Hey, Mike!!! Remember Mauna Loa? Didn't you do a bit of remote theorizing about when we punch though the crust? How about Kilauea? It is erupting even as I write this. Aloha!!! Come to Hawaii and see some REAL volcanoes! Your trip sounds like it was splendid. I am envious like you cannot believe. Amazing about that cloud on Fujiyama. Never heard of that effect. Thanks for sharing. Noe, get thee to a scanner, and if you need space on Spring's hard drive for them, send'um to me and I'll send you the urls for them! Mahalo Nui Loa.

Thanks, Marcia. I think I have a telnet account, but I can't remember the hostname. I tried www.spring.net but that no longer works. I seem to think it was .spring.net Care to share the hostname? :-)

unfortunately, since terry changed servers only he and his chief programmer-lurker have access. Ftp I will email to you if you'd like - it is my space on Geo. I hate not having telnet access anymore!!!

Oh...I can't say that I used the telnet access much anyway. Tough luck, I guess! If/when I ever scan them I will happily send them to you.

Thanks, Mike - I'll be delighted to accommodate resize and so forth and accedit you for your efforts. ************************************* MVO weekly report, 17 November 2000 ************************************* From: Dr Gill Norton Montserrat Volcano Observatory Montserrat, W.I. Report for the period midday, 10 November 2000 to midday, 17 November 2000 Activity at the Soufri�re Hills volcano has remained at an elevated level this week with the continued growth of the lava dome on the eastern side of the summit region. The level of seismic activity was higher than in the previous week with a marked increase in the number of long period earthquakes. The broadband seismic network recorded a total of 207 rockfall signals, 33 hybrid, 144 long period and 7 volcano-tectonic earthquakes for the reporting period. Clear views of the dome were seen over the period 10 to 13 November. The summit was still dominated by the extrusion of a broad lava spine inclined at a steep angle up and towards the east. On 12 November the spine had an altitude of 1059 metres or 3475 feet. On 13 November it had grown to 1077 metres or 3530 feet, the greatest height measured on the dome throughout the eruption. Brief views of the dome on the morning of 17 November showed that the spine had continued to grow still further, although a direct measurement was not possible. The number of rockfalls and pyroclastic flows increased towards the end of the week. A small pyroclastic flow on 15 November entered the upper reaches of Tyre's Ghaut traveling about 1 km away from the dome. On 17 November, pyroclastic flow deposits were also noted in the upper reaches of Tuitt's and White's Ghaut on the north-eastern side of the volcano. This represents the first new dome material to have traveled down the notch between the north-eastern and northern lobes of the 1995-98 dome. Most rockfall activity, however, is still occurring across the eastern face of the dome above the Tar River. Ash clouds from this activity reached no more than 10,000 feet and mostly traveled to the west across the exclusion zone. Residents of Montserrat and visitors to the island are advised to tune in to ZJB Radio for up-to-date information on the status of the volcano. Rockfall and pyroclastic flow activity is likely to remain at a high level whilst the dome continues to grow, producing ash clouds which may blow over inhabited areas if winds are from the south or southeast. Elevated levels of pyroclastic flow activity may develop very rapidly and could affect any valleys around the volcano. Ash masks should be worn in ashy conditions or when you disturb ash. The Belham valley should be avoided during and after periods of heavy rain and everyone is reminded that access to Plymouth, Bramble airport and beyond is prohibited. There is a maritime exclusion zone around the southern part of the island that extends two miles beyond the coastline from Trant's Bay in the east to Garibaldi Hill on the west coast. The daytime entry zone remains closed. 12 noon, Friday, 17 November 2000

EUROPEAN GEOPHYSICAL SOCIETY XXVI GENERAL ASSEMBLY NICE 25-30 MARCH 2001 ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS FOR SYMPOSIA ON VOLCANIC HAZARDS SESSIONS ON VOLCANIC HAZARDS (NH): NH6.01 Volcanic hazards from explosive eruptions Convener: Baxter, P.; Co-Convener(s): Macedonio, G. NH6.02 Parametrization and modelling of lava flows for hazard assessment Convener: Dingwell, D.B. NH6.03 Gas emission Convener: Chiodini, G.; Co-Convener(s): Allard, P. CO-SPONSORED SESSIONS (SE): SE13.01 Geophysical and geochemical modelling of unrest episodes at volcanic areas. Convener: De Natale, G.; Co-Convener(s): Cornet, F.H., Dahm, T. SE13.03 Neogene-recent magmatism in the Mediterranean region Convener: Wilson, M.; Co-Convener(s): Beccaluva, L., Bianchini, G. SE13.04 Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei - volcanism and volcanic hazards Convener: Civetta, L.; Co-Convener(s): Orsi, G., Patella, D. SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS Deadline for receipt of abstracts is 1 DECEMBER 2000 The abstracts must be sent to the EGS Office (EGS@copernicus.org). Please, send an additional copy to one of the convener of your choice. Electronic submission is strongly encouraged. Abstracts must be formatted according to the rules described on the Web page http://www.copernicus.org/EGS/EGS.html A LaTeX style and guide is provided on this Web page. E-mail the abstract as a LaTeX, ASCII, WORD, WordPerfect, Postscript or PDF file. Posters with brief oral introduction during the oral session and extended presentations during the poster sessions are encouraged. GENERAL INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION General information on the EGS Assembly and registration forms are available by browsing the Web page http://www.copernicus.org/EGS/EGS.html EGS2001: XXVI General Assembly Sending an abstract does not mean registration. Please do not send the registration form to the convener but to the EGS Office. PLEASE POST THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND CIRCULATE IT AMONG COLLEAGUES More information on the the Scientific Programme, Abstract Submission, Registration, etc. can be found at the following URL: http://www.copernicus.org/EGS

*************************************** White Island and Ruapehu, New Zealand *************************************** From: Dan Shackelford For the week ending 3 November, White Island's vents only emit steam and gas. No signs of visible unrest at Ruapehu. For the week ending 10 November, no eruptions at New Zealand volcanoes. Minor levels of tremor at Ruapehu and weak to moderate degassing at White Island from its two active vents (9 Nov. observations). From: http://www.gns.cri.nz/hazardwatch/latest/gweekvo.htm 11/3/00 Eruptive activity has largely ceased at White Island, although the active vents continue to emit steam and gases. Mt Ruapehu shows no signs of surface activity. Both White Island and Ruapehu remain at Alert Level 1 (signs of volcano unrest). All other volcanoes are at Alert Level 0 (dormant or quiescent). 11/10/00 No eruptive activity has occurred at any of the volcanoes this week. Scientists visiting White Island on 9 November found weak to moderate fumarole activity, with the two active vents producing a white steam and gas plume. At Ruapehu minor levels of volcanic tremor have been recorded. Both White Island and Ruapehu remain at Alert Level 1 (signs of volcano unrest). All other New Zealand volcanoes are at Alert Level 0 (dormant or quiescent). ********************************** Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion ********************************** From: Thomas Staudacher Regain of activity at Piton de la Fournaise. An eruption started at Piton de la Fournaise volcano on october 12. Activity was quite reduced for about 2 weeks, until begin of november and a new cone was formed, named "Piton Morgabim". Lava flows of 4.5 km formed in the "Grand Br�l�" on the east of the volcano. Since November 1rst, tremor constantly increased over 8 days. From november 5, intense fumeroles formed just above the actual crater. Tremor highly increased over 24 hours and on nov 9, a new well formed 30 m above the first one. Since 48 hours, eruption tremor is extremely high, but constant and regular. Piton Morgabim is very active, with a 15 m wide lava lake, intense degasing and large heavy lava fountains. New lava flows pf about 2 km lengths formed and partly covered the june lava flows. ========================================== Thomas Staudacher, Jean Louis Chemin�e Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris 14 RN3, le 27�me 97418 La Plaine des Cafres La R�union ***************************** Colima, Mexico ***************************** From: Dan Shackelford Explosive eruption at Mexico's Colima volcano on the evening of 10 November which produced an ash cloud to ~6 km above sea level, which drifted to ENE. Following from: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/messages.html FVXX21 KWBC 110015 VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORY ISSUED 0015 UTC 11 NOV 2000 BY THE WASHINGTON VAAC . COLIMA 00-016 MEXICO 1931N 10337W . BACKGROUND: COLIMA MEXICO (1401-04) SUMMIT HEIGHT 13451 FT (4100 M)) . SOURCES OF INFORMATION: GOES-8 VISIBLE AND INFRARED AND MULTISPECTRAL IMAGERY. MEXICO CITY METEOROLOGICAL WATCH OFFICE. . ERUPTION DETAILS: ERUPTION AT 10/2333Z. . DETAILS OF ASH CLOUD: THE MEXICO CITY METEOROLOGICAL WATCH OFFICE REPORTS AN ERUPTION OF COLIMA TO FL200. THE ASH IS MOVING TOWARDS THE EAST NORTHEAST. SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 10/2345Z SHOWS NO ASH. . TRAJECTORY: ACCORDING TO UPPER AIR REPORTS ASH FROM THE SUMMIT TO FL200 WILL MOVE TOWARDS THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20KTS. . OUTLOOK: SEE SIGMETS. . THE NEXT MESSAGE WILL BE ISSUED AT 11/0600 UTC. . REAL TIME SATELLITE IMAGERY AND VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORIES OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY A MAP DEPICTING ASH LOCATION ARE AVAILABLE AT INTERNET URL ADDRESS HTTP://WWW.SSD.NOAA.GOV/VAAC/WASHINGTON.HTML (ALL LOWER CASE EXCEPT /VAAC/) . PLEASE REFER TO SIGMETS FOR CURRENT WARNINGS. .

