. | . |
Volcanic eruption on Spanish island shows signs of ending by AFP Staff Writers Isla De La Palma, Espana (AFP) Dec 15, 2021 A volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma has shown its first sign it might be coming to an end after nearly three months, scientists said Wednesday, although they could not rule out a new flare up in activity. The eruption of the Cumbre Viejo volcano has ebbed and flowed since it first began spewing lava on September 19, forcing the evacuation of over 7,000 people and destroying nearly 3,000 buildings. But since Monday evening seismic activity has been very weak, there is no lava flow and the volcano is only "sporadically" releasing smoke, said the director of Spain's National Geographic Institute in the Canary Islands, Maria Jose Blanco. For the eruption to be considered officially over "the recorded and observed data" of volcanic activity "must be maintained at current levels for ten days", she added. While the current data "corroborate the signs of exhaustion of the eruptive process" she warned that "a new upturn in activity and the emission of runoff cannot be ruled out". Most of the island of around 85,000 people, part of the Canary Islands archipelago off northwestern Africa, has been unaffected by the eruption, with the lava flow concentrated on the western side. The molten rock has covered around 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of land as it slowly made its way to the sea but no one has died due to prompt evacuations. This is La Palma's longest eruption and the third in a century, with previous ones in 1949 and 1971.
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |