![]() More recent studies suggest that, in the very worst-case scenario, about 19 cubic miles (80 cubic kilometers) of rock might slide off the volcano during a violent eruption, generating a wave that would be 6.5 feet (2 m) tall by the time it reached the Eastern Seaboard. coast.īut based on recent surveys of Cumbre Vieja, experts have determined that such a monumental collapse would be extremely unlikely, Dave Petley, a landslide expert at the University of Sheffield, wrote in a blog for the American Geophysical Union. The study authors estimated that, volume-wise, the chunk could measure between 35 and 120 cubic miles (150 to 500 cubic kilometers) and could send a wave as tall as 82 feet (25 m) crashing into the U.S. The idea originally came from a 2001 study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, which suggested that, if Cumbre Vieja ever erupted again, a huge chunk of the volcano could suddenly collapse into the Atlantic Ocean. 5 colossal cones: Biggest volcanoes on Earth Images: 10 incredible volcanoes in our solar system a fear that has been raised and debunked several times in the past, Newsweek reported. Shortly after, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Toulouse reported that towering ash plumes, the tallest being about 3,280 feet (1,000 m) above sea level, could be seen rising from the volcano's gushing lava fountains.Īs lava streams surged across La Palma, some news reports of the eruption raised concerns that the eruption could potentially send a "mega-tsunami" hurtling toward the Eastern U.S. Involcan tweeted a video of dark smoke billowing from Cumbre Vieja at 3:36 p.m. Thankfully, authorities had already begun evacuating people and farm animals from the area immediately surrounding the volcano, Reuters reported. And on Sunday, D'Auria's prediction came true and lava burst through the ground at Cumbre Vieja. ![]() In the following days, the quakes grew even more persistent a total of 22,000 tremors were ultimately recorded near the volcano in the week before the eruptions, BBC News reported. It was possible that the quakes could ultimately "amount to nothing," but Luca D'Auria, the head of the Volcano Monitoring Department at the Canary Islands Volcano Institute (Involcan), said he suspected that an eruption would likely occur in areas affected by the tremors. ![]() 16.īased on this evidence, authorities then elevated the risk of a volcanic eruption to yellow, the second-highest in the three-tier system, El Pais reported. In addition, authorities noted that the ground began to swell near the site of the quakes and had risen about 2.3 inches (6 centimeters) by Sept. In this case, the tremors steadily grew closer and closer to the Earth's surface, hinting that magma was migrating upward through the crust. Known as a so-called earthquake swarm, these periods of persistent seismic activity can sometimes hint that a nearby volcano is getting ready to blow. Authorities warned last week that La Cumbre Vieja might soon erupt, citing the fact that 4,000 tiny tremors had shaken the island since Sept.
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