******************************* MVO Weekly Activity Report ******************************* From: Peter Dunkley Montserrat Volcano Observatory Montserrat, W.I. Report for the period midday, 3 November 2000 to midday, 10 November 2000 Activity at the Soufri�re Hills volcano has remained at an elevated level this week with the continued growth of the lava dome on the eastern side of the summit region. Clear views of the dome were seen on several days during the reporting period. The summit was dominated by the extrusion of a broad lava spine inclined at a steep angle upwards towards the east. At various stages parts of the spine broke off, shedding large blocks on the upper parts of the dome. On 4th November the spine had an altitude of 1017 metres, but by the evening of 5th November it was noticeably higher. When next seen on the morning of 9th November much of the spine had disintegrated and only a broad basal stump remained. Incandescent glow could be seen on the active part of the dome at night. Observation flights indicate that there has been no new growth on the western and northern flanks of the dome. Rockfalls were confined to the eastern side of the dome, where they continue to contribute to the broad talus fan accumulating in the upper reaches of the Tar River valley. Incandescent rockfalls were observed at night. Heavy rainfall in the early hours of 4th November produced mudflows down the Belham River. Further heavy rainfall on the afternoon of 8th November produced mudflows in a number of valleys including the Belham River. Coinciding with this second period of rainfall, continuous rockfalls and small pyroclastic flows occurred within the Tar River over a period of several hours, as minor amounts of material avalanched off the eastern flank of the lava dome. The pyroclastic flows appear to have been of low energy and did not reach the Tar River delta. Ash clouds generated by these flows reached heights of about 6000 feet and drifted northwards on the prevailing wind. The level of seismic activity was slightly higher than in the previous week. The broadband seismic network recorded a total of 252 rockfall signals, 9 hybrid, 11 long period and 3 volcano-tectonic earthquakes for the reporting period. Residents of Montserrat and visitors to the island are advised to tune in to ZJB Radio for up-to-date information on the status of the volcano. Rockfall and pyroclastic flow activity is likely to remain at a high level whilst the dome continues to grow, producing ash clouds which may blow over inhabited areas if winds are from the south or southeast. Elevated levels of pyroclastic flow activity may develop very rapidly and could affect any valleys around the volcano. Ash masks should be worn in ashy conditions or when you disturb ash. The Belham valley should be avoided during and after periods of heavy rain and everyone is reminded that access to Plymouth, Bramble airport and beyond is prohibited. There is a maritime exclusion zone around the southern part of the island that extends two miles beyond the coastline from Trant's Bay in the east to Garibaldi Hill on the west coast. The daytime entry zone remains closed. 12 noon, Friday, 10 November 2000

************************************** KVERT Update, Friday, Nov. 10, 2000 ************************************** From: Alaska Volcano Observatory Kamchatkan Volcanic Activity INFORMATION RELEASE 00-50 Friday, November 10, 2000, 11:30 KST (2330 UTC) The following Release was received by the Alaska Volcano Observatory via e-mail from KVERT (Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruptions Response Team). All times are in Kamchatkan Standard Time, 21 hours ahead of Anchorage. KLYUCHEVSKAYA GROUP OF VOLCANOES KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO 56o03'N, 160o39'E; Elevation 4,750 m. CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS GREEN. During the past week (November 3-9), seismic activity was near background levels. On Nov. 3, weak fumarolic activity was observed. On Nov. 4,6, and 7, a gas-steam plume rose 150-800 m above the volcano and extended 10 km to the southeast on Nov. 7. On other days, clouds obscured the volcano. BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO 55o58'N, 160o36'E; Elevation 2,895 m CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS GREEN. PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE WAS YELLOW. Seismicity has decreased to background levels. No Nov. 3-6, a gas-steam plume rose 1000-2000 m above the volcano and extended 20-60 km mainly to the southeast. On Nov. 7, a gas-steam plume rose 500 m above the volcano. On Nov. 9, clouds obscured the volcano. SHEVELUCH VOLCANO 56o38'N, 161o19'E; Elevation 2,447 m CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW. On Nov. 3-4, 6, and 8, a gas-steam plume rose 100-300 m above the dome. On Nov. 7, a gas-steam plume rose 1500 m above the dome. On other days, clouds obscured the volcano. KARYMSKY VOLCANO 54o03'N, 159o27'E; Elevation 1,486 m CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS GREEN. Seismic activity was at background levels. AVACHINSKAYA GROUP OF VOLCANOES, 53o15'N, 158o51'E; CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS GREEN. Seismicity at Avachinsky and Koryaksky volcanoes is at normal levels. MUTNOVSKAYA GROUP OF VOLCANOES: GORELY VOLCANO, 52o33'N, 158o02'E, Elevation 1,828M MUTNOVSKY VOLCANO, 52o27'N,158o12'E, Elev. 2,324 M. CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE FOR BOTH VOLCANOES IS GREEN. On Nov. 3-8, Gorely volcano wa quiet, and a gas-steam plume rose 300-800 m above Mutnovsky volcano. On Nov. 9, the volcanoes were obscured by clouds. The seismicity was near background levels. PLEASE CONTACT AVO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. Olga Chubarova Tom Miller Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Alaska Volcano Observatory Response Team, IVGG, Piip Blvd, 9 4200 University Drive Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, RUSSIA Anchorage, Alaska 99508 E-mail: ochubarova@emsd.iks.ru E-mail: tmiller@usgs.gov tel. (415-22)59385 907-786-7454

******************************** Caribbean Volcano Cruise II ******************************** From: David Lea Announcement: Many of you may have heard about the volcano cruise that took place in the Caribbean last year aboard the 150 foot topsail schooner, Sir Robert Baden Powell. Well we are having another one in 2001, only instead of 21 days, it will only be 10 days long. You can check out the ship that we will be sailing on and get a lot more information by going to last years website at: www.volcano-island.com/cruise The ship will depart Martinique in the French West Indies on April 3, 2001 The passengers/participants will disembark in St. Maarten on April 14, 2001 The volcanic islands we will be visiting will be Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Nevis and St.Kitts The leader of this expedition will once again be David Lea, well known videographer of the Montserrat eruption and creator of the documentary series, "The Price of Paradise" and other educational videos. www.priceofparadise.com We will be climbing the volcanoes in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Nevis and St. Kitts, along with a visit to the famous boiling lake in Dominica. Montserrat will no doubt be the centerpiece of the cruise as it is still in eruption. Visits to all of the observatories are also being arranged. The ship is also fully equipped with the latest diving gear for those of you that are interested in some great diving. For further information you can contact David Lea directly at: lead@candw.ag

Who wold be stupid enough to live on a live volcano?! Cities on Volcanoes 2 conference (12-16 February 2001, Auckland, New Zealand) programme now available on-line at: http://www.gns.cri.nz/news/conferences

**************************************** Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion activity **************************************** Piton de la Fournaise eruption which started on october 12, suddenly stopped on november 13, after 33 days of continuous eruption. During the last five days of activity, tremor was unusually high and at Piton Morgabim very vigorous eruption activity occured. On november 9th, a new eruption went opened some 30 m above the initial one and slight phreatomagmatic events could be observed. On november 13 at 22h45 (local time) the tremor suddenly disappeared within only 15 minutes. On november 15, up to 800 �C hot lava fields were still present formed by the final lava flows. The crater showed an about 100 m large and an about 40 m deep cavity, which was formed by welding together of both eruption sites. Thomas Staudacher & Jean Louis Chemin�e Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris 14 RN3, le 27�me 97418 La Plaine des Cafres La R�union t�l.: 02 62 27 52 92 fax.: 02 62 59 12 04 *************************************** White Island and Ruapehu, New Zealand *************************************** For week ending 17 November, White Island developed a new degassing vent just SE of MH vent and MH vent was noisely actively degassing too. No significant change in seismicity at White Island though. Minor volcanic tremor continues at Ruapehu. From: http://www.gns.cri.nz/hazardwatch/latest/gweekvo.htm White Island continues to emit steam and gases. Early in the week the noise from the active MH vent was so loud that it could be heard from the beach in still conditions. By Thursday, a small new vent southeast of MH was also steaming. This slight increase in activity was not accompanied by any significant seismic activity. At Ruapehu minor levels of volcanic tremor continue to be recorded.

******************************************* Vanuatu volcanoes on "STROMBOLI ON-LINE" ******************************************* From: Roberto Carniel Dear volcanophiles Just a brief note to let you know that STROMBOLI ON-LINE (http://stromboli.net) has established, after field work done by Carniel and Fulle in July 2000 on Ambrym, Lopevi and Yasur, a section on Vanuatu's volcanoes. It includes photos, videoclips, maps and a QuickTime-VR panorama of Yasur. The direct URL is: http://stromboli.net/perm/van/index-en.html As always, this material is also available in German and Italian: http://stromboli.net/perm/van/index-de.html http://stromboli.net/perm/van/index-it.html

********************************* Api Siau and Merapi, Indonesia ********************************* For the week ending 20 November, Api Siau (Karangetang) ejected ash from its two active craters, frequent boomings and nighttime glares. Merapi emitted a thin ash plume to 530m and notable seismicity continued. From: http://www.vsi.dpe.go.id/news/index.html Weekly Report No. 590 14-20 November 2000 Karangetang Siau island; 2�47' N, 125�29' E Karangetang activity continued during this week. White-thin ash plume appeared from main crater and crater II rose up 600 m height above the summit. A frequently booming sound was heard from the summit. Sometimes at night sight the observer noted red flame from the summit, the height is about 75 m. Seismic record dominated by discontinuous tremor, which has amplitude 0.5-4 mm. During this week seismograph also recorded some multiphase earthquakes. Detail of seismic activity were: deep volcanic (A) 7 events, 3 events of shallow volcanic (B), 51 events of multiphase, 18 events of small explosion, 45 events of tectonic, and discontinuous tremor earthquake. Karangetang volcano is in level 2. Merapi Central Java; 7�32.5' S, 110�26.5' E Merapi volcano continued to ejecting white ash plume. During the week ash plume rose up 530 m height above the summit and low in pressure. Seismograph recorded both of deep and shallow volcanic earthquakes, but seismicity still dominated by multiphase earthquakes. Merapi volcano is in level 2.

