so long that the consequences of the eruption can clearly be seen from space.
A waitress sweeps ash in front of a bar on the streets of Los Llanos de Aridane today. (Photo: EFE)
Binter, CanaryFly cancel flights
Spanish airlines Binter and CanaryFly have both confirmed that they will stop all flights to and from La Palma due to the large ash cloud over the island, which currently measures 3,000m2.
"We are cancelling tomorrow, October 7, all flights with #LaPalma. The stoppage will be maintained until conditions improve," Binter said.
Cumbre Vieja volcanic activity "stabilizing"
Head spokesperson for the emergency response plan in La Palma (Pevolca), Ángel Morcuende, has assured that the "behavior of the volcano has been stable for several hours".
"It's good news for everyone," said Morcuende, whose comments come after Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional confirmed that there has been a reduction in seismic activity caused by the volcano.
Firefighters work to clear mess left by volcano
Firefighters from Gran Canaria continue to clear up the devastation left by the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma.
La Palma volcano from space
This is the image captured from space by NASA's Terra satellite on Friday 1 October.
The rapid rise of hot ash and gases into the atmosphere caused the creation of billowing clouds around the island of La Palma and the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which erupted on September 19.
Photo: NASA
Donations for La Palma up to €4.1 million
La Palma continues to receive direct aid from the Spanish government to help alleviate the disaster caused by the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano. So far the donation total is up to €4.1 million for the island.
Donations have also been coming in from organisations, private companies and individual donators from all over the world.
The money is for the people living in the localities affected by the eruption and the areas benefiting from this financial aid are El Paso, Los Llanos de Aridane and Tazacorte.
Photo: EFE
A woman passes an abandoned dog she found to Benawara Animal and Plant Protection Association, which is currently hosting and caring for animals due to the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, in Los Llanos de Aridane, on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain.
Photo: Reuters/Juan Medina
The Cumbre Vieja volcano is seen at dawn on Wednesday, the 18th day of its ongoing eruption, in an image taken from Valle de Aridane.
(Photo: EFE/Carlos de Saá)
Copernicus satellite image of the Cumbre Vieja eruption
Copernicus, the EU’s Earth observation programme, has shared this image of the Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption and lava flow, taken by the Sentinel-2 satellite on Tuesday.
Involcan images of eruption and delta
The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute (Involcan) has shared these photos taken by its volcanologists during a flight on a Spanish Civil Guard helicopter today.
Where are most volcanoes located?
In total there are potentially some 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth, according the US Geological Survey. Of those, 51 are now in continuing eruption status, the most recent on La Palma.
Many of those volcanoes are located on the “Ring of Fire” which is located all along the Pacific Rim. However, the greatest number of volcanoes are hidden from view deep under water on the ocean floor.
Spanish gov announces 213m-euro aid package for La Palma
On Tuesday, the Spanish government announced that its Council of Ministers has approved a 213-million-euro package of relief measures for “the economic and social reconstruction” of La Palma.
They will include aid for housing and infrastructure, and measures aimed at supporting employment, La Moncloa said.
La Palma eruption "the most destructive in Spain's history"
The Spanish geologist Juan Carlos Carracedo told an interview with El País this week that the eruption of La Palma’s Cumbre Vieja volcano is “without doubt the most destructive in Spain’s history”.
“Not even the [eruption of] the Timanfaya volcano on the island of Lanzarote in 1730 caused so much damage, Carracedo, a professor at the University of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.
Watch volcanologist take sample from Cumbre Vieja lava
The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute (Involcan) has shared this video in which we can see the process whereby one of its scientists extracts a sample from within the lava flow emanating from the Cumbre Vieja volcano:
'Fuerza La Palma': Charity football match raises funds for La Palma
A charity football match was held on Tuesday night between UD Las Palmas and UD Granadilla Tenerife Egatesa, to raise funds for La Palma following the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano.
Under the slogan ‘Fuerza La Palma’ (‘Stay strong, La Palma’), the friendly - which involved teams featuring men and women - finished 5-5 at the Estadio Gran Canaria.
3,373 fans were in attendance for the match. All the money raised is to be donated to those affected by the volcanic eruption on the Canary Island.
How many active volcanoes are there in the Canary Islands?
In the last 1,000 years, the only eruptions in Spain have happened on the Canary Islands, because of their volcanoes' relative youth. Cumbre Vieja, for example, is a mere 125,000 years old.
People in Tijarafe, La Palma, observe the Cumbre Vieja volcano as it spews lava, ash and smoke on Tuesday.
(Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)
Tremors lowering in frequency
Per Radio Televisión Canaria, the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to cause seismic activity on La Palma, but the frequency of the tremors is reducing.
Lava delta now covers 36 hectares, says DSN
According to an update by Spain’s Department of National Security (DSN) on Wednesday, the lava flow emanating from the Cumbre Vieja volcano now covers 420.12 hectares of La Palma, with a maximum width of 1,250 metres.
The delta formed by the lava that has reached the sea is now some 36 hectares in size, the DSN says.
The body added that 726 buildings have been destroyed by the lava flow.
La Palma volcano eruption, live updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live blog for Wednesday 6 October 2021, bringing you the latest updates and information on the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma.