Popocatépetl volcano (Mexico) update: increase in activity

The activity at the volcano remains essentially unchanged and CENAPRED maintains alert level "Yellow Phase 2". As magma continues to slowly rise inside the conduit, it accumulates in the inner summit crater as a flat pancake-shaped dome and causes small to moderate intermittent explosions with more or less ash.
This activity is not completely stable, of course, but shows sometimes significant variations: a marked increase of seismic activity occurred during the past days, including a swarm of volcano-tectonic earthquakes and prolonged phases of tremor, probably related to the rise of new magma into the volcano's plumbing system. At the surface, more vigorous ash emissions and more intense glow at the summit were seen and occasionally, stronger explosions were able to throw incandescent bombs outside the crater. The activity has declined again since yesterday.