Recent Volcanic Activity Along the Southern EPR (SEPR)

Map of Southern EPR (western border of the Nazca Plate in the center of the map) and two microplates toward its southern end.  Image courtesy Wiki

Volcanoes where we don’t expect them – GARROTXA VOLCANIC FIELD, NE Spain

Castellfollit de la Roca: The confluence of the rivers Fluvià and Toronell created this stunning geological monument between them: a 1 km long and 50 m high basaltic lava crag, consisting of two superimposed lava flows with columnar jointing. (© Nasobema lyricum 2006, via Wikimedia)

View to the north over the northern part of Garrotxa VF, with the town of Olot in the left middleground. In the background the snow covered Pyrenees can be seen. (© turismegarrotxa.com)

Today our fancy takes us to the NE of Spain. Just to the corner where the Pyrenees mountain range meets the Mediterranean Sea, to the province of Girona in Catalonia. For millions of us European tourists the Mediterranean Costa Brava with its golden beaches is a household name. As in so many other touristic spots in the world, one could ask, how many of the sun worshippers would have known that, some 60 km inland, there is a volcanic field to be visited?

Geothermal exploration at Mount Spurr 2008 – 2011

Summit of Mount Spurr August 2011. Crater lake created in 2004 is frozen over again. Crater is refilling with snow. Fumarole field remains. https://volcano.si.edu/showreport.cfm?doi=10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN201201-313040

Great Sitkin – flank collapse in the Aleutians

Great Sitkin Volcano http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=311120

Volcanoes as heat engines

Smoke and ash rise from the Calbuco volcano, seen from Puerto Varas city, south of Santiago, April 22, 2015. Volcano Calbuco in southern Chile erupted for the first time in more than five decades on Wednesday, sending a thick plume of ash and smoke several kilometres into the sky. REUTERS/Carlos Gutierrez

Soufriere Hills, Montserrat

Soufriere Hills August 1997 eruption http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/05/soufriere-hills-volcano/100509/

Mount Edgecumbe Volcanic Field, Alaska

Mount Edgecumbe Volcanic Field looking north across Mount Edgecumbe. http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=315040

 

Craters of the Moon, Idaho

Craters of the Moon http://www.nps.gov/crmo/learn/nature/geologicactivity.htm

Continuing eruptions at Santiaguito, Guatemala

Santiaguito in eruption. April 17, 2016 http://expertvagabond.com/trekking-volcano-santiaguito-guatemala/

March 27-29 Eruption of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska

 

Pavlof two hours before eruption began on March 27. Photo courtesy AVO. http://www.avo.alaska.edu/images/image.php?id=94101