This is just breaking news

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s head of emer­gency evac­u­a­tions says more than 33,000 peo­ple are flee­ing the erup­tion of a long-​active vol­cano just out­side one of the country’s most famous tourist attrac­tions.

Ser­gio Cabanas says the evac­uees are leav­ing some 17 vil­lages around the Vol­cano of Fire, which sits about 10 miles (16 kilo­me­ters) from the colo­nial city of Antigua.

The agency says the vol­cano spewed lava nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) down slopes bil­low­ing with ash on Thurs­day.

Seis­mol­o­gists also say a series of explo­sions have been com­ing from the 12,346-foot-high (3,763-meter-high) vol­cano.

Copy­right © 2012 The Asso­ci­ated Press. All rights reserved.




Jane

Pyroclastic flows being reported...photos here...

elperiodico.com.gt/es/20120913/galeria/217851/#


Jane

This first picture is when it exploded just under an hour ago from my time of posting




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Jane

Wow... now that is an explosion... gonna have to get a hold of a friend in Mexico City and ask if they can see it from where they are.

Not sure if they would see anything that far away StarsChildren....but Mexico City has its own volcano...Popocatapetl to worry about, been spewing for a while now.
Any news from that region would be greatly appreciated...so far 10,000 have been evacuated from around Fuego, and people driving have been advised to tak extra care as the surrounding roads/area is covered in ash already.


Jane

Yay! Proff Erik Klemetti has started a new blogg on the eruption at Wired Science

www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/erupt...ver-30000-evacuated/

There are volcanologists and seismologists who post on this blogg...so hopefully we will get some good updates now. No doubt they will all be busy gathering info as there are a couple of them down in that region.......eating popcorn in front of their computers no doubt


Jane

Jane, can I ask why you are focused on 'natural disasters' atm? Is it just an interest in the power of nature or do you suspect something more sinister?

Ahoy Oi!
Bit of both Sorry if it sounds cryptic, it's not. I did my degree in Geography and Theology....thus explaining my 'warped' view of the world I guess. However, the 'other side' of me is keeping an eye especially on volcs at the mo......following up a 'sign from the past' if you like. All the pieces are in place and a volcano eruption is the first sign....so just keeping extra vigilant.

Why you ask?


Jane

September 14, 2012 – GUATEMALA - A long-simmering volcano outside one of the Guatemala’s most famous tourist attractions exploded into a series of powerful eruptions Thursday, hurling thick clouds of ash nearly two miles (three kilometers) high, spewing rivers of lava down its flanks and forcing the evacuation of more than 33,000 people from surrounding communities. Guatemala’s head of emergency evacuations, Sergio Cabanas, said the evacuees were leaving some 17 villages around the Volcan del Fuego, which sits about six miles southwest (16 kilometers) from the colonial city of Antigua. The ash was blowing south and authorities said Antigua was not currently in danger, although they expected the eruption to last for at least 12 more hours. The agency said the volcano spewed lava nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) down slopes billowing with ash around Acatenango, a 12,346-foot-high (3,763-meter-high) volcano whose name translates as “Volcano of Fire.” A paroxysm of an eruption is taking place, a great volcanic eruption, with strong explosions and columns of ash, said Gustavo Chicna, a volcanologist with the National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology. He said the cinders spewing from the volcano were settling a half-inch thick in many places. He said extremely hot gases were also rolling down the sides of the volcano, which was entirely wreathed in ash and smoke. The emergency agency warned that flights through the area could be affected. There was a general orange alert, the second-highest level, but a red alert south and southeast of the mountain, where, Chicna said, “it’s almost in total darkness.” Teresa Marroquin, disaster coordinator for the Guatemalan Red Cross, said the organization had set up 10 emergency shelters and was sending hygiene kits and water. “There are lots of respiratory problems and eye problems,” she said. –CSM



theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012...g-33000-to-evacuate/

September 14, 2012 – GUATEMALA - A long-simmering volcano outside one of the Guatemala’s most famous tourist attractions exploded into a series of powerful eruptions Thursday, hurling thick clouds of ash nearly two miles (three kilometers) high, spewing rivers of lava down its flanks and forcing the evacuation of more than 33,000 people from surrounding communities. Guatemala’s head of emergency evacuations, Sergio Cabanas, said the evacuees were leaving some 17 villages around the Volcan del Fuego, which sits about six miles southwest (16 kilometers) from the colonial city of Antigua. The ash was blowing south and authorities said Antigua was not currently in danger, although they expected the eruption to last for at least 12 more hours. The agency said the volcano spewed lava nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) down slopes billowing with ash around Acatenango, a 12,346-foot-high (3,763-meter-high) volcano whose name translates as “Volcano of Fire.” A paroxysm of an eruption is taking place, a great volcanic eruption, with strong explosions and columns of ash, said Gustavo Chicna, a volcanologist with the National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology. He said the cinders spewing from the volcano were settling a half-inch thick in many places. He said extremely hot gases were also rolling down the sides of the volcano, which was entirely wreathed in ash and smoke. The emergency agency warned that flights through the area could be affected. There was a general orange alert, the second-highest level, but a red alert south and southeast of the mountain, where, Chicna said, “it’s almost in total darkness.” Teresa Marroquin, disaster coordinator for the Guatemalan Red Cross, said the organization had set up 10 emergency shelters and was sending hygiene kits and water. “There are lots of respiratory problems and eye problems,” she said. –CSM



theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012...g-33000-to-evacuate/


Jane

Fuego volcano (Guatemala): change in eruptive style: large lava flows
Friday Sep 14, 2012 09:02 AM | Age: 3 hrs
BY: T

The eruption of the volcano has undergone a change from explosive to mainly effusive over the past few hours, INSIVUMEH reports in the latest bulletin last night (22h00 local time). Instead of a large sustained ash column, there are now smaller pulsating ash emissions reaching 3-700 m height, but instead the volcano is producing large (for Fuego) lava flows between 900 and 1,000 meters long and 150 wide. The different activity is also leaving a different type of seismic signature and has remained stable over the past hours.
According to information obtained by observers nearby and security forces positioned in Morelia Panimache, one lava flow is traveling down the Ceniza canyon (SSW flank), and another towards the ravine Las Lajas and into Barranca El Jute (SE flank) where it is threatening to cut roads.
Despite the dominantly effusive activity, small pyroclastic flows still occurred as well, at a rate of about one per hour, mainly to Ceniza canyon, and producing fine fine ash columns. Ashfall was last reported only in Panimaché, Morelia, Yucales and Sangre de Cristo.

www.volcanodiscovery.com/fuego/news/1641...arge-lava-flows.html


Jane

Thanks to Jane for the info: nothing on the terrestrial news but the remote possibility of the tailend of a Hurricane maybe getting to New York and there are days of "reports" of news that is yet to happen.