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La Palma volcano update: Spectacular continuous lava fountains, tall ash emissions, eruption seems stable

Fri, 24 Sep 2021, 11:00 | BY: T
Lava fountain and ash column from Cumbre Vieja volcano this morning
Lava fountain and ash column from Cumbre Vieja volcano this morning
Similar view last evening (image: Michael Risch)
Similar view last evening (image: Michael Risch)
The eruption has been relatively stable during the past 24 hours: sustained, fast-pulsating lava fountains are rising from the vent, reaching several hundred meters and generating an ash and steam column that rises near vertically to estimated 3-4 km elevation.
The fountaining is remarkably stable, although at times briefly interrupted by giant lava bubble explosions that eject glowing lava bombs in all directions to more than 1000 m distance, often showering the whole cone with red-hot lava ejecta.
Some of these produce cannon-shot loud detonations with visible shock waves that are felt in many kilometers distance. Some people confused them with earthquakes.
Volcanic tremor overall is stable and still high, perhaps with a slightly decreasing overall trend. Earthquakes have mostly ceased and inflation seems to have stalled. This indicates that the eruption has likely found a stable phase.
Not much significant activity occurred at the lava flow fronts, which continue to widen the flow field and/or overlap older flows, thus thickening it.

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La Palma volcano
shield volcano 2426 m
Canary Islands, 28.58°N / -17.84°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5) La Palma volcano eruptions:
2021 (Sep - ongoing), 1971, 1949, 1712, 1677-1678, 1646, 1585
Typical eruption style
effusive