************************************* MVO weekly report, 24 November 2000 ************************************* Montserrat Volcano Observatory Montserrat, W.I. Report for the period midday, 17 November 2000 to midday, 24 November 2000 Activity at the Soufri�re Hills volcano has remained at an elevated level this week with the continued growth of the lava dome and a marked increase in the number of rockfall signals. The level of seismic activity was higher than in the previous week. The broadband seismic network recorded a total of 497 rockfall signals, 1 volcano-tectonic, 85 long period and 16 hybrid earthquakes for the reporting period. The number of rockfalls has more than doubled relative to the previous week, although the number and energy of the long period earthquakes has decreased. Clear views of the dome were seen over the period from 17 to 22 November. The lava spine that had been extruding over the previous week was seen briefly on 17 November and the height of the top of the spine was estimated as over 1085 m or 3560 feet. However views over the weekend showed that the large spine had collapsed and a number of smaller spines were visible in the summit area. On the afternoon of 17 November and over the following few days, rockfalls and small pyroclastic flows were occurring down the notch between the northeastern and northern lobes of the 1995-98 dome. These were reaching into the upper parts of Tuitt�s and White�s ghauts to the northeast of the dome and traveling down the northern edge of the Tar River valley. Some new deposits were also noted in the upper White River valley to the south of the dome. Ash clouds from this activity reached no more than 10,000 feet and mostly traveled to the west across the exclusion zone. Towards the end of the week, the rockfall activity down the eastern flank had decreased, although the number of rockfalls detected by the seismic network remained high. Measurements of sulphur dioxide emissions from the volcano were made on 23 November and showed that the average flux was 1050 tonnes per day. This is higher than the previous measurement of 610 tonnes per day on 10 November, but is similar to other measurements made over the last 3 months. Residents of Montserrat and visitors to the island are advised to tune in to ZJB Radio for up-to-date information on the status of the volcano. Rockfall and pyroclastic flow activity is likely to remain at a high level whilst the dome continues to grow, producing ash clouds which may blow over inhabited areas if winds are from the south or southeast. Elevated levels of pyroclastic flow activity may develop very rapidly and could affect any valleys around the volcano. Ash masks should be worn in ashy conditions or when you disturb ash. The Belham valley should be avoided during and after periods of heavy rain and everyone is reminded that access to Plymouth, Bramble airport and beyond is prohibited. There is a maritime exclusion zone around the southern part of the island that extends two miles beyond the coastline from Trant�s Bay in the east to Garibaldi Hill on the west coast. The daytime entry zone remains closed. 12 noon, Friday, 24 November 2000

************************************* MVO weekly report, 1 December 2000 ************************************* Montserrat Volcano Observatory Montserrat, W.I. Report for the period midday, 24 November 2000 to midday, 1 December 2000 Activity at the Soufri�re Hills volcano has remained at an elevated level this week with continued growth of the lava dome. The level of seismic activity was comparable to last week. The broadband seismic network recorded a total of 491 rockfall signals, no volcano-tectonic, 69 long period and 13 hybrid earthquakes for the reporting period. Clear views of the dome were possible briefly on the evening of 27 November. The crest of the dome was dominated by a large shark�s fin-shaped spine. Glowing rockfalls were seen cascading down the eastern and southeastern faces of the dome. Poor visibility through the rest of the week prevented further observations being made, although new rockfall deposits were seen predominantly in the upper reaches of the Tar River valley. Measurements of sulphur dioxide emissions from the volcano were made on 28 November and showed that the average flux was 1020 tonnes per day. This is similar to the values measured last week. Dr. Glenn Mattioli, Andy Eby and Lizzette Rodriguez from the University of Puerto Rico are visiting Montserrat this week to collaborate with the MVO in a GPS monitoring campaign. Occupations of several sites around the volcano are in progress, using both MVO and University of Puerto Rico equipment, so that the movements of the flanks of the volcano can be measured very accurately. This is part of a long-established collaborative venture that has been ongoing since the start of the eruption. Residents of Montserrat and visitors to the island are advised to tune in to ZJB Radio for up-to-date information on the status of the volcano. Rockfall and pyroclastic flow activity is likely to remain at a high level whilst the dome continues to grow, producing ash clouds which may blow over inhabited areas if winds are from the south or southeast. Elevated levels of pyroclastic flow activity may develop very rapidly and could affect any valleys around the volcano. Ash masks should be worn in ashy conditions or when you disturb ash. The Belham valley should be avoided during and after periods of heavy rain and everyone is reminded that access to Plymouth, Bramble airport and beyond is prohibited. There is a maritime exclusion zone around the southern part of the island that extends two miles beyond the coastline from Trant�s Bay in the east to Garibaldi Hill on the west coast. The daytime entry zone remains closed. 12 noon, Friday, 1 December 2000

********************************************************** Updates: Semeru, Api Siau and Bromo Volcanoes, Indonesia ********************************************************** For the week of 5-11 December 2000, Semeru's eruption, which began 33 years ago, continues with thick white fume, two pyroclastic flows and numerous explosions (513 explosion earthquakes). Api Siau (a.k.a. Karangetang) exhibited fume columns from both active craters and occasional nighttime glares to 25m height and a marked increase in seismicity (which includes continous tremor). The new eruption at Bromo with manifold explosions and ash columns rising to as much as 900m a.c. (above crater), continuous tremor and strong sulfur odor. Source report: http://www.vsi.dpe.go.id/news/index.html Weekly Report No. 593 5-11 December 2000 Semeru East Java; 8�6.50' S, 112�55' E A 600 m white-thick fume rose from Jonggring Seloko crater. Seismic record dominated by explosion earthquake (513 events), the others record were: 1 event of deep volcanic (A), 1 event of shallow volcanic (B), 16 events of avalanche, 6 events of tectonic, and 2 event of pyroclastic flow. The alert level of Semeru volcano is in level 2. Karangetang Siau island; 2�47' N, 125�29' E Volcanic activity increased during reported period, white-thin fume exhibited from crater II and main crater. This fume reached 50 m above the summit. An indistinct fire plume observed frequently at night sight. The fire plume reached up to 25 m above the summit. An extrem increase on volcanic earthquake occurred within this week. Seismic record showed: 135 events of deep volcanic (A) earthquake, 1 event of shallow volcanic (B), 151 events of multiphase, 74 events of small explosion, 8 events of tectonic, and a continuous of tremor volcanic. Karangetang volcano is in level 2. Bromo East Java; 7�56.30' S, 112�37' E Within this period, G. Bromo still stated as "waspada" level. Volcanic activity marked by ongoing explosion and continuous tremor. Ash explosion, which is accompanied by grey-brown to dark fume. Fume's height approximately 150-900 m above crater rim, sulphur smelled strongly from observation post. 817 events of explosion earthquake, which has amplitude of 4-30 mm and continuous tremor, which has amplitude of 2-6 mm recorded during observation period. Bromo volcano is in level 2.

*************************************** Colima, Fuego, and Tungurahua updates *************************************** Colima, Mexico --------------- As of 1800 on 6 December, activity at Colima was at low seismic, deformation and visual levels. The recent tendency has been that of low, waning levels of measured activity. See: http://www.ucol.mx/volcan/report1.html Fuego, Guatemala ----------------- Several small explosions at Guatemala's Fuego volcano in the evening of 9 December. Tungurahua, Ecuador --------------------- Thin ash plume from Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano in the early hours of 10 December. Source: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/messages.html

Popocatepetl is erupting - for updating image please go to: http://www.cenapred.unam.mx/images/popo.jpg

or try http://www.cenapred.unam.mx/popo/UltimaImagenVolcan2.html

Popocatepetl volcano, seen from the Mexican village of San Nicolas de los Ranchos, erupts late December 18, 2000. The eruptions have caused small forest fires on its slopes in Puebla state where thousands of residents had been evacuated, but many others refused to leave. (Daniel Aguilar/Reuters) -------------- Ash Plume earlier in the week - Popocatepetl, Mexico

Mexico's Popocatepetl Erupts, Thousands Evacuated SAN PEDRO CHOLULA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano spewed molten rock into the sky Tuesday forcing more than 30,000 people to abandon their homes and sparking fears a glacier could become dislodged and trigger massive mudslides. Flaming rock burst from the 17,884-foot high volcano at 2 a.m. on -- the second eruption in a few hours in what was the volcano's most violent activity for decades -- perhaps centuries. Mexican authorities, fearing a roughly 3,000 feet long glacier on the volcano's western face could become dislodged by molten rock and cause mudslides, expanded an emergency zone to 12.5 miles from 7.5 miles. "We are on maximum alert ... because we have to be ready for any possible contingency regarding the glacier," Interior Minister Santiago Creel told a news conference on Tuesday. The volcano, revered as a divinity by indigenous peoples before the 1521 Spanish Conquest, was stable later Tuesday but authorities predicted more activity before the day was out. Authorities helped establish makeshift shelters for the more than 30,000 evacuees, whose homes were near the base of the volcano. Creel said eventually more than 48,000 people living in central Puebla, Mexico and Morelos states near the mountain -- Mexico's second highest -- would have to be evacuated from their homes. President Vicente Fox flew by helicopter to towns near the volcano and toured evacuee shelters as government officials met to coordinate their response to the emergency. EVACUATED VILLAGERS FEAR FOR HOMES, FAMILY MEMBERS In a refuge in San Pedro Cholula, in Puebla state which Fox visited early Tuesday, villagers who had been evacuated from their homes voiced worries about family members who had been separated from them in the upheaval. "I want to find my children. They are very small. They left the house first and by the time I came out last night they had gone, I must look for them," Margarita Cortes, carrying a baby on her back, told Reuters. Cortes' husband, like other men from villages at risk, stayed back out of fear for his home. Others have been driven home in army trucks to check on their abandoned properties. One man, aged 75, apparently overcome by shock from the eruption, reportedly died of a heart attack on Monday in the village of San Pedro Benito Juarez, in Puebla state. Local radio reported that in the village of Santiago Xalitzintla, in Puebla state, soldiers forced residents to leave their houses on Monday night as the mountain threw up slabs of molten rock, some as much as 1.5 feet (45 cm) in diameter. Army patrols were manning many of the roads into communities closest to the volcano. Puebla city airport was closed on Tuesday. Popocatepetl, or "smoking mountain" in the indigenous Nahuatl language and pronounced poh-poh-kah-teh-peh-til, was inactive from 1927 to 1994, when there was a moderate eruption. Since then it has been increasingly active, sending up smoke and ash columns. In April 1996, five mountain climbers died near the crater's rim during an explosion of the volcano, which is believed to have been formed about 300,000 years ago. Fox, who was sworn in on Dec. 1, attempted to reassure villagers in refuges as government officials met to coordinate their response to the emergency. "You can rest assured, the army is looking after your houses and everything," he told a woman in an evacuation shelter in Chalco, in Mexico state. Creel said some 1,500 troops from the armed forces and 800 more police were involved in the emergency operation and that there had only been minor incidents of looting. Airplanes were taking off and landing normally in Mexico City airport, 42 miles from the volcano. Ash can pose a danger to airplanes if it enters their turbines. "...No airline has suspended flights," Roberto Canovas, director of the air terminal, told journalists. Mexico City authorities said a rain of ash could cover the city but so far winds had blown the volcanic ash toward Puebla state.

