fuego volcano case study

Fuego volcano: the deadly pyroclastic flows that have killed dozens in Guatemala

School of Physical Sciences, The Open University

Lecturer in Volcanology, University of Hull

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Rebecca Williams has received funding from NERC.

Dave McGarvie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Dozens of people have been killed, and with many more missing, after Volcán de Fuego (Fuego) in Guatemala erupted on June 3 2018.

In recent years, Fuego has regularly ejected small gas and ash eruptions, which hold little risk to surrounding populations. But Fuego also has a reputation for producing larger explosive eruptions. These larger eruptions have two main primary hazards – falling ash and bombs (collectively known as tephra), and pyroclastic flows. Of these two, pyroclastic flows are the big killers, and are responsible for the deaths from the latest eruption. So, just what are these flows and why are they such killers? And what can people do to avoid them?

Footage taken from a road bridge over a dry valley from on June 3 at Fuego shows what appears to be a soft and billowing ash cloud gently flowing down the volcano. It looks innocuous. Spectators and officials watch mesmerised, but then the cloud moves into the valley and heads directly towards the bridge. Unease spreads and soon alarms sound before people rush away just in time. Footage shows the ash cloud quickly pass under and then over the bridge. These spectators escaped death by seconds, as this benign-looking ash cloud is the notorious killer that is a pyroclastic flow.

Pyroclastic flows (also known as pyroclastic density currents) contain a hellish combination of hot rock fragments (pyroclasts), superheated air, and volcanic gases. You can expect temperatures of 100-600°C and they can travel fast – very fast on steep slopes. Speeds generally range between 70-200mph, but they have been recorded reaching 450mph . As they are heavier (denser) than air, they tend to be funnelled into valleys. But their higher density also gives them momentum, so they can travel up the sides of valleys, and even over mountains. The worst place to be when a pyroclastic flow is on the move is in a valley, which is why the spectators at the road bridge were lucky to escape.

What surprised many volcanologists (including us) is that people were actually standing and taking pictures while watching this billowing cloud descend. It is certainly a hypnotic and beautiful phenomenon to observe, but any volcanic cloud moving even vaguely in your direction is a clear sign to flee. This suggests that further education of people living in and around Fuego of its volcanic hazards would not only be helpful, it would save lives.

It is rare that eruptions from Fuego produce such large pyroclastic flows that travel so far. This leaves the authorities in an impossible situation. Because if you create exclusion zones based on worst-case scenarios, then decades if not centuries may pass without a worst-case eruption. And all that time people will be grumbling about good and fertile land being inaccessible without good reason.

Other deadly incidents

One notorious example of a pyroclastic flow happening elsewhere was the eruption of Mount Pelée on the island of Martinique on May 8 1902. Pyroclastic flows destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre and killed an estimated 30,000 people. Only a handful survived, one of whom was a prisoner in a jail cell. This was the largest loss of life from a pyroclastic flows in the past two centuries.

One of the most famous historical examples of the devastation and loss of life caused by pyroclastic flows is what happened at Pompeii and Herculaneum when Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. An important lesson from this eruption is the fickleness of human memory. Because Vesuvius had been dormant for at least 700 years, it wasn’t recognised as a potential threat.

Volcanologists know from their studies that the frequency of large eruptions at a specific volcano may be one every few centuries or every few thousand years. But on a human time scale these numbers lose impact because there may be no aged relatives around who remember past eruptions, and so a complacent sense of “all is well” pervades.

Many communities living around volcanoes have other more immediate concerns, including other natural hazards. It’s an unresolved paradox. The eruption of Vesuvius produced a number of pyroclastic flows which led to the deaths of at least 1,400 people, and the burial of the settlements by volcanic material. Recent excavations revealed evidence of a new type of death from this eruption – a person being struck by a large block, possibly carried by one of the pyroclastic flows.

It is too early to tell what will happen next with Fuego. But given its recent history, this eruption is an unusually large and extreme event. Fortunately, these tend to be infrequent. It is sincerely hoped that there will be no sudden repeat of the large and far-travelled pyroclastic flows that took so many lives. Whatever happens, there will be a huge amount of work to do in rebuilding communities and working through collective grief.

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The Two-Way

International, 'everything is a disaster': guatemala's fuego volcano erupts, killing at least 69.

Scott Neuman

Colin Dwyer

People flee El Rodeo village, less than 30 miles from the capital, Guatemala City, after the eruption of the Fuego volcano on Sunday. Noe Perez/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

People flee El Rodeo village, less than 30 miles from the capital, Guatemala City, after the eruption of the Fuego volcano on Sunday.

Updated at 11:02 p.m. ET

Around midday Sunday, the bright blue sky less than 30 miles southwest of Guatemala City darkened to a billowing gray — and with a vicious rumble, one of Central America's most active volcanoes stirred to life again. Mount Fuego spewed ash and lava from its heights, blanketing the lands nearby and leaving at least 69 people dead, according to Guatemala's National Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Many people were injured and, with others still missing, Guatemalan authorities fear the death toll may rise further as the aftermath from the sudden eruption becomes clear. More than 3,200 people have evacuated the area.

momento en que hace ERUPCIÓN el #VolcánDeFuego en #Guatemala 🌋 pic.twitter.com/3IX0mu8bmT — Manuel Lopez San Martin (@MLopezSanMartin) June 4, 2018

"It is too early to know the full extent of the damage," President Jimmy Morales said in a statement posted to Facebook . And, as rescue workers sought survivors in the pale gray just miles from his presidential palace in the capital, Morales added that it is a time for Guatemalans to come together in "unity, prayer and solidarity."

He has declared three national days of mourning.

Guatemala's national disaster response agency, CONRED, said overnight that the eruption lasted more than 16 hours before finally quieting . The agency described the substance ejected by the volcano as a pyroclastic flow — defined by the U.S. Geological Survey as "a high-density mix of hot lava blocks, pumice , ash and volcanic gas."

The USGS adds that pyroclastic flows, which resemble avalanches in their overwhelming rush, can reach temperatures of up to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit and speeds of more than 50 mph. They can "knock down, shatter, bury or carry away nearly all objects and structures in their path," the service notes.

"It's a river of lava that overflowed its banks and affected the El Rodeo village. There are injured, burned and dead people," CONRED General Secretary Sergio Cabañas said on radio.

The remains of San Miguel Los Lotes, roughly 20 miles southwest of Guatemala City, stand covered in a thick layer of ash on Monday. Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

The remains of San Miguel Los Lotes, roughly 20 miles southwest of Guatemala City, stand covered in a thick layer of ash on Monday.

Eddy Sánchez of the country's National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology told the newspaper Diario de Centro América that thick black smoke and ash also fell for miles around the volcano — including in San Lucas, Antigua Guatemala, Alotenango, Chimaltenango and Zaragoza.

Most of the victims reported initially were from the village of El Rodeo, according to Guatemala's El Periódico newspaper.

Police officers helping with the rescue efforts Monday look at the slope of the Fuego volcano from San Miguel Los Lotes. Evidence of the pyroclastic flow lingers on Mount Fuego's side, where the accumulated ash and rock have left bright gray scars from the eruption. Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Police officers helping with the rescue efforts Monday look at the slope of the Fuego volcano from San Miguel Los Lotes. Evidence of the pyroclastic flow lingers on Mount Fuego's side, where the accumulated ash and rock have left bright gray scars from the eruption.

"The only thing we could do was run with my family and we left our possessions in the house," El Rodeo resident Efrain Gonzalez told the BBC . "Now that all the danger has passed, I came to see how our house was — everything is a disaster."

Pyroclastic flows move quickly, and in Fuego's case, the fiery rivers loosed by Fuego surprised many victims with their speed.

"Not everybody could escape," said another El Rodeo resident, Consuelo Hernández, according to El Periódico . She spoke to a TV crew as she walked down road loud with sirens, dazed and as layered in ash as the busy roadway she was crossing. "I think they were buried."

The eruption Sunday was Fuego's second this year, according to CONRED, though the first incident, in February, left far less of an impact.

Shortly after the scale of the devastation became clear, other leaders from around the world offered their condolences and words of support on Twitter.

"All our solidarity and support to the President Jimmy Morales and the Guatemalan people for the loss of human life," Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto tweeted Sunday .

The foreign ministry in Israel, where Guatemala recently became one of the few countries to move its embassy to Jerusalem, announced that Israel would be sending emergency aid, including food and medicine.

"Guatemala," the ministry announced , "Israel stands with you!"

In the meantime, Guatemalan authorities remained at work on what could be a daunting rescue effort. As of midday Monday, CONRED said the deadly eruption has affected more than 1.7 million people.

The Fuego volcano in eruption, seen from the Alotenango municipality, about 40 miles southwest of Guatemala City. Orlando Estrada/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

The Fuego volcano in eruption, seen from the Alotenango municipality, about 40 miles southwest of Guatemala City.

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You are here, fuego volcano: the deadly pyroclastic flows that have killed dozens in guatemala.

Dozens of people have been killed, and with many more missing, after Volcán de Fuego (Fuego) in Guatemala erupted on June 3 2018.

In recent years, Fuego has regularly ejected small gas and ash eruptions, which hold little risk to surrounding populations. But Fuego also has a reputation for producing larger explosive eruptions. These larger eruptions have two main primary hazards – falling ash and bombs (collectively known as tephra), and pyroclastic flows. Of these two, pyroclastic flows are the big killers, and are responsible for the deaths from the latest eruption. So, just what are these flows and why are they such killers? And what can people do to avoid them?

Footage taken from a road bridge over a dry valley from on June 3 at Fuego shows what appears to be a soft and billowing ash cloud gently flowing down the volcano. It looks innocuous. Spectators and officials watch mesmerised, but then the cloud moves into the valley and heads directly towards the bridge. Unease spreads and soon alarms sound before people rush away just in time. Footage shows the ash cloud quickly pass under and then over the bridge. These spectators escaped death by seconds, as this benign-looking ash cloud is the notorious killer that is a pyroclastic flow.

Pyroclastic flows (also known as pyroclastic density currents) contain a hellish combination of hot rock fragments (pyroclasts), superheated air, and volcanic gases. You can expect temperatures of 100-600°C and they can travel fast – very fast on steep slopes. Speeds generally range between 70-200mph, but they have been recorded reaching 450mph . As they are heavier (denser) than air, they tend to be funnelled into valleys. But their higher density also gives them momentum, so they can travel up the sides of valleys, and even over mountains. The worst place to be when a pyroclastic flow is on the move is in a valley, which is why the spectators at the road bridge were lucky to escape.

Small-medium pyroclastic flows at Mayon Volcano. C G Newhall

What surprised many volcanologists (including us) is that people were actually standing and taking pictures while watching this billowing cloud descend. It is certainly a hypnotic and beautiful phenomenon to observe, but any volcanic cloud moving even vaguely in your direction is a clear sign to flee. This suggests that further education of people living in and around Fuego of its volcanic hazards would not only be helpful, it would save lives.

It is rare that eruptions from Fuego produce such large pyroclastic flows that travel so far. This leaves the authorities in an impossible situation. Because if you create exclusion zones based on worst-case scenarios, then decades if not centuries may pass without a worst-case eruption. And all that time people will be grumbling about good and fertile land being inaccessible without good reason.

Other deadly incidents

One notorious example of a pyroclastic flow happening elsewhere was the eruption of Mount Pelée on the island of Martinique on May 8 1902. Pyroclastic flows destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre and killed an estimated 30,000 people. Only a handful survived, one of whom was a prisoner in a jail cell. This was the largest loss of life from a pyroclastic flows in the past two centuries.

Pyroclastic flows from Mount Pelée killed 30,000 thousand people. Angelo Heilprin

One of the most famous historical examples of the devastation and loss of life caused by pyroclastic flows is what happened at Pompeii and Herculaneum when Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. An important lesson from this eruption is the fickleness of human memory. Because Vesuvius had been dormant for at least 700 years, it wasn’t recognised as a potential threat.

Volcanologists know from their studies that the frequency of large eruptions at a specific volcano may be one every few centuries or every few thousand years. But on a human time scale these numbers lose impact because there may be no aged relatives around who remember past eruptions, and so a complacent sense of “all is well” pervades.

Many communities living around volcanoes have other more immediate concerns, including other natural hazards. It’s an unresolved paradox. The eruption of Vesuvius produced a number of pyroclastic flows which led to the deaths of at least 1,400 people, and the burial of the settlements by volcanic material. Recent excavations revealed evidence of a new type of death from this eruption – a person being struck by a large block, possibly carried by one of the pyroclastic flows.

Dave McGarvie , School of Physical Sciences, The Open University and Rebecca Williams , Lecturer in Volcanology, University of Hull.

This article was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article .

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Why Guatemala's Volcano Is Deadlier Than Hawaii's

More than two dozen were killed by the Fuego volcano's eruption, and experts fear more danger could come.

One of Guatemala's most infamous volcanoes is living up to its name. The Volcan de Fuego, Spanish for fire volcano, erupted overnight. Video emerged showing rapidly moving ash plumes, making it stand in stark contrast to the images of lava oozing slowly from Hawaii's Kilauea over the past month .

The different eruptions in part explain why more than two dozen people were killed in the wake of Fuego's eruption, while most damage in Hawaii has been the slow destruction of physical structures over the past month.

There's a scientific reason for that.

Whereas Kilauea , a shield volcano, is characterized by large globs of slow-moving lava inching out of fissures, Fuego, a stratovolcano, is prone to spewing fast-moving flows of ash, lava, and mud.

They're different eruption styles are born from the volcanoes' unique underlying geology, says Concord University volcanologist Janine Krippner .

“The magma itself is quite different,” she says. “The magma at Kilauea is quite runny, which means the gasses can easily escape. At Fuego, the magma is stickier and more viscous.”

( Learn the difference between magma and lava. )

That sticky magma traps enough air to build up pressure until an explosive eruption occurs. In rare instances, it can form a new crater, but the eruption at Fuego came from its existing main crater.

The worst of the volcano's impacts are chain reactions following the fiery eruption.

After an eruption explodes from Fuego's crater, it deposits loose rock and volcanic debris onto the volcano's slopes. Pyroclastic flows form when the ash and rocks, some as large as boulders, form hot, fast avalanches that rapidly descend.

“They're extremely hot and extremely lethal,” says Krippner.

After these pyroclastic flows disperse, the loose rock stays behind. Because much of Guatemala is tropical, it experiences frequent and heavy rainfall. When this mixes with the volcanic debris, rainfall can form dangerous mudflows called lahars. With minimal rainfall, the lahars move like wet concrete, but after intense rains, they can turn into watery flash floods that inundate valleys.

The region surrounding the volcano is also experiencing poor air quality, a common impact of volcanic eruptions. Inhaling volcanic ash can lead to respiratory issues, and experts advise staying indoors.

Fuego is one of three stratovolcanoes in the region. Though they all sit over a geologically active area, there's no evidence that an eruption from one volcano could trigger an eruption in one of the others, notes Krippner.

While Fuego is known to be one of the region's more active volcanoes, an eruption on this scale hasn't been seen since 1902, when an eruption killed thousands of people. A large eruption in 1974 damaged nearby farmland, but no fatalities were recorded.

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Fuego volcano: guatemalan survivors rebuild amid the chaos, stones and sand, children and families displaced by eruption receive support in temporary shelters.

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ESCUINTLA, Guatemala, 13 June 2018 – It was shortly before 11:00 am on Sunday, June 3, 2018 when Gricelda Santiago Sánchez heard the explosion. It seemed loud, but she had lived there many years and heard worse. And yet, her maternal instinct told her to be watchful.

After 3:00 pm that same day, Gricelda heard a new explosion, but it was different – louder, more complex. She alerted her sisters and, grabbing her son and two nephews, ran to the coffee plantations scaling the mountain. As soon as they could, the family flung themselves into a small opening in the ground – an instinct that would save their lives. The Fuego volcano had erupted. 

I ran as fast as I could, I was so scared. Felipe Neftaly, 7

Felipe Neftaly, Gricelda’s seven-year-old son, is one of more than 650,000 children and adolescents living in areas affected by the volcano. Lowering his head, as he held on to his mother’s hand, he is visibly shook-up.

Some of the people in this small community just 31 miles away from Guatemala City ran towards the highway, but it was impossible to escape the mixture of volcanic gases and hot lava descending the volcano. It razed and buried the entire village under 10 feet of boiling mud, stones and sand.

That day, Gricelda lost her mother-in-law, as well as many friends and neighbours.  

Transfer to shelters

In the days following the eruption, the survivors were transferred to schools that had been converted to temporary shelters. Gricelda and her sisters, nephews and nieces, grandparents and other family members moved into room 18 of the José Martí School. They lost all of their belongings, and now depend entirely on the help they receive.

Their first nights were spent sleeping on a single makeshift bed in the classroom. Just hours before, the desks had been ready for students to come back to school. But now everything has changed.  

Help arrives, but not enough

Gricelda brought the children to collect shoes that were donated to the shelter by a private company. Felipe Neftaly and her nephews Alexander and Omar were each able to get a pair, but there was no time for celebration. They would have to stand in a new line to get hygiene products and then in another line for lunch.

People across the country have donated food and supplies to help the victims. But it’s not enough. The Government of Guatemala is doing everything possible to respond to the emergency, but the complexity of the disaster has forced it to request support from the international community.

In the afternoon, the lines continued. Elmer Quintanilla, Gricelda’s brother-in-law, wonders whether in two weeks, with the World Football Cup in full swing, they will still be remembered.

UNICEF, in coordination with the Government and partners, is providing essential support and services to the most vulnerable. Urgent actions include psychosocial support for affected children and their families; family reunification for separated children; protection of children in shelters; water, hygiene and adequate sanitation; child-friendly spaces; proper nutrition for children; and interim education, so children can return to school as soon as possible.

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Case Study: Guatemala Fuego volcano 2018 - participatory production and the strengthening of local capacity for accountability to affected populations

On 3 June 2018, at 3 p.m., the Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupted for the second time that year. The strong explosions sent columns of ash rising as high as 15,000 meters above sea level and pyroclastic flows moving west and southwest, according to the special volcanological bulletin issued by the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED).

The most affected communities were those bordering the volcano: the departments of Escuintla, Sacatepéquez, and Chimaltenango. Following the eruption, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales declared a National Red Alert and the State of Calamity for the three departments.

In the first week, 3,510 people were sheltered in 18 official sites in Escuintla and Sacatepéquez.

This case study looks at how C4D was used in this response.

Editors' recommendations

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Mount Fuego Eruption 2018

On Sunday, June 3rd, Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano erupted violently and with little warning, sending ash nearly four miles into the air, and burying villages under an avalanche-like pyroclastic flow of superheated ash and volcanic gasses.  At least 62 fatalities have been reported thus for, with hundreds more missing and injured.  The death toll is expected to climb, and the country’s disaster agency said that over 3,200 people had been evacuated. As of June 5th, eruptions have continued as evacuation orders remain in effect.

Learn more:  http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/washington.html  

January 31st, 2018:

Mt. Fuego in Guetemala has erupted on January 31st 2018. According to the Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED), the plume reached an altitude of 6,500 meters (21,300) feet above sea level and was carried 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west and southwest by the winds. Falling ash affected tens of thousands of people, primarily in the provinces of Escuintla and Chimaltenango. Lava from two active conduits flowed through four ravines, leading officials to preemptively close National Route 14 to vehicles.

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Experimental Forecasts Could Help Guatemala Recover from Volcanic Eruption

Sarah Fecht

Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego erupted in early June, killing at least 110 people, while hundreds more remain missing. Streams of lava and plumes of smoke and ash have displaced thousands of Guatemalans, and destroyed an estimated 21,000 acres of crops.

In coming weeks and months, the weather will play a critical role in helping or hindering Guatemala’s recovery from the blast. Ángel G. Muñoz , a climate scientist at Columbia’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), is working with the Guatemalan government to help them plan ahead.

Muñoz has been working in Guatemala for ACToday (short for Adapting Agriculture to Climate Today, for Tomorrow ), a Columbia World Project that is using climate information to improve food security in six developing nations. Through ACToday, Muñoz is trying to bridge the gap between short-term, one- to two-week weather forecasts and long-term seasonal climate forecasts that look months into the future. At the request of Guatemala’s meteorological service, he has analyzed and translated some medium-term forecasts that could help to guide recovery efforts. These forecasts predict rainfall over the next three weeks, and thus the risk of mudslides called lahars that can wipe out entire communities. In this context, the forecasts could help to save lives and inform plans to rebuild roads and other infrastructure.

These types of mid-range (“subseasonal”) forecasts are still quite experimental. “To the best of our knowledge, no one else in the entire world is using subseasonal forecasts to guide government action in the aftermath of a volcano eruption,” said Muñoz.

Dangerous Rains

While the Volcán de Fuego continues to belch dangerous gas and ash, rainfall is also hampering Guatemala’s recovery efforts. The threat of mudslides, flooding and acid rain have disrupted the search for victims and delayed efforts to rebuild.

Lahars are a particular concern. These are mudslides that form as volcanic ash and rocks mix with rainwater.

“Lahars can be dozens of meters wide and can have tremendous power, destroying everything on their way down the slopes,” Walter Baethgen, co-lead on IRI’s ACToday project, explained in an email from Guatemala. “They can be very dangerous for communities and infrastructure placed on the slopes of the volcano.” That includes homes, roads, and other critical structures.

Having a better idea of how much rain is coming could help emergency agencies to prepare, mobilize resources, and evacuate people if needed, said Baethgen. Subseasonal forecasts could also help to direct recovery efforts. For example, if the forecasts were to suggest that heavy rains will continue, it might be best to wait on rebuilding roads in lahar-prone areas.

A Forecasting First

For a long time, scientists thought subseasonal forecasts, which look 14 to 90 days into the future, were impossible. “There has been a predictability gap between weather and climate, and we honestly thought it was a timescale we couldn’t say anything about,” Muñoz explained. “Within the last 15 years, maybe a bit more, we’ve discovered that there is some predictability, there is capacity to forecast at that particular timescale.”

Subseasonal forecasts are based on water and land temperatures, circulation patterns in the atmosphere, and other variables. They aren’t as accurate or specific as a weather forecast, so they’re not generally used in decision making. However, some of the models are reliable enough to provide valuable information.

Muñoz has been studying how much various subseasonal forecasts can be trusted. Using forecasts generated by the S2S Prediction Project and NOAA’s SubX project , Muñoz and his colleagues recently calculated that the models for Guatemala are good enough to say what the weather might look like three weeks in advance.

“That is basically a dream, because we used to say you cannot have good forecasts weeks in advance,” said Muñoz. “There is a lot of room for improvement, but they have potential.” The director of Guatemala’s meteorological service (called INSIVUMEH ) was excited about the possibilities, and asked Muñoz to run the analysis.

The Outlook for Guatemala

The subseasonal forecasts and Muñoz’s calculations suggest that there’s a reasonably good chance that Guatemala will have drier than normal conditions over the next three weeks, especially for the week of July 4-10. That means, hopefully, a chance for the Guatemalan government to rebuild roads and infrastructure in the areas impacted by the eruption.

To ensure the reliability of the forecasts, Muñoz compares predictions between multiple models, and between multiple trials for each model. He also assesses how well the models’ predictions have performed in past situations.

The resulting forecasts provide an educated guess as to which way things are most likely to go. No one can know for sure how accurate the predictions are until the three weeks have passed.

Eddy Sánchez, director of INSIVUMEH, said that the forecasts were very useful because they identify changes that could occur in the short-term. “It makes us feel confident to have another forecasting tool,” he said. “It’s important for the government to have this kind of product to plan the construction of infrastructure and roads in the affected area by the Fuego Volcano.”

Now, added INSIVUMEH agrometeorologist Rosario Gómez, “We are interested in starting the validation process, taking into account the daily rain data of the network of meteorological stations in the country.”

A Deeper Look into the Future

While Guatemala now has some idea of what to expect from the weather, the eruption’s long-term effects are harder to foresee. The eruption has damaged thousands of hectares of corn, bean, and grain crops, as well as coffee, an economically important crop for Guatemala. In addition, many people working in the agricultural sector have been forced to flee their homes.

“The overall impact on people’s livelihoods and agriculture is still unknown,” Jennifer Bradshaw and Carmen Gonzalez, both graduate students at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs working in Guatemala for the ACToday project, wrote in an email. “How much of an economic and social impact did this particular eruption have on communities? What’s next for these communities—especially those whose livelihoods revolved around agriculture, given their wrecked lands?”

The Volcán de Fuego hasn’t deterred the ACToday team from its goal of using state-of-the-art climate information tools to enhance food security in Guatemala. “The project can help our country to make better forecasts and be able to communicate to the decision makers,” said Gómez. “Especially now, because in July we have less rain and it is really important know the rain forecast.”

Given El Fuego’s potential disruption to Guatemala’s food system, ACToday’s work may be more important now than ever.

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Guatemala’s Fuego volcano disaster: Latest updates

Dangerous flows of lava prompt a new round of evacuations of rescue workers and nearby villages.

The death toll from the explosive eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano has risen to 109 with at least 197 people still missing. 

Search-and-rescue efforts were suspended on Thursday because of the continued presence of  scorching volcanic material and poor  weather conditions,  Guatemala’s national disaster agency said.

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“It rained very hard yesterday … The soil is unstable,” said Pablo Castillo, a spokesman for the national police.

Volcan de Fuego, in southern Guatemala, began spewing streams of red-hot lava and shooting out thick smoke and ash on Sunday that rained down onto several regions and the capital, Guatemala City, 30km away from the hardest-hit area. 

The 3,763-metre high Fuego Volcano is one of several active among 34 in the Central American country. It lies near the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO world heritage site, which has survived several major eruptions previously.

Latest updates as of Friday, June 8. 

Friday, June 8 

Dangerous flows of lava, ash and toxic gases have poured down several canyons below the crater of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano, prompting a new round of evacuations of rescue workers and nearby villages.

In two of the canyons where flows have accumulated, columns of ash rose as high as 6,000 meters, according to a statement by Guatemala’s volcanic institute.

• “The (flows) carry hot vapor, including fine particles similar to cement, two- to three-metre diameter rocks and tree trunks dragged out by the current,” the statement added.

The seismological, volcanic and meteorological institute Insivumeh advised the civil aviation authority to take precautions with flights amid renewed activity from the peak, which produced a massive eruption on Sunday. 

• Authorities have said a communication breakdown between emergency agency and volcanologists in Guatemala delayed evacuations from the surrounding area.

Thursday, June 7 

Guatemalan officials warned of falling ash from the Fuego volcano late on Thursday and urged caution with flights as the Central American country recovers from the recent devastating eruptions.

Guatemala prosecutors ordered investigation into whether disaster protocols were followed in the deadly volcanic eruption. A statement from the Public Ministry said the probe will seek to establish whether “the necessary protocols were activated that would allow for prudent and timely decisions”. 

Disaster officials began monitoring increased activity at the Volcano of Fire on Sunday morning, but initially said no evacuations were necessary. A new, more powerful explosion in the afternoon prompted an evacuation order. But fast-moving flows of superheated material and debris washed over villages before many people had time to flee. 

Due to dangerous conditions, Guatemala’s national disaster agency suspended search-and-rescue efforts at the hardest hit areas. 

The agency suspended the search now that 72 hours have passed. That’s the length of time officials had said some victims might have survived. It urged people to stay away from the area.

The hope of finding survivors alive – or even being able to identify bodies – was fading fast. Only 28 of the 99 killed have been identified so far.  

Villager Efrain Suarez stood amid smoking holes dotting what used to be the village of San Miguel Los Lotes on the flanks of the mountain.  “Nobody is going to be able to get them out or say how many are buried here,” he said. “The bodies are already charred and if heavy machinery comes in they will be torn apart.”

The country’s seismology and volcanology institute warned of new flows descending through canyons on the volcano’s western slope towards the Pantaleon River, carrying boulders and uprooted tree trunks.

Some residents took matters into their own hands. Oscar Chavez trekked over a mountain with his father and younger brother. They’re searching for his brother Edgar, sister-in-law Sandra, and nephew Josue. Nobody has seen them since Sunday’s eruption. Wiping a tear from his eye, Chavez said they searched shelters, hospitals, everywhere – to no avail.

Nohemi Ascon, 41, is the aunt of six children between the ages of one and eight who died in Los Lotes. A photograph taken shortly after the disaster showed their bodies huddled together on a bed in the corner of a room, covered in white ash and blood. Ascon said other family members were still unaccounted for.

Nobody is going to be able to get them out ... the bodies are already charred by  Efrain Suarez, truck driver

The United States announced it was sending emergency aid, including financial resources, to help meet food, water and sanitation needs.

A US Air Force C-17 carried six Guatemalan children who were badly burned to Texas for treatment. The US embassy in Guatemala said the children will be treated at the Shriner’s Hospital in Galveston.

• Mexico announced it was sending a team of burn specialists, while Chile said it would send equipment to provide an early warning of volcanic eruptions.   A team of Cuban doctors resident in Guatemala were providing support in shelters for the displaced.

The International Federation of Red Cross said it would release more than $253,000 from its global emergency help to support frontline emergency efforts.

• The funds will help Guatemala’s Red Cross support “3,000 of the most vulnerable survivors for three months”, it said. The head of the International Red Cross, Francesco Rocca, will visit the country on Thursday, the Geneva-based agency said.

Rocca noted ash had fallen across more than half of Guatemala, covering areas where agriculture is crucial. “We hope it will not mean a secondary disaster,” he said.

President Jimmy Morales has been criticised on social media for failing to quickly respond to offers of international aid. 

Wednesday, June 6

New explosions boomed from Guatemala’s Fuego volcano, generating a 4,700-metre high column of gray ash and unleashing torrents of molten mud and ash.

“The explosions are generating moderate avalanches that have an approximate distance of 800 to 1,000 metres and on their trajectory they are carrying fine material to a height of around 100 metres,” the Volcanology Institute said.

• Authorities cautiously resumed search-and-rescue operations in towns and villages devastated by the eruption of Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire, with time quickly running out to find any survivors.
• Firefighters’ spokesman Julio Sanchez said 72 hours after the eruption there will be little chance of finding anyone alive. “We don’t rule out the possibility of some person alive, but the condition in which the homes are makes that possibility pretty unlikely.”

Al Jazeera’s David Mercer, reporting from the scene, said emergency workers were facing a lot of obstacles. “Authorities will have to make a decision on whether they keep looking for bodies, or whether they decide to stop the search and declare this town as a massive cemetery.”

”Authorities by  ”David

on … keep looking for bodies, or … stop the search”]

• Workers poked metal rods into the terrain to release smoke, an indication that super-hot temperatures remained below the surface. Sanchez said some of the ash was still at temperatures between 400 and 700 degrees Celsius.
• After a drone survey, police managed to reach a farm where a home had been buried and people were believed to have been trapped inside.
• Mirna Priz wept as she sat on a rock at a crossroads, her suitcase in front of her and her 11-year-old son, Allen, and their dog by her side. “You feel powerless. I don’t know where I’m going to go; to leave my things, everything I have.” But after seeing what happened Sunday, she said she was afraid to stay.
• Authorities in Guatemala are evaluating whether it is safe to resume the search for survivors and the dead. Disaster agency spokesman David de Leon says officials are analysing the terrain to make a decision. Rescuers were concerned about possible dangers posed not only by more volcanic flows but also rain.
• Authorities say the window is closing on chances of finding anyone else alive.
• Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has urged calm as the country remains at its highest level of alert following two eruptions of Volcan de Fuego on Tuesday.

“I trust in Guatemala, in our institutions,” Morales said at a press conference. “The world is watching us and wants to help us. I want to thank everyone for that help and join us. This adversity will make us stronger.”

This adversity will make us stronger by  Jimmy Morales

• A total of 192 people remain missing since the weekend eruptions, disaster relief agency chief Sergio Cabanas told reporters.

Seven communities in already devastated areas were evacuated as the volcano’s activity increased, with rescue operations halted.

• “The conditions are extremely critical at this moment,” Insivumeh Director Eddy Sanchez told reporters.

The search for bodies in mountain villages destroyed by the eruption was progressing slowly, officials said earlier, given the nature of the terrain and the way the volcano released large amounts of boiling mud, rock and ash down the mountain. 

Tuesday, June 5

Guatemala’s disaster agency reported that superhot volcanic material is once again flowing down the south side of the volcano. The agency ordered new evacuations from areas around it.

• Rescue workers pulled more bodies from under the ash and rubble, bringing the death toll to at least 70. But officials said just 17 had been identified so far because the intense heat of the volcanic debris flows left most bodies unrecognisable. 

As dawn broke, the volcano continued to rattle with what the country’s volcanology institute said were eight to 10 moderate eruptions per hour – significantly less intense than Sunday’s big blasts.

But the head of Guatemala’s National Institute of Seismology, Eddy Sanchez, said the worst of the volcanic activity appears to be over.

“It is evident that the volcano’s energy has decreased and its tendency is to continue decreasing. No eruption is imminent in the coming days,” the Republica newspaper quoted him as saying. 

The grim recovery effort continued on Tuesday. Using shovels and backhoes, emergency workers dug through the debris and mud, perilous labour on smouldering terrain still hot enough to melt the soles of shoes.

Bodies were so thickly coated with ash that they looked like statues. Rescuers used sledgehammers to break through the roofs of houses buried in debris up to their rooflines to check for anyone trapped inside.

In the village of San Miguel Los Lotes, evidence of destruction was everywhere.  

“Access is very difficult, and it’s really hot in the places where we’re trying to dig bodies out of the ash. The deeper you dig, the more intense the heat,” Enrique Morales, a rescue worker, told Al Jazeera.

“This is the epicentre of the slide, and it’s the focus of the rescue efforts right now,” said Al Jazeera’s David Mercer, reporting from the scene. 

• “Rescue workers are pouring out across this area, going into houses and pulling out bodies. In just 15 minutes we’ve seen four bodies pulled out. There’s not a lot of hope for survivors.”

President Jimmy Morales declared three days of national mourning for the “irreparable losses”.

Monday, June 4

The number of fatalities from a massive volcano eruption rose to 62 on Monday. Only 13 of the dead have been identified so far, Mirna Zeledon, a spokeswoman for Guatemala’s National Institute of Forensic Sciences, said.

Among the dead were four people, including a disaster agency official, killed when lava set a house on fire in El Rodeo village in southern Guatemala , National Disaster Coordinator Sergio Cabanas said. Two children were burned to death as they watched the volcano’s second eruption this year from a bridge.

A deadly pyroclastic flow – which can travel down a mountain at speeds of more than 100km/hr – shot from the volcano and is likely the cause of most deaths, volcanologist David Rothery told Al Jazeera. 

A  hot flow of mud, ash and gas swept down from Fuego after a new blast on Monday morning that interrupted disaster workers pulling bodies from the brown sludge that engulfed El Rodeo.

Survivor Hilda Lopez said the volcanic mud swept into her village of San Miguel Los Lotes, just below the mountain’s flanks, and she didn’t know where her mother and sister were.

“We were at a party, celebrating the birth of a baby when one of the neighbours shouted at us to come out and see the lava that was coming. We didn’t believe it, and when we went out the hot mud was already coming down the street. My mother was stuck there, she couldn’t get out,” said Lopez, weeping and holding her face in her hands.

Three shelters were housing about 650 people, Marcia Martinez from the disaster relief agency told Al Jazeera. 

“There is this volcano dust everywhere… There are a lot of people here trying to recover bodies or searching for the missing,” said Al Jazeera’s David Mercer, reporting from the scene. 

Rescuers were using heavy machinery and shovels to find victims. Disaster agency chief Sergio Cabanas said helicopters rescued 10 people from areas hit by thick ash, mud or lava.

The Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales declared a state of emergency in the states of Chimaltenango, Sacatepequez and Escuintla.

According to volcanologist Eddy Sanchez, the volcano’s temperatures reached 700 degrees Celsius.

• Guatemala City’s international airport re-opened after it was closed by falling ash from the eruption of the volcano to the west.

Fuego is one of Central America’s most active volcanos. It was the second eruption this year and the biggest in decades.

Translation: National Civil Police continue the search and rescue of people who have been hurt by # VolcanDeFuego in the village El Rodeo in Escuintla. So far they have rescued children and adults. – Guatemalan National Police 

#PNCProtegerYServir Elementos de nuestra Policía Nacional Civil continúan en la búsqueda y rescate de personas que han resultado damnificadas por el #VolcánDeFuego en la aldea El Rodeo en Escuintla. Hasta el momento han rescatado a niños y adultos pic.twitter.com/JxOdkl0xih — PNC Guatemala (@PNCdeGuatemala) June 4, 2018

Guatemalan officials say more than 3,200 people have been evacuated after the volcanic eruption.

“We saw the lava was pouring through the corn fields and we ran towards a hill,” Consuelo Hernandez, a survivor, told Al Jazeera.

• Translation: #VolcanDeFuego Resources and humanitarian assistance are being carried out in order to help people affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano. – National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction in Guatemala

#VolcanDeFuego En estos momentos se realiza carga de recursos y asistencia humanitaria para ser trasladados al albergue ubicado en el Instituto Simón Bergaño y Villegas, Escuintla con el fin de ayudar a las personas afectadas por la erupción del volcán de Fuego. pic.twitter.com/fXaNxtQz30 — CONRED (@ConredGuatemala) June 4, 2018

Sunday, June 3 

Authorities in Guatemala say 18 more people have been confirmed killed by a volcanic eruption, raising the death toll to 25.

Disaster agency spokesman David de Leon said late Sunday the bodies were found in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes. 

Rescuers have struggled to reach rural residents cut off by the eruption, which also wounded at least 20. Authorities have been unable to account for an undetermined number of people and say they fear the death toll could rise.

The Volcan de Fuego, or “volcano of fire,” exploded in a hail of ash and molten rock shortly before noon Sunday, blanketing nearby villages in heavy ash. 

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Why was Guatemala‘s Volcanic Eruption More Deadly Than Hawaii’s?

The eruption of two volcanoes within the space of a month led to two very different impacts.

There are significant differences between the eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano and the eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii. Although both eruptions resulted in buildings being destroyed the eruption of Fuego led to the deaths of at least 62 people whereas Kilauea’s recent eruption has not claimed any lives.

This video provides an overview of the differences between the eruptions.

Below we explore in more detail why these eruptions are so different and why they have drastically different death tolls:

Type of volcano and eruption

Kilauea is a shield volcano . Shield volcanoes are low with gently sloping sides and are formed from layers of lava. Eruptions are typically non-explosive. Shield volcanoes produce fast flowing fluid lava that can flow for many miles. Eruptions tend to be frequent but relatively gentle. Although these eruptions destroy property it is rare for death or injury to occur. Kilauea’s main mode of destruction is lava. Although on this occasion a series of fissures or cracks opened to the east of the volcano releasing lava close to built-up areas. Residents were ordered to evacuate including the 1,500 population of Pahoa. The eruption was ongoing for over a month.

Large hot spots associated with active fissures were detected northeast of Leilani Estates. The lava was flowing from fissure 17, one of the most active of the 20 new fissures that have emerged. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) reported that fissure 17 produced lava fountains and spatter explosions that rose more than 30 meters (100 feet) into the air on May 14. Slow-moving lava from that fissure had moved east-southeast and traveled roughly one mile. One of the notable things about this image is what is not visible. Normally, a strong thermal signal stands out at Pu’u ’O’o, a vent located roughly halfway between the summit and Leilani Estates. On April 30, 2018, activity at Pu’u ’O’o subsided as the lake drained, and lava moved eastward toward Leilani Estates. Source – NASA Earth Observatory

Unusually, there was a large amount of ash emitted from one eruption on Hawaii. This did not present as a pyroclastic flow because the material had a low density so rose as an ash column.

However, Fuego is a stratovolcano.  Eruptions from stratovolcanoes are typically very explosive. This is because of high levels of gas and thick, highly viscous lava. The eruption led to a pyroclastic flow, a superheated avalanche of volcanic gas, ash and rocks, similar to the one that destroyed Pompeii. Pyroclastic flows occur when the material released from the eruption is too dense to rise as an ash column and instead cascades down the volcano’s slopes. The pyroclastic flow was estimated to be around 1000°C and travelled at speeds of over 100mph. The ash cloud from the eruption reached a height of 10km (33,000ft). It could be clearly seen from space, as this image taken by Nasa shows.

A satellite image showing the ash cloud from the eruption of Fuego. Source – NASA Earth Observatory

Size of the eruption

The size of a volcanic eruption is measured on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). The higher the VEI the more explosive the eruption. The Fuego eruption was a VEI-3. However, the eruption of Kilauea is estimated to be either VEI-0 or VEI-1. From this, it is clear that even a VEI-3 eruption is far more dangerous to human lives than most effusive eruptions (a type of volcanic eruption in which lava steadily flows out of a volcano onto the ground).

Monitoring and Prediction

Mount Kilauea is extensively monitored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Data that indicates a potential eruption, such as a reduction in the size of the lava lake or an increase in seismic activity is reported to the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency.  The CDA are responsible for directing and coordinating the development and administration of the County’s total emergency preparedness and response program to ensure prompt and effective action when disasters occur on Hawaii. However, at Fuego, there is limited equipment around the volcano to accurately forecast an upcoming eruption. Guatemala is just not rich enough to be able to afford such a network. Also, it is always very hard to forecast a stratovolcano that is in a state of constant eruption, like Fuego.

Population density

Population density around the Fuego volcano was much higher than around Kilauea. Although the lava from Kilauea destroyed over 82 properties this is because the lava was so runny it travelled a long distance beyond the boundaries of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  As the lava flows significantly slower than a pyroclastic flow there was plenty of time to evacuate nearby residents. On the other hand, residents close to Fuego were not as lucky. There are a number of villages in the foothills of Fuego where villagers have been attracted by the rich, fertile farmland created by previous eruptions. That meant unsuspecting villagers, such as those in the community of El Rodeo, were suddenly overwhelmed by the fast-moving pyroclastic flow.

The footage below shows people filming the pyroclastic flow as it travelled towards them. Although they are hypnotic to the eye people educated about the risks associated with pyroclastic flows would not put themselves in the path of one. This suggests that further education of people living in and around Fuego of its volcanic hazards would not only be helpful, it would save lives. However, the residents of Hawaii are well versed in the risks associated with Kilauea. Scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) have instruments that monitor the rift zones 24 hours a day. Evacuation orders were issued when lava started to flow from fissures into residential areas. Inhabitants of the island are encouraged to develop an evacuation plan including locations they can stay should their property be at risk from a lava flow.

The long-term

Although the areas around both volcanoes will take years to recover the area around Fuego faces further risks that Kiluea doesn’t. Due to the vast amount of pyroclastic material erupted from Fuego there is a risk of lahars claiming lives in the future. A lahar is a volcanic mudflow caused by rainwater mixing with volcanic debris such as ash.

However, the high levels of toxic gas emissions from the Kilauea eruptions could present health problems in the future for Hawaii’s residents. Volcanic smog, called vog, which contains mostly sulfur dioxide and acid particles, along with ash, is an air quality concern.

As the molten rock travelled to the coast and began pouring into the cool seawater it created clouds of lava haze or “laze”. Officials warned people to stay away since the plumes can travel up to 15 miles downwind, according to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. The clouds form when hot lava boils seawater, creating tiny shards of volcanic glass and hydrochloric acid that then get carried in steam. The plumes can be deadly. While there has been a moderate increase in the number of people entering Hilo medical centre for treatment of vog-related symptoms since the eruption there have been no deaths. However, inhaling vog or laze could potentially worsen existing health conditions such as asthma or cardiovascular disease.

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April 22, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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peer-reviewed publication

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AI weather forecasts can capture destructive path of major storms, new study shows

by University of Reading

Artificial intelligence (AI) can quickly and accurately predict the path and intensity of major storms, a new study demonstrates.

The research, based on an analysis of November 2023's Storm Ciarán, suggests weather forecasts that use machine learning can produce predictions of similar accuracy to traditional forecasts faster, cheaper, and using less computational power.

