Posted on 09/29/2011 1:25:47 PM PDT by Red Badger
Residents of El Hierro have been put on standby for mandatory evacuation.
The Canary Islands are on watch for what scientists believe is a pending volcanic eruption.
MADRID, SPAIN - The 108 square mile island of El Hierro is home to about 10,000 people. And the population is on standby orders for emergency evacuation. The island has seen thousands of small earthquakes in what seismologists refer to as an, "earthquake swarm." They believe the earthquake swarm is a sign that an eruption is imminent. Nearly 9,000 tremors have been detected in the last two months.
On Monday a 3.8 quake was felt across the whole island.
Volcanologists cannot be certain that the volcano will erupt, but they believe it is likely. Of greatest concern are landslides that are being triggered by the near-constant earthquakes. At least 50 people have already been evacuated because of landslide risk.
Schools on the island have been closed as well as a tunnel which links the two small towns on the island.
Scientists are saying that a ball of magma is rising to the surface and causing the seismic activity that has so many worried. Volcanologist Juan Carlos Carrecedo said, "We don't know if that ball of magma will break through the crust and cause an eruption." However, he warned that an eruption could certainly occur within days to months.
The last eruption in the Canary islands occurred in 1971 on the island of La Palma. The last eruption on El Hierro took place in 1793 and lasted for a month.
At this time, the Spanish government has sent rescue personnel to be ready to assist in evacuations, if needed. And volcanologists raised the alert level to "yellow" on Sunday, which is the highest alert status the island has seen in a very long time.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
Sometime in the late 70s, while at college, I travelled to the Canary Islands with some friends. We never visited Hierro, but went to the main island, Tenerife, and up to the summit of the Teide volcano. It’s been about 300 years since the last eruption, but walking around the summit I was startled by the fact that the ground was too hot to stand still, I had to keep on moving. A park ranger demonstrated cracking an egg on a rock and we watched it cook! All of that while a pretty cold wind was blowing, because Teide is the highest mountain in Spain. Add to that the smell of sulfur and the fissures with steam escaping and you will understand that it was a trip to remember!
If so, has this been discussed on any of the threads you've linked here?
If we were to follow the foolish "precautionary principle" advocated by proponents of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming theories, we would be spending squandering trillions of dollars to evacuate all of the cities on the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the US and relocate them inland.
I've heard it too. It's supposed to trigger a huge underwater avalanche that will make the Japanese tsunami look like nothing ever happened, compared to the inland rush on our eastern seaboard. I've even seen a movie based on this but can't remember the name of it.
Thank you! You’ve answered all my questions for not having read far enough in the thread. Let that be a lesson to me!!!
deviatoric stress is the culprit. Convexial declination forces acting on the batter axis results in the stress
likely height of around 50 metres (164 ft) at the Caribbean and the Eastern North American seaboard when it runs ashore eight or more hours later, and minutes later slams in to the Allegany Mountains sending spray over the top.
—
A standing wave tsunami ... which will totally obliterate all standing structures from the coast line to the Allegheny Mountains.
we would be spending squandering trillions of dollars to evacuate all of the cities on the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the US and relocate them inland.
—
No need, they are mostly populated by liberals who will surf the wave over the Mountains.
/s
Yes, lots of discussion. A bunch of stuff has to happen at the same time to make the tsunami, so it is somewhat unlikely.
Thanks for the explanation, I was worried for a bit about that global warming reference.
/s
“The odds set by these scientists have risen to 99%”
The Canary Islands government radio alert to all operators of the impending El Hierro volcanic eruption on the island 12 kilometers
Measurements and forecasts made by scientists on the island of El Hierro and the whole structure of IGN have pointed to the competent authorities within the Pevolca activated by the Canarian Government to the volcanic eruption is expected for several days can occur in next few hours at a point in the sea to twelve miles off the coast southwest of the island, which correspond to the town of Frontera.
The odds set by these scientists have risen to 99%, giving the reason Carracedo, which set the deadline for its experience and professional expertise long before any of that until now have come to the public.
In order not to alarm the population is deciding when to make public a statement giving an account of this incident, but was ordered by radio high alert all operators to be prepared, especially in the EMU and its device that includes a shelter for 2,000 people, if it is considered that the entire population evacuated.
At this time the technicians of the Canary Islands from the Cecoi El Hierro are already coordinating emergency resources and security and all air and sea operating when the eruption occurs.