*********************** Popocatepetl, Mexico *********************** As many of you are aware, Popocatepetl in Mexico erupted large amounts of ash and steam last week, and experienced a spectacular eruption on Monday night (December 18). Some reports say it was the largest eruption in over a thousand years. Since Monday night, it has erupted at least three times, in its greatest activity in over 400 years. Activity seems to have slowed today, Wednesday December 20. Updates on Popocatepetl activity can be found at the CENAPRED web site: http://www.cenapred.unam.mx/ Reports are also available through the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program Preliminary Notices of Volcanic Activity, http://www.volcano.si.edu/gvp/gvn/world/index.htm and at the Volcano World website, http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/current_volcs/popo/mar5popo.html Finally, general news coverage can be found at: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/Science/Earthquakes_and_Seismology/

********************************* Bromo Volcano, Indonesia ********************************* Bromo volcano in Indonesia began a new eruption on 30 November. Prior to that there was no specific precursory events known, although the monitoring seismograph has been down since 18 October, just the usual white gas plume of low intensity, rising ~50m. Some sort of increased activity may have begun earlier since the local government urged a no-climbing effort on the 29th. The initial explosion sent up a dark ash cloud to 100-150m ht. Increased activity thereafter with ash clouds to 600-700m a.c. (above crater). Ash falls to 1-3cm depth at distances of 40 km by early December. From: http://www.vsi.dpe.go.id/news/index.html Bromo Crisis 4 December, 2000 A minor explosion occurred suddenly on Bromo volcano on 30 November 2000. There was no a specific cursor before it. Daily activity marked by white ash plume which had low intensity and rose up about 50 m height. There is no seimicity data because the seismograph did not work since 18 October 2000. The first explosion ejected dark ash as height as 100-150 m height above the crater rim. An explosion ongoing up to now and increased. Ash explosion reached 600-700 m height above the crater rim and hit 1-3 cm thick in 40 km distance from the volcano. Since 29 November 2000 a local government recommended to people living around volcano and tourists not to climb the volcano for a several time until normal. Bromo activity increased and stated in level 2. For further monitoring VSI will be repair the old seismograph and install the new telemetry one and EDM (Electronic Distance Measurement).

********************************* Popocatepetl, Mexico (1401-09) ********************************* Tue, 12 Dec 2000 There was a massive exhalation of ash and steam from the volcano Popocatepetl, near Mexico City. The eruption was detected by the Center for Prevention of Natural Disasters (CENAPRED), and relayed to the Washington D.C. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) by way of the Mexico City Meteorological Watch Office. The eruption began at approximately 2207 UTC (5:07 EST) and was immediately visible on the Popocatepetl "Web Cam" set up by CENAPRED. A large plume of mostly ash (judging by the darkened color of the plume) was seen exiting the summit. An analysis of subsequent imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8) indicated a dense ash cloud extending 37 kilometers (20 nautical miles) to the northeast. The immediate area around the volcano was clear of water clouds at the time. The only disability in the satellite detection was a post GOES-8 maneuver that resulted in a navigation error of about 30 to 50 kilometers. The ash cloud was estimated to reach a level of 29,000 feet above sea level based on upper air wind observations. For details of the current eruption including real time satellite imagery, visit: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/popo.html

***************************** Volcano Expedition website ***************************** From: David Hilton (David Hilton) Please join us on a scientific expedition to study the volcanoes of Costa Rica via the Internet beginning Thursday, January 4, 2001. The Scripps Web site, titled Volcano Expedition (http://www.sio.ucsd.edu/volcano/), will allow users to log on and follow a two-week-long field trip to six active volcanic areas in the highlands of Costa Rica in Central America. The site will feature photographic documentation of the expedition, along with videos of the field research being conducted by a multinational team of earth scientists and graduate students. Web users will be able to travel along with the team by logging on to daily reports from the field. This expedition represents the first stage of an NSF-sponsored investigation of the volatile systematics of the Central America volcanic margin. We will target recent lavas, fumaroles, and geothermal waters. The goal is to understand geochemical cycling through the earth's crust via the processes of subduction and volcanic emission. David Hilton (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) ***************************** Lake Nyos, Cameroon website ***************************** From: Gaudru Dear Colleague, We are pleased to inform you that a new website concerning the Lake Nyos in Cameroon is now running. In 1986, a tremendous explosion of CO2 from the lake Nyos, West of Cameroon, killed more than 1700 people and livestock up to 25 km away. The dissolved CO2 is seeping from springs beneath the lake and is trapped in deep water by the high hydrostatic pressure. If the CO2 saturation level is reached, bubbles appear and draw a rich gas water up. An avalanche process is triggered which results in an explosive over-turn of the whole lake. A French team has carried out since 1990 a series of tests in an attempt to release the gas slowly through vertical pipes. The site, also, show a general overview about the Lake and the degassing project. Information contact for the site : Michel.Halbwachs@univ-savoie.fr To access directly at the Nyos homepage : http://perso.wanadoo.fr/mhalb/nyos and/or by a direct link from the SVE website : http://www.sveurop.org (see article/Lake Nyos) (in addition, we inform you that a new page about the recent SVE mission on the Serreta submarine volcano (Azores) is also already running) - under construction

********* Kilauea ********* 0550 December 26, 2000 Boxing Day at Kilauea brings more lava on Pulama pali. This morning at 0459, a moderately vigorous flow has reached the base of the pali 200-400 m farther west than the flows of the past week. The new flow apparently is fed from either a higher breakout point than were the previous flows or a tongue of these flows that headed more southward than normal. The new flow is burning scattered trees, but kona winds blow the smoke smell northward, leaving clean air on the coastal flat. The previous flows are still visible farther east on the pali, but they are mostly crusted over, with four large incandescent patches separated by dull crust. Mapping on Sunday, and glow this morning, indicate that lava is slowly moving seaward on the coastal flat. Still, more than 2 km separate the flow front from the water. The crater of Pu`u `O`o is dark this morning, seismic tremor near Pu`u `O`o is weak to moderate and beneath Kilauea caldera is weak, and the tilt at Kilauea summit and along the east rift zone is flat.

What is the significance of boxing day in Hawaii, I know they have this in Candada as well.

Nothing whatsoever. We are totally Americanized here. I guess we were not colonized out here for long enough and the New England missionaries brought American traditions with them. No Boxing day except to return the boxes you got the day before you did not like...

Proof of Kilauea�s big bang shocks Hawaii geologists The volcano once had a Mt. St. Helens-style eruption, never before known in the islands By Rod Thompson Big Island correspondent HILO -- Sometime before 1000 A.D., Kilauea volcano blasted skyward in an eruption so massive it sent rocks and dust as much as 18 miles into the air. The cloud of debris may have been seen on Maui, said Don Swanson, scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. And the eruption may have changed the way Hawaiians viewed Kilauea, ushering in the new volcano goddess Pele, said Hawaiian cultural consultant Kepa Maly. For several years, geologists have known about fist-size rocks shot through the air, different from surrounding rocks, lying on the ground south of Kilauea, Swanson said. In August, geologists took a closer look. "What we found surprised, even shocked us," Swanson said. About five miles from the summit, they found a rock weighing 4.3 pounds. At six miles from the summit, they found one weighing nearly 3 pounds.

more of the above article plus maps: http://starbulletin.com/2001/01/04/news/story2.html

check http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/geo/2.161 then look at this aerial view of where he was camped - in center foreground on an old hilltop! http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/hazards/dds24167_L.jpg

How far away is Maui from Hawaii?

The Alahelenui channel is about 12 miles across - one of the roughest channels in the world. It separates The Kohala mountains of Hawaii from Haleakala Volcano on Maui. Re Popocatepetl: From Yahoo Volcanology Club's Steve: Some phreatic emmissions are visable. Sulfur dioxide emmisions were reported to be slightly lower. I am unsure how reliable Mex television is. Volcanologist here recommended against any people being allowed back into area closer than Oaca and &or 10 km of the volcano. Ary troops are still in the area for any further actions to remove people. Some residents have drifted back dispite concerns of so 2 and other vapors . Biggest fear is the melting of the glacial snow as clodest par of year is passing fast.

