La Palma volcano news summary: 12 November 2021
Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption: live updates
Headlines:
- Cumbre Vieja volcano is now in its eighth week of activity after first erupting on 19 September
- Lava flow now covers more than 1,000 hectares, according to Spain's Department of National Security
- New lava delta formed off Los Guirres beach
- Around 7,000 of the island's 85,000 residents have been evacuated
- Earthquake measuring 5.0 on Richter scale hit La Palma on Thursday
Useful information
- AS talks to volcanologist 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?
- Where are most volcanoes located on Earth?
La Palma volcanic eruption: related articles
Saturday morning view of Cumbre Vieja: video
The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute (Involcan) has shared this video of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, taken from El Paso, La Palma, at first light on Saturday:
Dept of National Security update on lava flow
According to an update issued by Spain’s Department of National Security early on Saturday, the lava flow emanating from the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano has now affected 1,009.43 hectares of surface area on La Palma.
La Palma volcano has now been active for nearly two months
The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma is now into an eighth week of activity and is continuing to spew ash and lava onto the surrounding area. This live footage from Reuters shows the glowing flow of lava that is clear visible throught the darkness.
Cumbre Vieja could be running out of fuel
CSIC volcanologist Pablo J. González has told El Pais that there appears to be a decrease in pressure beneath the surface of the Vieja Cumbre volcano, which could give important clues about "the evolution of the eruption."
The changes mean that “more magma is coming out of the chamber at a depth of 10 kilometers than is going into it from the one at 30 kilometers,” he says, suggesting that the volcano is running out of fuel.
“I can’t tell when it will run out, but it’s a sign that it is,” González adds. “These are good signs.”
Clean up effort continues in La Palma
After nearly eight weeks of activity the Cumbre Vieja volcano is continuing to spew ash into the atmosphere and areas of the island of La Palma are now entirely covered in volcanic debris. Despite the fact that the volcano continues to erupt the clean up effort in some areas has already begun, with one operative pictured here blowing ash from rooftops.
Latest Copernicus Cumbre Vieja data
The EU's Copernicus earth observatory has issued its latest data based on radar imagery of the La Palma volcano, which shows that the lava flows now cover 1,018 hectares of land and a further 11 buildings have been destroyed over the previous 24 hours, taking the total to 2,616.
Cumbre Vieja continues to spew ash
There have been signs of decreasing seismic activity within the Cumbre Vieja volcano, but the ash clouds that have been covering La Palma and disrupting all aspects of daily life are still being created by the huge plume emanating from the mountain, as this footage from Involcan shows.
La Palma air quality is good
The local La Palma council confirmed that today's quality of air was good with one exception being Los Llanos de Aridane, where residents were advised to wear FFP2 protective face masks against the particles formed by the ash cloud from the Cumbre Vieja volcano.
Seismic activity and SO2 levels decrease
Experts studying the Cumbre Viejo volcano on La Palma concur that both seismic activity and sulfur dioxide levels have decreased but maintain that this is not necessarily an early sign that the volcano is calming.
Los Guirres beach
Lava spewed by Cumbre Vieja volcano reaches the Atlantic Ocean at Los Guirres beach on the island of La Palma
Volcano won't interrupt La Palma flights this weekend
All regional and national airlines who use La Palma airport (Iberia, Binter...) have confirmed that they expect to run a complete schedule over the weekend with no delays or cancellations anticipated due to the eruption and subsequent ash clouds.
A plasma laser and a volcano
A group of researchers from the Department of Applied Physics of the University of Malaga went to the island of La Palma to implement an ingenious tool. Using a portable instrument known as a plasma laser, they are able to measure the composition of the lava in real time and at a safe distance. In addition, the machine predicts the behaviour of the eruption and helps scientists to study the evolution of the volcano.
The emergency situation on the Spanish island has led to the creation of this instrument in just three weeks. It is said that it would normally take about three years to develop.
Smokey and ashy: La Palma right now
Almost like a description of a fine Scottish whisky, but the situation for many on La Palma is far from satisfying for the palate.
This recent footage shows the continued activity at the summit of Cumbre Vieja.
840 earthquakes felt since beginning of eruption
Some 840 earthquakes have been felt since the start of the volcanic emergency that began on 19 September on the island of La Palma, reports the National Geographic Institute (IGN).
