The M7.0 Anchorage Earthquake of 2018

Minnesota offramp. There is a marshy area off the photo to the right (west). Soil liquefied underneath the road fill and it moved. Vehicle was recovered intact. Driver was not harmed. Image courtesy ADN. https://www.adn.com/tag/11-30-18-alaska-earthquake/

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What’s she up to? – Vn. LASTARRIA (Chile)

“At times, the path is well-marked, but it crosses and intersects with many more that lead nowhere…” 2007 (© Jorge Alonso, via viajeros4x4.com). Approaching Volcán Lastarria from the NW.

GVP said in 2007: “The rarely visited Lastarria has not erupted in historical time, but has displayed strong fumarolic activity for at least 67 years. This is the first Bulletin report ever issued on this volcano; it presents new images of the steaming edifice…”

Not that the volcano wasn’t known as such – persistent fumarolic activity has been reported from the northwestern flanks since the earliest records were made. However, even the most recent eruptions appear to have predated the Spanish colonists: no records of large or small eruptions have ever been found. Yet, in 1900, Dr. L. Darapsky said “Lastarria volcano… is the only one in the district which shows signs of volcanic activity,

Dome Inflation at Kikai Caldera, Japan

Satsuma Iojima Island on the rim of the Kikai Caldera. Iojima rhyolite dome is at the upper right. Inamura scoria cone is midway between the peninsula at the lower right and Iojima. Photo courtesy Getty via The Sun. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/5572129/underwater-supervolcano-eruption-kill-100-million-people-japan-lava-dome-science/

NISYROS – (re-)Visited

Nisyros: Caldera view from above Nikia village.

So far, when I wrote about volcanoes around the world, I could only dream of ever visiting them. Researching for my first Nisyros post, though, it occurred to me that the idea of a short holiday there was not entirely out-of-bounds. It didn’t take long and I had convinced daughter & granddaughter to come with me. We travelled to Nisyros in October, and, what can I say – it was a wonderful, if too short a holiday! Here are some impressions, thoughts and photos from our visit.

Australia 1 – Introduction into Australian Volcanic Activity

Mount Elephant, Newer volcanic field, Victoria. Abandoned scoria quarry in the foreground. Photo courtesy Australian Geographic. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2017/05/volcanic-victoria/

The July 2012 Eruption of Havre Seamount, Kermadec Islands, NZ

Initial photo of Havre pumice raft taken by Maggie de Grauw. There was a second patch visible that she was unable to get a photo of due to angles of sight and sunlight. Photo courtesy Stuff. http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/8402949/Chance-holiday-snap-alerts-scientists-to-discovery

Splitting North America – The Walker Lane – Part 2 – The Volcanic Fields

 

Schematic of Long Valley Caldera and surrounding volcanic structures. Relative locations of all three California calderas along the Walker Lane are depicted in previous images. Image courtesy Indiana.edu. http://www.indiana.edu/~sierra/papers/2010/jarosinski.html

WHODUNNIT – if not BABUYAN CLARO? (🇵🇭)

Smith volcano, Babuyan Claro Island (© Garrison et al., 2018)

“The 1831 eruption of Babuyan Claro in the Philippines is regarded as one of the most significant volcanic climate forcing events of the nineteenth century, particularly so when treated as a double eruption with the 1835 (VEI 5) eruption of Cosegüina, producing ‘enhanced’ forcing effects over a decadal time frame.”
Follows the course of much detective work and its conclusion:
“We therefore suggest that the 1831 eruption of Babuyan Claro is a false event and that one or more alternative eruptions will have to be identified as the source of the 1831 stratospheric sulphate aerosol.”

Splitting North America – The Walker Lane – Part 1 – The Tectonics

Location of Walker Lane. San Andreas Fault System is depicted in red running from the lower right to the upper left of the image. Image courtesy Carlson et all. https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article/9/6/1530/132671/kinematics-of-the-west-central-walker-lane

Between a Volcano and a Hard Place – MANAM (🇵🇬 P.N.G.)

Lava flow from near the top of Manam volcano. 09/2012 (© I. Itikarai, via mapio.net)

Ima Itikarai, RVO, on 29 January 2005:
“… it has been a very eventful week … Tavurvur resumed eruption on Monday evening and Manam produced another paroxysmal eruption on Thursday night … . Our observation post at Warisi village was wiped out completely by what is described as pyroclastic flow … . All our equipment was destroyed by the event. There were about 14 people at Warisi at the time of the eruption and all got injured while trying to escape …” (From “Fire Mountains of the Island”)