A field trip and conference in the week immediately preceding the Cities on Volcanoes 2 conference in Auckland, New Zealand. A conference and field trip to be held in Australia in early February 2001 will be concerned with scoria cones and small lava shields of Quaternary age, extensive flows, and some 40 maar volcanoes with tuff rings, crater lakes and swamps, which occur on the Western Victorian Volcanic Plains. A field trip leaves Melbourne on Saturday 3rd February 2001 and travels through the main volcanic field with leaders who have worked on volcanicity, dating, crater lake stratigraphy and fauna sequences, pollen sequences and recent lake level change related to current climate fluctuation. Staying for two nights in the old pastoral town of Camperdown, and then reaching the small historic coastal town of Port Fairy in far Western Victoria on the afternoon of Monday 5th, about 50 researchers and post-graduate students will meet for the rest of the week to discuss all aspects of the Quaternary history of the region, as part of a regular meeting of the Australasian Quaternary Association (AQUA). A mid-conference field trip on Wednesday 7th will visit the famous Tower Hill nested maar, and also the nearby Mt Eccles volcanic complex and young stony rise flows. The conference will conclude at lunchtime on Friday 9th February, allowing attendees to return to Melbourne in time to catch evening flights at Melbourne airport, and so allowing ample time to travel to Auckland for the Cities on Volcanoes 2 meeting commencing on Monday 12th. The young volcanic subprovince of Western Victoria has many similarities to the Auckland field and this meeting provides an interesting (and inexpensive!) opportunity for those going to the Auckland meeting, or just interested in young areal volcanism, to see another famous field, and hear the latest information on dating, volcanic history and the risk of future eruption. For details of the conference, field trip and other program details see: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ges/research/conference.html

****************************** Mayon Volcano, Philippines ****************************** From: Dan Shackelford Subject: Something brewing at Mayon Activity at the beautifully conic Philippine volcano Mayon seems to be increasing. Increased seismicity, a growing summit lava dome and copious amounts of gas have been noted. Inflation has been noted, indicating possible magma ascending in the conduit. No crater glows though, yet. From: http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/Volcanoes/Mayon/MayonIndex.html (follow link at top of page to latest bulletin and photos) Mayon Volcano Bulletin 7:00 PM, 09 January 2001 A possible resurgence of activity is evident from recent observations on Mayon. Reports by the Lig�on Hill Observatory in Legazpi City disclosed an apparently growing lava dome, which is also emitting voluminous volcanic gases from the summit crater. Significantly increased earthquake occurrences have also occurred this past week and these events are likely related to ascent of magma. Such ascent is also indicated by slight ground tilt that has coincided with appearance of the lava dome, and the sustained gas outputs visible during cloud breaks. Due to near-constant cloud cover, however, no crater glow has been observed yet but the major monitored parameters strongly suggest that activity is rapidly progressing beyond the usual background or quiet conditions. Because of the reactivation of the volcano which may eventually lead to a lava flow-producing or pyroclastic flow-producing eruption, PHIVOLCS is now hoisting Alert Level 2, meaning increased and sustained volcanic unrest. No time frame or precise eruption prediction can be given yet because of the short observation period and the lack of good visibility of the summit area. As a precaution against hazards from sudden explosions, however, PHIVOLCS advises the public to stay away from the six (6) kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) and to avoid major river channels that originate from the volcano. In addition, all treks within the prescribed PDZ, should be postponed until the alert has been lowered to the appropriate level. In the meantime, additional volcano monitoring teams are now being sent on-site to further evaluate the unrest and any significant developments shall be relayed to all concerned. PHIVOLCS

U.S. Relief Supplies to Be Sent to El Salvador WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. aid agency said on Saturday it would dispatch a planeload of plastic sheeting, medical kits, blankets and other supplies to earthquake victims in El Salvador as soon as an airport there reopened. "We have supplies prepared and ready to go in Miami but we have to wait until an airport is open for us to land in," said Joseph Schultz, a spokesman for the U.S. Agency for International Development. The supplies will include plastic sheeting to create makeshift shelter, five-gallon plastic jugs for water, personal hygiene kits, medical kits and blankets, he said. The agency said it had three people on the ground in El Salvador, and hoped to get five more emergency workers into the Central American nation by early on Sunday. The spokesman said he had no information regarding the powerful earthquake because of downed telephone lines. The quake's epicenter was about 65 miles southeast of the capital San Salvador. Red Cross and local authorities said dozens of people had died in El Salvador and Guatemala. A spokesman for the Pentagon said there were no immediate plans to send U.S. military troops to the area to assist with emergency relief.

Central America Quake Death Toll Up SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) - A major earthquake shook Central America on Saturday, unleashing a landslide that buried hundreds of houses near El Salvador's capital and killing at least 63 people across the region. About 1,200 people are believed to be missing in the buried Las Colinas neighborhood just west of San Salvador, Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez Medina said. Medina said that at least 61 people were killed across El Salvador but the national police estimated the death toll at near 100. The 7.6-magnitude quake centered off El Salvador's southern coast also rocked Honduras and Guatemala, where two deaths were reported. Buildings swayed in Mexico City, about 600 miles to the northwest. Salvadoran President Francisco Flores declared a national emergency and appealed for international aid to help look for buried victims and assist survivors. Hundreds of rescuers frantically ripped at the earth with sticks and bare hands to reach those buried in the middle class Las Colinas area, where a 1,500-foot landslide carried away houses, cars and trees. A distraught Arturo Magana, 25, wandered about to find his 18-year-old brother, Jaime. ``I don't know where to dig because I don't know where the house is,'' he said. ``This is terrible. I don't think we will be able to pull out any victims; everything has been buried,'' said David Lara, a rescue worker struggling at the mass of dirt and concrete with a shovel. Lopez estimated that 300 houses had been destroyed in Las Colinas. By night, 20 bodies had been recovered at Las Colinas. No survivors had yet been found. ``There is my boy! Help me! Help me!'' wailed Carmen de Marin, a 41-year-old woman weeping beside the buried ruins of her Las Colinas house. She said her 12-year-old son Jaime Ernesto Marin had stayed home to await a phone call from his father in the United States when she went out shopping shortly before the quake hit at about 11:35 a.m. In the southeastern town of San Miguel, the wall of a hospital collapsed and 25 people were known to be dead in a small village nearby. News of the damage was slowed by the fact that much of El Salvador's telephone service and electricity was knocked out by the quake for several hours. Only sketchy reports had arrived from many hard-hit areas. In Santa Ana, about 35 miles northwest of the capital, the 116-year-old El Calvario church collapsed, killing at least one employee and possibly others worshipping inside, according to the Rev. Robert Castro. The Red Cross reported that 13 people died in nearby Sosonati. Some 200 other victims were rushed to the area hospital, which authorities weren't sure was still structurally sound. The quake was centered off the Salvadoran coast, about 65 miles southwest of San Miguel, according to the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, Colo. It took more than an hour for some San Salvador radio stations to return to the air and telephone service remained spotty at mid-afternoon. There were cracked buildings and shattered windows across the city of 500,000. Officials at San Salvador's international airport said all flights had been canceled . Most businesses in the city closed - though in a surreal touch, acrobats and dancers from a touring circus marched through the streets past frightened people, using a loudspeaker to promote a coming performance. Police in neighboring Guatemala said a man and a 2-year-old girl were killed and three other people were injured when a pair of homes collapsed in the city of Jalpataua. Local radio stations reported the collapse of a church in Suchitepequez, in southern Guatemala. The quake set off car alarms and temporarily knocked out electricity, radio, television and cellular phone service all over Guatemala, but most service was quickly restored. Honduran officials reported cracked buildings in several cities, but there were no reports of injuries. A 1986 earthquake centered near San Salvador killed an estimated 1,500 people and injured 8,000.

From Rob in New Zealand on http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/volcanoesandvolcanologist Nine caldera volcanoes exist in New Zealand, but seven of them have been buried by flows of ignimbrite and breccia, mainly from Taupo, but also Okataina. Other caldera's are Maroa, Whakamaru, Rotorua, and Oruanui. The latter exists only in name as it borders Taupo, and the more recent eruptions at Taupo since Oruanui had it's 15 minutes of fame 26500 years have completely wiped it out. It is essentially part of Taupo. All the caldera's in New Zealand have had a violent history typical of caldera volcanoes. Parts of Maroa and Whakamaru can still be seen but they have a least 200 metres of ignimbrite and ash from various eruptions elsewhere overtop, so all that can be seen is the top of the rim. Eruptions at Taupo and Okataina will occur again as seismic tests show that vast magma bodies lie under both. Both have population centres nearby (Rotorua city - pop. 45000 - 8km from Okataina, and the towns of Taupo (15000)and Turangi (3500), near Taupo). Ignimbrite flows from caldera volcanoes have gotten as far as the Manukau Harbour, 150 miles north-northwest of Taupo. Eight hydro-electric powerstations, two geothermal stations, and a thermal station use the water of the Waikato river which drains from Lake Taupo in the caldera. The city of Hamilton (145000 people)is 90 miles from Taupo and is sited on the banks of the Waikato River. This means 20 percent of the power generation, 40% percent of New Zealands population, possibly 50% of all tourism, the main trunk railway and main highway, our only large pulp and paper mill, plus a fair portion of our dairy, and sheep farming capacity is threatened by the caldera volcanoes of the North Island.

Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network Volume 25, Number 11, November 2000 Rabaul (Papua New Guinea) Ashfall during August-October most abundant since 1995 Ulawun (Papua New Guinea) An eruption during 28 September-2 October 2000 sends a plume to 1012 km Langila (Papua New Guinea) Mild Vulcanian eruptions during July-October 2000 Karkar (Papua New Guinea) Rumored eruption on 29 September believed to stem from Ulawun's ash fall Manam (Papua New Guinea) Low August-October 2000 activity; increased seismicity 18 September Karangetang (Indonesia) February-December included explosions, ash falls, lava flows, and debris flows Tengger Caldera (Indonesia) Sudden explosion 29 November; eruption continues as of 18 December Merapi (Indonesia) Consistent gas plume; lava avalanches and landslide; new lava dome and fractures Slamet (Indonesia) During May-October 2000, continuous tremor and abundant explosion earthquakes Kaba (Indonesia) Explosions and light gray ash Marapi (Indonesia) Large explosions in March 2000 eject ash Heard Island (Indian Ocean) Discovery of a distinct vent below Mawson Peak; brown fumes in November Shiveluch (Kamchatka) Frequent steam plumes, weak tremor, and possible gasandash explosions Rabaul New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea 4.271 S, 152.203 E; summit elev. 688 m All times are local (= GMT + 10 hours) This report, which covers the period from August through October 2000, notes that Vulcanian eruptions prevailed at Tavurvur during 29 August through October 2000. These eruptions bore far more ash than typical. Substantial amounts of ash blew towards the city of Rabaul and other inhabited areas. During the second and third weeks of September the amount of ash falling reached a maximum since the current eruption began on 28 November 1995. On 2 and 9 August eruptive plumes contained ash. At other times during August vent activity was relatively low, consisting only of small volumes of thin white vapor. The 29 August eruption changed this pattern. Although the main phase of the 29 August eruption began at 1158, it was preceded by a series of weak explosions yielding dark gray ash plumes. After these less-forceful explosive events ended, moderate volumes of dark gray ash clouds erupted. Subsequently, and through 8 September, the eruption pattern was comprised of interchanging periods of either continuous, moderate-volume ash emissions or relatively subdued ash-cloud emissions typically white to pale gray in color. At about 2200 on 8 September, the eruption became more intense, frequent, and discrete explosions producing thick billowing dark ash clouds. Throughout the rest of September, periods of sub-continuous ash emissions occurred. After 21 September, however, discrete explosions and sub-continuous ash emissions declined and continued at a subdued level. Throughout September, observers saw incandescent lava fragments occasionally ejected. Residents saw these ejected fragments more frequently after the onset of explosive activity on 8 September, and around this time the residents regularly noted audible noises associated with venting. Explosions every few minutes produced sub-continuous moderate to heavy ash emissions that continued in October. Some of the larger explosions showered the N and NE flanks of the volcano with bombs. At night these were seen to be incandescent (red to dull orange). On inspection most projectiles were lithic blocks, but a minority were in a plastic state with some bread-crust surfaces. Jet-aircraft-like roaring from the vent was common and some of the larger explosions could be heard at distances of over 15 km. Toward the end of October, the explosions were less forceful, but contained increased volumes of solid fragments. All activity during the reporting period appears to have been confined to the 1941 vent; the 1995 crater issued only white vapor. The current phase enlarged the vent as a result of explosive activity. The N crater was breached, forming a saddle-like depression in the rim reaching about 15-20 m lower than the originally symmetrical and level line comprising the ridge. During the first 2-3 weeks of September ash clouds rose as high as 2 km above the summit. As previously noted, many plumes blew N and NW to drop ash on inhabited areas. As a result, many Rabaul businesses were adversely affected and, by the end of the September, some had moved ~40 km SE of Rabaul to the settlement of Kokopo. The major health center in Rabaul town was also affected and patients with respiratory problems were moved to another health center near Kokopo. During early October the ashfalls caused patients to undergo evacuation from Nonga Hospital (5 km NNW of Rabaul). Toward the end of October the annual change in the trade winds caused less ashfall in Rabaul town; frequent heavy rains around this time also provided relief from suspended dust. Seismicity correlated fairly directly with behavior observed at the summit, and accordingly, seismic activity remained relatively low until the onset of the eruption. The total number of low-frequency earthquakes recorded during August was 208, with the largest daily number of 35 on 30 August. This monthly total was slightly higher than that in July. During the main episodes of ash eruption between 29 August and 8 September, seismicity was characterized by bands of non-harmonic volcanic tremor. Bands of volcanic tremor with reduced amplitude were recorded again during 17-19 September and, until the end of the month, seismicity included sporadic short-duration tremor associated with sub-continuous ash ejections. For August and September, respective high-frequency earthquakes totaled 17 and 8; all occurred NE of Rabaul caldera. The time difference between S- and P-wave arrivals for these events (S minus P) was 3-6 seconds. Since 28 November 1995, strings or significant numbers of high-frequency NE earthquakes have correlated with greater summit activity at Tavurvur. The time interval from the onset of the high-frequency earthquakes to greater summit activity ranged between one week to a few months. Rabaul's last major NE earthquake sequence occurred during May-June 2000 (see Bulletin v. 25, no. 7). During September a total of 3,661 low-frequency earthquakes were recorded. This total includes explosion earthquakes (with air phases). When like earthquake records were compared, the September record attained the highest total since May 1996 (when 3,993 such earthquakes were recorded). September's highest daily total, 228, was recorded on 11 September; the lowest total, 3, was recorded on 4 and 7 September, occurring on days when tremor dominated the seismicity. October seismicity included 2,544 low-frequency earthquakes. Ground deformation measurements from electronic and wet tiltmeters showed some caldera inflation from July 1999 to April 2000. After April, the trend changed to show deflation until about August 2000. Tiltmeters registered slow inflation during the first few days of September, followed by subsidence, and then stable conditions on 8 September. Some deformation-monitoring sites in the area of Tavurvur seemed to indicate a deflationary trend starting in late September and continuing through October. Background. The last of two Holocene caldera-forming eruptions of Rabaul took place 1,400 years ago. Several large historical eruptions have formed intra-caldera cones. The latest significant eruptive episode, in 1994, included venting at both the Tavurvur and Vulcan cones. The low-lying Rabaul caldera forms a sheltered harbor once utilized by New Britain's largest city. The 8 x 14 km caldera is widely breached on the east, where its floor is flooded by Blanche Bay. Two major Holocene caldera-forming eruptions took place as recently as 3,500 and 1,400 years ago. Three small stratovolcanoes lie outside the northern and NE caldera rims. Post-caldera eruptions built basaltic-to-dacitic pyroclastic cones on the caldera floor near the NE and western caldera walls. Several of these, including Vulcan cone, which was formed during a large eruption in 1878, have produced major explosive activity during historical time. A powerful explosive eruption in 1994 forced abandonment of Rabaul city. Information Contacts: Ima Itikarai, David Lolok, Herman Patia, and Steve Saunders, Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO), P.O. Box 386, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea (Email: rvo@global.net.pg). Ulawun New Britain, Papua New Guinea 5.04 S, 151.34 E; summit elev. 2,334 m All times are local (= GMT + 10 hours) An eruption from Ulawun that started on 28 September continued until 2 October 2000 (Bulletin v. 25, no. 8). Preliminary information was based on news media reports and aviation sources. The Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO) has since provided more accurate and detailed reports for the August-October 2000 period. Activity during August. During August, summit activity remained low, chiefly consisting of weak releases of thin white vapor. While the summit activity remained quiet, some obvious changes were recorded in seismicity and ground deformation (electronic tiltmeter). High-frequency earthquakes had occurred sporadically since mid-1998 in very low numbers (~1/day). A brief period of recording in April 2000 registered ~ 2/day. In mid-June 2000, following the resumption of seismic recording, high-frequency earthquakes were first seen to have increased to 15-20/day. This comparatively high number of earthquakes continued through July and August. Deployment of a portable seismograph during 13-15 August indicated these earthquakes had epicenters at Ulawun. During August, low-frequency earthquakes occurred as usual. On about 26 August, both amplitudes and event counts dropped by a factor of three. Also beginning in August, an electronic tiltmeter located on the flanks ~2.5 km WSW of the crater vent began to show some inflation on the NS component. By month-end about 7 mrad of inflationary tilt was recorded. The EW component (radial to the vent) lacked changes. Eruption of 28 September-2 October. A relatively small-to-moderate eruption began on 28 September 2000. Several long-term precursors to the eruption were unambiguous. High-frequency earthquakes increased dramatically after June 2000. Electronic tiltmeter trends showed inflation beginning in early August 2000. Short-term, immediate precursors included an increase in both the number of low-frequency earthquakes and the real-time seismic amplitude measurements (RSAM). The latter began to escalate on 27 September 2000. The late-stage build-up towards the eruption began at 2200 on 27 September with an increase in low-frequency earthquakes and their amplitudes. A further increase in seismicity took place at about 0200 on the 28th. There began a series of small nonharmonic volcanic tremors with durations up to a few minutes. These increased between 1200 and 1800 on the 28th. The late-stage buildup also appeared in RSAM readings. RSAM values changed at 2200 on the 27th from a background level of 2 units, rising at 1200 on the 28th to ~10 units, then by 1800 to 30 units. After 1800, RSAM values continued to rise and the instruments registered intense continuous volcanic tremor. Around this time the RSAM counts exhibited an artificial decline attributed to an overwhelmed event-counting system. Other notable changes in the character of the RSAM plot occurred at 2240 on the 28th, and at 0115 and 0240 on the 29th. The first two times correlated with behavior noted by the observer watching the summit crater. Specifically, at 2240 on the 28th the observer saw the first glow reflecting off an ash-cloud emission. RVO scientists mark this as the beginning of the eruption. At 0120 on the 29th, production of incandescent lava fragments intensified, indicating the onset of a Strombolian eruption. At 0240 on 29 November, the RSAM peaked at 8045 units. Thus, scientists inferred this as the time when the Strombolian phase of the eruption peaked. During the cover of darkness, ash clouds were just visible, initially illuminated by the glow and gradually by incandescent fragments. The latter became common by about 1200 on the 29th when ash clouds were seen blowing NW. The ash clouds began to become voluminous from 0100 on the 29th, coinciding with the intensification of the Strombolian phase of the eruption. The ash clouds were emitted forcefully, accompanied by loud roaring and rumbling noises. By first light on 29 September people some distance away from Ulawun were able to see a thick vertical eruption column that rose ~12-15 km above the summit (figure 1). In relatively clear morning weather, the eruption column was visible from Rabaul, ~130 km NE of Ulawun. By this time ash clouds had blown WSW to NW. Roaring and rumbling noises ceased at about 1000 and resumed again at about 1300. At about this time also, there was a slight and brief change in wind direction resulting in the eruption's ash clouds being redirected to the N and NE. The eruption produced a moderate amount of ashfall. Ashfall was heavy 10 km downwind of the vent. Beyond that, the amount of ashfall was much reduced, lessening still further away from the vent. The ashfall destroyed gardens and cash-crop plantations within 10 km of its main path. Satellite images of the ash distribution showed that the ash was blown downwind 80-100 km from the vent. The eruption produced three pyroclastic flows. They traveled down pre-existing gullies on the N, NW, and SE flanks. During past eruptions, pyroclastic flows also followed the same gullies down from the cone's 2,300 m summit elevation. The N-directed pyroclastic flow was the biggest. It descended to 580 m elevation. The NW-directed pyroclastic flow was the second biggest. It divided into two arms at 900 m elevation and its terminus reached an elevation similar to the one on the N flank. The SE flow was relatively small. The eruption lacked lava flows. Scientists inspected the crater area from the air on 7 October and found two vents on the summit (labeled Vents A and B on figure 2). Comparing Vent A to its appearance during 1993, the overall depth of the crater floor appeared to have risen, becoming about 100-150 m shallower. The fill consisted of older material that collapsed from the inner crater wall and possibly new ejecta from the current eruption. A prominent breach on the N crater rim was evident and may have been created by the N pyroclastic flow. Judging by its close proximity, this flow originated from Vent B. En-echelon cracks on the E end of the crater suggested inward sagging of that side of the crater rim. At the time of the inspection, few emissions escaped the vents; however, traces of white and blue vapor wafted from other areas inside the crater. Figure 2. An oblique aerial photo showing Ulawun's summit area and Vents A and B between 0800 and 0900 on 7 October 2000. Other visible features include a breach on the NNE crater rim caused by the avalanche of pyroclastic flow material from Vent B. Photographed by Ima Itikarai; courtesy of RVO. There were reports of multiple vents during past eruptions. However, aerial inspections in 1985 and 1993 only revealed evidence of Vent A. Ulawun had a flank eruption on the SE side during the 1978 eruption. RVO staff in Rabaul established communication links with the volcano observer based near Ulawun at 1606 on 27 September after noting increased RSAM values. Data from Ulawun were transmitted to RVO every 20 minutes. The RSAM values led to discussions with civil authorities and directions to local residents throughout the night at two-hour intervals. During the process, alert stages one and two were declared. This resulted in evacuating the local population, an effort accomplished with the help of a local timber company. Assistance was later provided by the West New Britain Provincial Government. This time-line of events is contrary to preliminary information (Bulletin v. 25, no. 8). that relied on local news media. Activity during October. By 3 October the volcano produced only thin white vapor with no noise or night glow. Various ancillary observations occurred in the next weeks: during 6, 8, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 October and 1 November observers noted low rumbling or banging or both; when under cover of darkness they usually saw accompanying weak, steady glows. In at least one case they smelled sulfurous odors. The noises at 1000 on 1 November accompanied a thick dark ash cloud that rose 100-200 m above the summit. By 1100 silent ash clouds were seen forcefully rising ~200 m above the summit. Activity then declined for a few hours until 1430-1700, an interval when observers saw thick dark gray ash clouds and occasionally heard weak rumblings. Activity quieted after that and by 2 November emissions had returned to white vapor without noise or night glow. On 13 and 17 October small mudflows occurred, originating on the upper NW flanks and sweeping down a dry creek through Ubili village and then to the sea. At certain places the flows spread laterally. No reported damage or casualties were caused by either mudflow. October seismicity included tremor and numerous low-frequency earthquakes. Volcanic tremors were dominant during 1-4, 8-11, and 30-31 October. The low-frequency earthquakes can be characterized by RSAM data. On 1 October RSAM stood at ~30-40 units; steady decline brought the 7 October RSAM to ~5 units. On the 8th and 11th there followed peaks of over 20 units. After that RSAM declined steadily until it reached background levels on 20 October. On 30 October, RSAM underwent a sudden increase to ~20-30 units heralding the brief 1 November eruption. The single electronic tiltmeter located on the high WSW flank showed a steady change throughout October. The behavior could possibly be related to edifice inflation. Background. The symmetrical basaltic-to-andesitic Ulawun stratovolcano is the highest volcano of the Bismarck arc, and one of Papua New Guinea's most frequently active. Ulawun rises above the N coast of New Britain opposite Bamus volcano. The upper 1,000 m of the 2,334-m-high volcano is unvegetated. A prominent E-W-trending escarpment on the S may be the result of large-scale slumping. Satellitic cones occupy the NW and E flanks. A steep-walled valley cuts the NW side of the volcano, and a flank lava-flow complex lies to the S of this valley. Historical eruptions date back to the beginning of the 18th century. Twentieth-century eruptions were mildly explosive until 1967, but after 1970 several larger eruptions produced lava flows and basaltic pyroclastic flows, greatly modifying the summit crater. Correction: In Bulletin v. 25, no. 8, it was erroneously stated that Ulawun is also known as the North Son. Ulawun (or Ulavun) is, in fact, sometimes referred to as The Father. North Son is Mount Likuruanga, a well eroded cone abutting Ulawun to the NE. This group is completed by Bamus volcano to Ulawun's SW. Bamus, a 2,000-m-high cone that last erupted in 1886, is sometimes referred to as South Son. Information Contacts: RVO (see Rabaul). Langila New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea 5.53 S, 148.42 E; summit elev. 1,330 m All times are local (= GMT + 10 hours) The mild Vulcanian eruptive activity that occurred at Langila's Crater 2 through June 2000 (Bulletin v. 25, no. 7) continued during July-October 2000. In addition, low-level volcanic activity continued at Crater 3. No reports of unusual activity were submitted during July and August. During September, intermittent, mild Vulcanian activity occurred at Crater 2. The activity consisted of moderate emissions of thin-to-thick white vapor, which were occasionally accompanied by gray ash clouds. On 21, 25, and 30 September thick, dark gray, convoluting ash clouds were forcefully released, rose 200 m above the summit, blew to the N and NW, and deposited fine ash. On 7, 9-11, and 27 September wisps of blue vapor accompanied the emissions. During the month volcanic activity was low at Crater 3, with only thin white vapor sporadically visible. Through October intermittent, mild Vulcanian eruptions continued at Crater 2. The vent usually emitted white vapor, which was sometimes accompanied by a blue tinge and occasionally by a light ash component. On 8 October a forceful emission of thick ash rose to 1 km above the crater rim. This heralded a few days of increased ash emissions, with some forcefully expelled light gray/brown clouds on the 15th. During 16-24 October continuous white vapor emissions with a small ash component were common. At 0801 on 24 October a dark gray-to-black ash column rose 1 km above the crater rim. On 25 October an ash cloud that rose to 2 km above the crater deposited ash toward the N. Likewise, at 0655 on 26 October a thick, white vapor plume was accompanied by an ash column that rose to 1 km above the crater rim. The ash emissions continued throughout the day, and similar activity occurred the next day. For the rest of the month activity was confined to white vapor with an occasional ash component. During October varying amounts of white fume were emitted from Crater 3. Throughout the period there were no reports of noises or night glow at the volcano; the seismograph remained out of operation. Background. Langila, one of the most active volcanoes of New Britain, consists of a group of four small overlapping composite cones on the lower eastern flank of the extinct Talawe volcano. Talawe is the highest volcano in the Cape Gloucester area of NW New Britain. A rectangular, 2.5-km-long crater is breached widely to the SE; Langila volcano was constructed NE of the breached crater of Talawe. An extensive lava field reaches the coast on the N and NE sides of Langila. Frequent mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded since the 19th century from three active craters at the summit of Langila. The youngest and smallest crater (Crater 3) was formed in 1960 and has a diameter of 150 m. The Cape Gloucester observation post, airstrip, and seismometer are 9 km N of the volcano. Information Contacts: RVO (see Rabaul). Karkar offshore New Guinea, Papua New Guinea 4.65 S, 145.96 E; summit elev. 1,839 m On 29 September there were reports of light ash fall on the NE coast of Karkar island, and fine sand deposits were found at the bottom of a swimming pool. The ash fall led to the rumor that Karkar volcano had erupted. However, an aerial inspection of the central caldera and Bagiai cone on 1 October showed that no eruptive activity had taken place. Volcanologists believe that the ash most likely originated from an eruption at Ulawun, which, at its peak on 29 September, had an eruption column to 12-15 km altitude. Ash erupted to those heights would have been taken well into the jet stream and could have been transported to Karkar, which is located 600 km to the W (downwind at high altitudes) of Ulawun. There have been no reports of anomalous activity at Karkar since fumarolic gases killed vegetation in September 1997 (Bulletin v. 22, no. 9). Background. Karkar is a 19 x 25 km wide, forest-covered island that is truncated by two nested summit calderas. The 5.5-km-wide outer caldera was formed during one or more eruptions, the last of which occurred 9,000 years ago. The excentric 3.2-km-wide inner caldera was formed sometime between 1,500 and 800 years ago. Parasitic cones are present on the northern and southern flanks of Karkar; a linear array of small cones extends from the northern rim of the outer caldera nearly to the coast. Most historical eruptions, which date back to 1643, have originated from Bagiai cone, a pyroclastic cone constructed within the steep-walled, 300-m-deep inner caldera. The floor of the caldera is covered by young, mostly unvegetated lava flows. Information Contacts: RVO (see Rabaul). Manam offshore New Guinea, Papua New Guinea 4.10 S, 145.06 E; summit elev. 1,807 m Following the 4 June 2000 eruption at Southern Crater (Bulletin v. 25, no. 7), volcanic activity was low at both summit craters through October 2000. Seismicity remained relatively stable except for a slight increase in amplitudes beginning on 18 September. During August, activity at the two summit craters was low. Main Crater gently emitted small-to-moderate volumes of white vapor, while Southern Crater weakly emitted white vapor. Seismic-event amplitudes steadily increased throughout the month, though the overall trend remained within background levels. Daily average event counts were about 1,200, with some fluctuations. No significant movements were recorded by the water-tube tiltmeter 4 km SW of the summit. Activity remained low throughout September, with vapor emissions from both craters similar to those in August. Seismic amplitudes were steady until 18 September when a slight increase was observed that continued through the end of the month. Daily average seismic event counts remained steady, with about 1,300 events/day. Throughout October both craters emitted varying amounts of white vapor, and there were no reports of noise or night glow. Seismicity and tilt measurements appeared to remain at background levels, although consistent measurements could not be made because scientists did not have access to the Tabele Observatory during 5-21 October. Background. The 10-km-wide island of Manam is one of Papua New Guinea's most active volcanoes. Four large radial valleys extend from the unvegetated summit of the conical stratovolcano to its lower flanks. These "avalanche valleys," regularly spaced 90 apart, channel lava flows and pyroclastic avalanches that have sometimes reached the coast. Five satellitic centers are located near the island's shoreline. Two summit craters are present; both are active, although most historical eruptions have originated from the southern crater, concentrating eruptive products during the past century into the SE avalanche valley. Frequent historical eruptions have been recorded since 1616. Information Contacts: RVO (see Rabaul).

************************************ MVO weekly report, 8 December 2000 ************************************ Montserrat Volcano Observatory Montserrat, W.I. Report for the period midday, 1 December 2000 to midday, 8 December 2000 Activity at the Soufri�re Hills volcano has remained at an elevated level this week with continued growth of the lava dome. The level of seismic activity was comparable to last week. The broadband seismic network recorded a total of 547 rockfall signals, 1 volcano-tectonic, 72 long period and 15 hybrid earthquakes for the reporting period. Clear views of the dome were possible throughout the week. The main focus of activity remains on the eastern flanks, although some small rockfalls were seen on the western side of the new growth. The buttress of the 1995-98 dome above Tuitt�s Ghaut is being eroded away and engulfed by the new dome growth behind. Rockfalls and small pyroclastic flows are now regularly travelling down the upper reaches of Tuitt�s Ghaut. The notch between the central and northeastern buttresses of the 1995-98 dome is now 60 m or 200 feet wide. Intense dome glow was seen throughout the week, both from the east at Jackboy Hill and the west at Salem and Frith�s. Spines are continuously growing and collapsing on the summit of the dome. On 5 December, the top of a spine was at a height of 1060 m or 3480 feet, and the flat top of the main dome was between 1020 and 1030 m height, that is between 3350 and 3380 feet. Measurements of sulphur dioxide emissions from the volcano were not possible this week due to ashy conditions. Andy Eby and Lizzette Rodriguez from the University of Puerto Rico continued their collaboration with the MVO this week. Measurements of sites at Galway�s, Roche�s, St. George�s Hill, Lookout and Reid�s Hill were made throughout the week. These data continue a long time series of measurements made by the University of Puerto Rico over the past 5 years in conjunction with the MVO. Measurements have been made about every 3-4 months during this period, and provide useful information on the long-term deformation of the volcano. Residents of Montserrat and visitors to the island are advised to tune in to ZJB Radio for up-to-date information on the status of the volcano. Rockfall and pyroclastic flow activity is likely to remain at a high level whilst the dome continues to grow, producing ash clouds which may blow over inhabited areas if winds are from the south or southeast. Elevated levels of pyroclastic flow activity may develop very rapidly and could affect any valleys around the volcano. In addition to the risk from pyroclastic flows, the Belham valley should also be avoided during and after periods of heavy rain. Ash masks should be worn in ashy conditions or when you disturb ash. Everyone is reminded that access to Plymouth, Bramble airport and beyond is prohibited. There is a maritime exclusion zone around the southern part of the island that extends two miles beyond the coastline from Trant�s Bay in the east to Garibaldi Hill on the west coast. The daytime entry zone remains closed. 12 noon, Friday, 8 December 2000 Check out our web pages for recent pictures of the dome, including the large spine from 17 November. Dr Gill Norton Director Montserrat Volcano Observatory Mongo Hill Montserrat West Indies

MIYAKEJIMA VOLCANO, South of Tokyo (Oyama 813 m, 34o04'43"N, 139o31'46"E) (10/16/00) According to JMA, Geological Survey of Japan, and Tokyo Institute of Technology, SO2 flux from the craters within the Miyakejima summit caldera has still continued in high level; 30,000-50,000ton/day. Ash had been emitted continuously in early-September and intermittently in late-September. The subsidence had not been clear after mid-August, although partial collapses of the northern cliff of the caldera took place in late-September. A large pyroclastic cone inclined the southern cliff of the caldera, on which steaming craters are located. The present altitude of the caldera floor is about 230 m according to the laser-distance meter survey from helicopter by ERI. As SO2 was too high, the Tokyo Metropolitan government to which the Miyakejima belongs decided that nobody stayed in the island during night. By the early October, public workers and researchers had stayed in a boat floating near harbors (hotel-ship system) and landed at the island in daytime. P3C of the Maritime Safety Department watched the activity during the operation. In the early October, the hotel-ship system also stopped and public workers and researchers commuted by small boats between Miyakejima and Kozu-shima, the nearest island to the former. Operation was limited along the road running the coastline, for a short time, only when clear sky, and depending on the direction of the wind. Electric power was cut when workers of the electric company did not stay in the island, so that most of monitoring equipment was down in night and cloudy-rainy days. Though Earthquake Research Insatiate, University of Tokyo, and other national institutes kept the gathering the real-time data, their aims were hardly filled. Excellent images and great links: http://hakone.eri.u-tokyo.ac.jp/vrc/erup/miyake.html (thanks Ian...)

****************************** Mayon Volcano, Philippines ****************************** Subject: Mayon activity continues as of 15 January. New dome began growing at Mayon on ~8 January. Aerial observations on 10 January found the dome to have a spiny, blocky surface as the crater floor is being pushed up by the ascending magma. Voluminous steaming, slight incandescence and heightened SO2 rates are being noted, as well as increased seismicity. N flank of edifice is inflating. This activity still ongoing as of 15 January. Below from: http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/Volcanoes/Mayon/MayonIndex.html Mayon Volcano Bulletin 8:00 AM, 12 January 2001 An aerial survey conducted on 10 January with the help of AFP confirmed the presence of a lava dome inside the summit crater. The lava dome appeared to have a spiny, blocky surface, which resulted from the crater floor being pushed upward by magma beneath the crater. The lava dome is emitting voluminous steaming and is the source of slight incandescence. The Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) emission rate determined by the PHIVOLCS Correlation Spectrometer (COSPEC) is 2,300 tonnes per day (t/d), which is way above the 500 t/d output usually observed Mayon's quiescent periods. Earthquake activity related to lava dome growth remains significant. In the past 24 hours, fifteen (15) low frequency-type volcanic earthquakes were detected indicating that magma ascent is still ongoing. For reference, the usual number of earthquakes recorded during repose is generally less than five (5) events. Ground deformation being measured by electronic tiltmeters deployed on the northern flank of the cone continues to report ongoing tilting, also signifying intrusion of magma into the upper levels of the volcano. The above observations strongly suggest that magmatic ascent is in progress. PHIVOLCS reminds the public that Alert Level 2 remains in effect. A full-scale eruption, however, is still not evident because the trend in monitored parameters have not yet attained critical levels. The six (6) kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) must therefore be off-limits at all times because sudden explosions may occur as a result of hot lava deposits in the crate area encountering groundwater. Visits within the PDZ are also prohibited, especially treks to the summit area. PHIVOLCS also suggests that residents near major river channels be extra alert against possible volcanic mudflows, landslides and rockfalls that may result from volcanic debris deslodged or eroded from the upper slopes. PHIVOLCS -------- Mayon Volcano Bulletin 8:00 AM, 15 January 2001 Earthquake activity generally remained at higher-than-usual levels. The Mayon seismic network detected forty-seven (47) low frequency-type volcanic earthquakes on 13 January and seismicity has been significantly high since the lava dome was observed on 08 January. Electronic tiltmeters deployed on the northern flank of the volcano indicates sustained inflation of the edifice. This is corroborated by the above-normal Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) outputs that were recorded in the past week. These observations could be an indication of a magmatic intrusion. Steaming activity was noted to be vigorous since the appearance of the lava dome and crater glow was still visible at Intensity 1 (perceptible only with the aid of a telescope). However, thick rain clouds obscured most of the volcano since 14 January up to this writing. Alert Level 2, which means sustained unrest with indications of magmatic activity remains in effect. PHIVOLCS reminds the public to avoid the six (6) kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) and that treks near the summit is prohibited. Residents near river channels that originate from the volcano are advised to be always aware of lahars, which may form during heavy rains. PHIVOLCS

***************************************** University of Hawai'i faculty position ***************************************** From: Mike Garcia Faculty Position in Volcanology The University of Hawai'i Department of Geology & Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in the general area of volcanology. We are seeking candidates to augment and complement current department research in igneous petrology, geochemistry and volcanology. Applicants with expertise in quantification of magmatic processes (including melting and magma transport, magma chamber and conduit processes, eruption dynamics, and geochemical cycles) are especially encouraged to apply. The successful applicants will join a large, dynamic research group and will be expected to interact with numerous other Earth scientists within SOEST. We expect to fill positions at the Assistant Professor level but exceptional candidates at more advanced levels will be considered. Starting salaries for these 9-month appointments will be dependent on qualifications and experience. The successful candidates will be expected to develop outstanding research programs, and to teach at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Requirements for both positions include a PhD in geology or related fields, and evidence of scientific research excellence and teaching ability. Rank to be determined by qualifications and experience. The anticipated starting date is August 2001, subject to position clearance. Applicants should send a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a summary of research and teaching interests, and addresses, phone-numbers and email of three or more references to Volcanology Search, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawaii, 1680 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 USA. Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled. To ensure full consideration applications should be sent immediately. The search committee has already began to review applications. Information about the Department can be found at website: www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/.