In that same time there have been in excess of 56,000 seismic questionnaires filled in, via a link by those people who have felt a tremor on the island.
What the final tally will be is anyone's guess.
More lava samples grabbed on La Palma
This short video clip from Reuters show the Spanish military collecting samples of Cumbre Vieja's red-hot lava as it attempts to reach the Atlantic Ocean.
A few months back they could not have imagined themselves doing this sort of job.
Smoke billows from Cumbre Vieja
The latest footage from the volcano was taken at 1.30 pm local time (8:30 am ET) from the Llano del Jable Astronomical Viewpoint. As you can clearly see, the smoke continues to billow into the sky over the island.
Potential for more seismic activity
Itahiza Domínguez, seismologist of the National Geographic Institute, has been keeping a close eye on the situation following the volcanic eruption and suggests more trouble could be coming.
"We had a major spike in deep seismic activity two days ago, producing the most earthquakes we have ever had.
"Yesterday, we had another raft of these deep earthquakes, like of a magnitude of 5, which woke up a lot of people. Since then, the activity has increased, and there may be a rebound", he explained on local television.
Another 26 earthquakes on La Palma
An update from the IGN reminds us that the activity on the island is far from calm, with 26 more tremors recorded so far today.
The highest magnitude was around 8:30 am local time, of 4.8.
Lava impact assessment in the sea
The European Multidisciplinary Observatory for the Study of the Seabed and Water has deployed equipment to assess and monitor the impact of lava on the marine ecosystem.
The tool is has been deposited on the seabed at a depth of about 500 metres in an area with a relatively low slope.
Spain to ask EU to consider aid as "force majeure"
On Monday, Luis Planas, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, is set to ask the European Union in the Council of Ministers of the European Union to consider the situation of "force majeure" to provide further financial aid to farmers affected by the volcano of La Palma.
He has also spoken of the Spanish Government's 18.8 million euros used to help the agricultural and livestock sector, of which 14 million has been allocated to the products that have been destroyed by the lava and cannot now be marketed.
Carrefour & Red Cross launch La Palma campaign
Carrefour, through its Foundation, and the Red Cross have launched the campaign 'A banana for La Palma', with the aim of raising funds to help those affected by the volcanic eruption of Cumbre Vieja.
The supermarket chain will sell more than 100,000 bananas, and the full amount of each one will be donated to the island of La Palma. This initiative began yesterday and runs till the end of the weekend.
UME captures aerial footage of new delta
This video, filmed by a drone belong to Spain's Emergency Military Unit (UME), shows the flow of lava into the new headland formed this week, to the right of the delta formed in late September:
La Palma eruption: lava creates new delta as it reaches the sea
Lava flowing over the Los Guirres beach this week has formed a new delta off the coast of La Palma, beside the one already formed at the end of September. Here is video footage of the lava flowing into the sea at Los Guirres.
A team clears ash from a roof on Thursday, as the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt on La Palma.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Where are most volcanoes located?
AS USA's Greg Heilman takes a look at how volcanoes are formed, and where on the planet they are most likely to be found.
Eruption seen from sea
This striking photo shared by the Canary Islands Volcanology Insitute (Involcan), and taken from a Spanish Civil Guard patrol boat, shows the smoke rising from the Cumbre Vieja on Friday morning, as well as the ongoing flow of lava into the Atlantic Ocean.
Lava headland covers nearly 35 hectares
According to the latest data compiled by the Copernicus satellite programme and the Cabildo de La Palma, the island's local government, the surface area of lava that has reached the sea and now sits off the coast of La Palma measures 34.9 hectares.
Video images of volcano early on Friday
The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute (Involcan) has shared these video images of the erupting Cumbre Vieja at first light on Friday morning:
A man sweeps volcanic ash from the pavement in La Palma, Spain, this week.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Lava flow now covers over 1,000 hectares, DSN says
Per an update provided by Spain's Department of National Security early on Friday, the lava flow emanating from the Cumbre Vieja volcano now covers a surface area of 1,005.8 hectares on La Palma.
Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption live updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live blog for Friday 12 November, bringing you the latest developments in the ongoing eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma.