Eruption Update for December 17, 2012: Tungurahua, Lokon and Tolbachik

The eruption plume from Tungurahua on December 16, 2012. Image via @Tavi53

Quick update for today – only 4 shopping days until Maya Apocalypse!

Ecuador

We’ve seen a couple spectacular images of explosions from Ecuador’s currently noisiest volcano, Tungurahua. This rejuvenated activity in December has promoted evacuations of people living near the volcano as both ash fall and pyroclastic flows are a very real hazard. The plume reached as high as 3 km / 16,500 feet over the weekend and seismicity remains high — all of which has the volcano on Orange Alert by the national civil defence agency of Ecuador.

Indonesia

Across the globe in Indonesia, Lokon has also been keeping active with numerous explosions, like this one from earlier today. That same brief Reuters report claims that Lokon has experienced over 800 explosions over the last 6 months, an impressive number to say the least. The plumes from the explosions are reaching 3-4 km / 11-14,000 feet. Lokon is joined by Paluweh in this week’s Global Volcanism Program Weekly Volcanic Activity Report and another 6 volcanoes are on Orange Alert status according to PVMBG.

Russia

A lava flows from the November/December 2012 eruption of Tolbachik in Russia. Image taken December 15, 2012 by Yu. Demyanchuk / KVERT

Quick links

• In Focus in the Atlantic has a great image collection of volcanic activity from 2012.
• The ocean entry continues in Hawaii from Kilauea, but the lava flow is now only intermittently entering the ocean, producing small steam clouds. Both the summit area and Pu’u O’o are showing deflation right now.
• Finally, thanks to Oxford Sparks, a cartoon about subduction-related volcanism that actually gets it right (although I think the tourists should know better at the end of the cartoon).