Hello all! First we want to say a big thank you – our new child is growing and doing well! Even though the comments are still coming in a bit sparsely, it seems that many visitors come here just to read the articles or to look things up. That’s as it should be, just don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you do have something to say. Criticism would be as helpful to us as we would love praise 😉 …or miscellaneous bits’n pieces.
There are two new features on the menu we would like to introduce to you:
😎 Firstly, what we call the Volcano (News) Ticker. This is a page were the intention is to leave short notes about freshly started Eruptions. Not every eruption warrants a new post, or is even noticed by us. Mostly they are mentioned in the comments – and those disappear when a new post goes up. And this is where we want your help:
If you hear or read of a volcano erupting that has not been mentioned here yet, pretty please leave a comment either on the regular post or on the Ticker page, telling us about it.
Even if the source is unconfirmed, it gives us a clue and we can watch out. If necessary, after the first mention of an eruption, we can add a few important updates to it.
The general aim is to have a page with short and to the point information for readers who just hop in to get a quick update on what has happened since last time. Check it out HERE.
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😎 Secondly, we also have readers who like to dwell a while, read here a bit, look there a bit, and try a riddle if so inclined. For them, we have of course the weekly session with Matt, our Riddle Master. But what if those are solved? From now on there will be additionally a permanent page with small “Name the Volcano” riddles. And to make it not too easy, the images are altered to a… well… infrared-like look. You can come and go whenever you like and solve a riddle or two. The points awarded are the same as in the weeklies, two for every identified volcano, and, after clues were provided, just one. These NtV riddles are HERE.
Also, our Glossary of volcanic terms has begun to grow. If you wish a certain term included there, just say so in a comment. You find the Glossary HERE.
We wish you a great time, both here on the Volcano Hotspot and in your Real Life. Spring is coming to everyone on the northern half of our world, enjoy it and take a few snaps for us… maybe “First Anemonas of this Spring on Rope Lava Bed”…or so 🙂 (The others please send a pic of “Colorful autumn leaves on Pillow Lava Ground” 🙂 )
Copyright for this image belongs to the author. All rights reserved!
Enjoy! GRANYIA
Spica
Granyia
volcanohotspot.wordpress.com 
Shall we mention eruptions seen on fb here as well?
Soputan was mentioned there.
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Yes, why not, you can of course tell us here what has been said on other websites.. fb and twitter are very good sources; people who live near to the events often post their observations first on there. If you have time you can then go and see if the eruption can be verified by newspapers or volcano observatory reports. If not, just post what you read and others will take it up and find out more. – Now I’m off to see what Soputan is up to, it has been on orange alert for a long time, as it is one of the most active ones in Indonesia. What did they say about it on fb?
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From fb volcanocafe: (I just copied the english part…)
Eruption at Soputan. Ash column rose at least 4.5 km above the summit.
„BREAKING NEWS!
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Thanks, wdstcksj, I also found something in the local news:
Jakarta, 07/03/2015 – Mount Soputan in Southeast Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi erupted. PVMBG Geological Agency noted at 17:09 pm (18:09 GMT) “High eruption reaches 4,500 meters tilted towards the southeast. Pyroclastic to the west with a sliding distance of approximately 2,500 meters,” said BNPB, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, via short message, Saturday (03/07/2015). […] Mount Soputan’s status is currently on the alert level 3. Mount Soputan has undergone several eruptions. Sutopo describes the general nature of the eruption as explosive with the activity center at the top. Source: Detik news
Photo in tribunnews.com:
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Does anybody like the idea of major earthquake swarms around or at volcanoes? My train of thought, is that might indicate volcanoes that we may want to watch as places to keep a eye on for upcoming activity.
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Maybe… one can not say that generally, as earthquakes really don’t trigger eruptions. But near very active volcanoes that are almost always brim full of magma, they might help it erupt by changing conditions somewhat – pressure, cracks, shifting of rock masses etc. Which could of course also bring the opposite result: a volcano that was almost ready to erupt goes quiet again as the (tectonic) earthquakes have released pressure or closed pathways for magma… Not an expert here, but it seems logical to me.
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Mikes question got me thinking of another one: Volcanoes start erupting when the gasses that are under high pressure in the magma find a way to expand. What happens if after a big tectonic earthquake, say 100km deep, pressure and temperature conditions change so that gasses can expand there? An underground eruption, a big bang, and nothing is perceptible on the surface?
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Like a baby’s burping… if one fails, there is an alternative?
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I have thought sometimes along the same lines; the idea being that a large tectonic earthquake can shake up a magmatic system, possibly allowing bubble formation in magma already close to the critical pressure limit. Which in some cases might. as it were, “light the fuse” leading to an eruption many months, even years, down the line. By which time any connection between quake and eruption has been long forgotten
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New Post by Matt is up! 🙂 https://volcanohotspot.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/things-that-affect-subduction-volcanism-flat-slab-subduction/
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