Published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science , the University of Reading study highlights the rapid progress and transformative potential of AI in weather prediction.

Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez, who led the study, said, "AI is transforming weather forecasting before our eyes. Two years ago, modern machine learning techniques were rarely being applied to make weather forecasts. Now we have multiple models that can produce 10-day global forecasts in minutes.

"There is a great deal we can learn about AI weather forecasts by stress-testing them on extreme events like Storm Ciarán. We can identify their strengths and weaknesses and guide the development of even better AI forecasting technology to help protect people and property. This is an exciting and important time for weather forecasting."

Promise and pitfalls

To understand the effectiveness of AI-based weather models, scientists from the University of Reading compared AI and physics-based forecasts of Storm Ciarán—a deadly windstorm that hit northern and central Europe in November 2023 which claimed 16 lives in northern Europe and left more than a million homes without power in France.

The researchers used four AI models and compared their results with traditional physics-based models. The AI models, developed by tech giants like Google, Nvidia and Huawei, were able to predict the storm's rapid intensification and track 48 hours in advance. To a large extent, the forecasts were 'indistinguishable' from the performance of conventional forecasting models, the researchers said.

The AI models also accurately captured the large-scale atmospheric conditions that fueled Ciarán's explosive development, such as its position relative to the jet stream—a narrow corridor of strong high-level winds.

The machine learning technology underestimated the storm's damaging winds, however. All four AI systems underestimated Ciarán's maximum wind speeds, which in reality gusted at speeds of up to 111 knots at Pointe du Raz, Brittany. The authors were able to show that this underestimation was linked to some of the features of the storm , including the temperature contrasts near its center, that were not well predicted by the AI systems.

To better protect people from extreme weather like Storm Ciarán, the researchers say further investigation of the use of AI in weather prediction is urgently needed. Development of machine learning models could mean artificial intelligence is routinely used in weather prediction in the near future, saving forecasters time and money.

Journal information: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

Provided by University of Reading

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Report on Fuego (Guatemala) — 30 May-5 June 2018

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 30 May-5 June 2018 Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as: Global Volcanism Program, 2018. Report on Fuego (Guatemala) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 30 May-5 June 2018. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (30 May-5 June 2018)

14.473°N, 90.88°W; summit elev. 3763 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted).

Geological Summary. Volcán Fuego, one of Central America's most active volcanoes, is also one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking Guatemala's former capital, Antigua. The scarp of an older edifice, Meseta, lies between Fuego and Acatenango to the north. Construction of Meseta dates back to about 230,000 years and continued until the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. Collapse of Meseta may have produced the massive Escuintla debris-avalanche deposit, which extends about 50 km onto the Pacific coastal plain. Growth of the modern Fuego volcano followed, continuing the southward migration of volcanism that began at the mostly andesitic Acatenango. Eruptions at Fuego have become more mafic with time, and most historical activity has produced basaltic rocks. Frequent vigorous historical eruptions have been recorded since the onset of the Spanish era in 1524, and have produced major ashfalls, along with occasional pyroclastic flows and lava flows.

Sources: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH) , Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED) , Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) , Simon Carn , NASA Earth Observatory , BBC News , The Guardian News , ABC News - American Broadcasting Corporation , U.S. Embassy in Guatemala

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Mount Etna Puffs Perfect Smoke Rings Into Sicilian Sky

The volcano, one of Europe’s most active, has been spewing volcanic vortex rings at a rapid pace. But that doesn’t mean a big explosion is on the way, one expert says.

By Elisabetta Povoledo

Reported from Rome

For just over a week, Mount Etna, one of Europe’s most active volcanoes, has been spewing circular, mostly white smoke rings into the skies over Sicily.

It’s not the first time Mount Etna has enchanted onlookers with its puffing (it’s been dubbed the Gandalf of volcanoes , after the pipe-puffing wizard in “Lord of the Rings.”) But experts there say this month Etna “has broken all previous records” with the frequency of the rings, according to Boris Behncke, a volcanologist at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Catania, who posted about the phenomenon on Facebook .

The rings, known as volcanic vortex rings, appeared earlier this month after a small vent opened on the northwest border of the Southeast crater. The phenomenon occurs when enough pressure builds up so that magma inside the crater propels condensed gases, predominantly water vapor, through the vent.

In this case, the vent is perfectly circular, making for particularly perfect rings. “It is bellissimo,” said Simona Scollo, another volcanologist at the INGV Etna Observatory in Catania, using the Italian word for beautiful. Ms. Scollo copublished a study on the dynamics of volcanic vortex rings last year in the journal Scientific Reports .

But, she said, the activity does not mean that Mount Etna is going to erupt in a particularly spectacular way. “No, no, no,” she said.

During a telephone interview Tuesday, she said that the mechanism for the smoke rings was similar to how dolphins blow bubble rings . “They compress the water in their mouths, and using their tongue they push it out of their mouths and create such a pressure that it forms a ring,” she said.

Depending on weather conditions, the rings hang in the air anywhere from one to 10 minutes, according to the study. “If there is turbulence they fall apart more quickly,” she said.

Interviewed in The New York Times last year, Ms. Scollo said the study hoped to better understand how volcanoes functioned, “not only when they create a disaster for people or when they are very dangerous,” but in calmer times, too.

The new vent in the volcano has been spewing hundreds of rings, but another opening on the volcano has also been spewing rings, albeit more spaced out, since last year.

The phenomenon was first recorded on Etna in 1724, followed by periodic sightings, most recently last year , and quite spectacularly in 2000.

According to the description for its 2013 inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site , Mount Etna is “the highest Mediterranean island mountain and the most active stratovolcano in the world.”

“No volcano on earth produces as many volcanic vortex rings as Etna, we knew this for some time,” noted Mr. Behncke.

Mount Etna isn’t the only volcano where the phenomenon has been registered. Volcanic vortex rings have been puffed by a number of volcanoes worldwide, from Momotombo in Nicaragua to ash-spewing plane stopper Eyjafjallajökul in Iceland, to Mount Redoubt in Alaska to another active Italian volcano, Stromboli .

Ms. Scollo said that the activity from the new vent was slowing down. And it could end altogether.

“It can stop because the properties of the conduit that allowed for the formation of these volcanic vortex rings can change, maybe with obstructions,” she said. Or the amount of gas within the conduit could decrease, she added.

Elisabetta Povoledo is a reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years. More about Elisabetta Povoledo