Rising Volcanic Activity Prompts Evacuations On El Hierro, The Canary Islands
Dynamics of diffuse CO2 emission from El Hierro volcanic system, Canary Islands
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009AGUFM.V21D2023B
Abstract
El Hierro Island (278 km2) is one of the youngest and the southwesternmost of the Canary Islands and rises 4000 m above the sea floor. The main characteristics of El Hierro consist on a truncated trihedron shape and three convergent ridges of volcanic cones. Since fumarolic activity is absent at the surface environment of El Hierro, the study of the evolution of diffuse CO2 emissions becomes an ideal geochemical tool for monitoring its volcanic activity. Since 1998, diffuse CO2 emission has been investigated at El Hierro volcanic system. Since then, a total of 9 diffuse CO2 emission surveys have been performed in the summer periods of 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, with approximately 600 observation sites. Diffuse CO2 emission measurements were performed by means of a portable NDIR sensor according to the accumulation chamber method. Soil CO2 efflux contour maps were constructed using a Sequential Gaussian Simulation (SGS) as interpolation method. Soil CO2 efflux for all the studies ranged from negligible values to 57.4 g m-2 d-1. Most of the study area showed CO2 efflux background values about 1.3 g m-2 d-1. Relatively high CO2 efflux values (>10 g m-2 d-1), if we consider the mean of the background, were measured along the main volcanic-structural features of study area. The total diffuse CO2 output released to atmosphere was estimated for each survey considering the positive volume generated by interpolation, showing a range between 358 and 1.434 t d-1. Our results reveal significant variations from 1998 to 2009 and indicate that CO2 emissions at El Hierro fluctuate greatly. Temporal variations in the total CO2 output do not seem to be masked by external variations, showing a temporal correlation with the peaks of seismic activity occurred in 2004 and previously to the soil gas survey. The observed changes in the diffuse CO2 emission between 1998 and 2009 suggest a close relationship between strain/stress changes in the subsurface of El Hierro volcanic system and the dynamics of CO2 emission. Performing frequent soil CO2 efflux surveys appear to be an effective surveillance tool for El Hierro volcanic system.
Perhaps FREEPERS and loved ones on the East Coast—particularly in low lying areas . . . would do well to stay alert to realities currently in the Canary Islands???
THANKS TONS for the links, whenifhow:
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009AGUFM.V21D2023B
Let me see if I can add some paragraphing to the Abstract:
Abstract
El Hierro Island (278 km2) is one of the youngest and the southwesternmost of the Canary Islands and rises 4000 m above the sea floor. The main characteristics of El Hierro consist on a truncated trihedron shape and three convergent ridges of volcanic cones.
.
Since fumarolic activity is absent at the surface environment of El Hierro, the study of the evolution of diffuse CO2 emissions becomes an ideal geochemical tool for monitoring its volcanic activity.
.
Since 1998, diffuse CO2 emission has been investigated at El Hierro volcanic system. Since then, a total of 9 diffuse CO2 emission surveys have been performed in the summer periods of 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, with approximately 600 observation sites.
.
Diffuse CO2 emission measurements were performed by means of a portable NDIR sensor according to the accumulation chamber method. Soil CO2 efflux contour maps were constructed using a Sequential Gaussian Simulation (SGS) as interpolation method.
.
Soil CO2 efflux for all the studies ranged from negligible values to 57.4 g m-2 d-1. Most of the study area showed CO2 efflux background values about 1.3 g m-2 d-1. Relatively high CO2 efflux values (>10 g m-2 d-1), if we consider the mean of the background, were measured along the main volcanic-structural features of study area.
.
The total diffuse CO2 output released to atmosphere was estimated for each survey considering the positive volume generated by interpolation, showing a range between 358 and 1.434 t d-1. Our results reveal significant variations from 1998 to 2009 and indicate that CO2 emissions at El Hierro fluctuate greatly.
.
Temporal variations in the total CO2 output do not seem to be masked by external variations, showing a temporal correlation with the peaks of seismic activity occurred in 2004 and previously to the soil gas survey.
.
The observed changes in the diffuse CO2 emission between 1998 and 2009 suggest a close relationship between strain/stress changes in the subsurface of El Hierro volcanic system and the dynamics of CO2 emission.
.
Performing frequent soil CO2 efflux surveys appear to be an effective surveillance tool for El Hierro volcanic system.
This is not a good thing. No fumaroles means there are most likely no 'safety valves' for the magma chamber.......
I noticed the translate google would not open correctly - below is the source.
found it under this video.
UPDATE: El Hierro, Canary Island...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyTMdN-VghU&feature=feedf
Perhaps I need to get my kayak out...just in case.
Well, in that case, my kayak may not be much help.
THX THX
More activity than I thought there'd be came up. Is this an average amount of volcanic friskiness worldwide, anyone know?
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