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Archived Volcano News - John Seach
January 2003
News reports posted in Eastern Australian Time (UT + 10 hr)
Reports written by John Seach
Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
38.79 N, 15.21 E, summit elevation 926 m, stratovolcano
Wednesday 29th January 2003
A new vent has opened up at 600 m elevation on Stromboli volcano. Lava is flowing from this vent to the base of crater 1 and forming a small lava field. Two other vents on the Sciara del fuoco at 550 m and 500 m emit lava flows which travel towards the sea. Small landslides continue down the Sciara del Fuoco. Seismometers record 10 explosions per hour but the magma column is low resulting in an absence of strombolian eruptions at the summit craters. (Translated from INGV)
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McDonald Island Volcano (sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean)
53.03 S, 72.60 E, summit elevation 212 m, complex volcano
Tuesday 28th January 2003
Volcanic activity has changed the shape and size of the McDonald Island group in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean, according to experienced observers who were on board the tourist ship 'Akademic Shokalskiy' during a visit there in late November 2002. A comparison of old and new photographs of the area shows that the northern part of the island is much higher than before, and three quarters of the land area that is now there may be completely new.
Australia's McDonald Islands have doubled in size because of recent and possibly ongoing volcanic eruptions, and it appears that the separate islands of McDonald Island and Flat Island are now one. These differences were discovered last month by Geoscience Australia during a routine check of Australia's maritime boundaries in the Southern Ocean. The islands area of
1.13 square kilometres is now thought to be 2.45 square kilometres. Some features have disappeared. The McDonald Islands have cliff-lined coasts and are surrounded by rocky shoals and reefs that are treacherous for boats and landing parties. They lie in stormy seas where temperate water from the Indian Ocean meets Antarctic water. Heard, McDonald Island and the Kerguelen group are exposed parts of the submarine Kerguelen Plateau. Australia formally claimed the McDonald Islands in 1947 and in 1950 their sovereignty was transferred from the United Kingdom to Australia. They were World Heritage listed in December 1997 because of their pristine sub-Antarctic ecosystems and their geological activity. (Australian Antarctic Division)
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More on volcanoes of Australia...
More on volcanoes of Antarctica...
Australian Volcanoes
Monday 27th January 2003
Recent earthquakes in south eastern Australia have raised suspicions that the deep rumblings could be linked to dormant volcanoes. An earthquake measuring 2.7 on the Richter scale was recorded about 40 kilometres southeast of Mount Gambier in South Australia at 9pm (AEDT) on Sunday. It came just seven hours after Albury-Wodonga on the NSW/Victorian border was shaken by an earthquake of similar intensity and a week after Murrumbateman, 20km north of Canberra, was rattled by an earthquake which measured 3.1 on the Richter scale. The region is home to Australia's youngest volcanoes, which are due to erupt every 5000 years or so - the same period they have remained dormant. The earthquakes indicated that something was happening down deep and possibly involved movement where the earth's crust meets the molten mantle. (AAP)
Volcanoes of Australia...
Meteorites and Volcanoes
Monday 27th January 2003
Researchers have determined that comet and meteorite impacts on Earth occurring over the last 4 billion years have directly correlated with the activity of strong and normal mantle plumes - heated mantle rock causing volcanic eruptions. Nine out of 10 of meteor impact peaks over the past 4 billion years are directly matched by peaks in normal to strong mantle plume volcanism. In addition, there are two prominent lulls in impact activity, also corresponding to periods of lower activity of mantle plume volcanism. There are three theories on how the meteor impacts may cause volcanic eruptions. Impacts may cause cracking and de-stressing of the crust, allowing melts that had been trapped due to tectonic stress and/or impermeable boundaries to rise more easily to the surface. Impacts may produce large cracks in the surface of the Earth allowing new plate boundaries to form with consequent thinner lithosphere and longer melt columns. Impacts may produce microdikes at the core mantle boundary, which, if very thin, would allow molten core and mantle material to mix, increasing the amount of heat available for melting the mantle and producing a rapid intensification of existing mantle plumes.
Kilauea Volcano Earthquake (Hawaii)
19.425 N, 155.292 W, summit elevation 1222 m, Shield volcano
Monday 27th January 2003
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake hit the upper SW rift zone on Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.
Location: 19.37N 155.33W, 30 miles (45 km) SSW of Hilo.
Date-Time: 25th January, 16:46:25 UT.
Depth: 29.3 kilometers.
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Mauna Loa Volcano (Hawaii)
19.47 N, 155.60 W, summit elevation 4170 m, shield volcano
Saturday 25th January 2003
The recent building of pressure in Mauna Loa has slowed, lessening the chances of an eruption.
The summit region continues to inflate, though the rate of inflation has slowed gradually during the past month or two. The earthquake activity is low.
More on Mauna Loa volcano...
Mexico Earthquake (Magnitude 7.8)
Wednesday 22nd January 2003
The following is a revised release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A major earthquake occurred IN COLIMA, MEXICO, about 30 miles (50 km) east-southeast of Manzanillo, Colima or about 310 miles (500 km) west of Mexico City at 7:06 PM MST today, Jan 21, 2003 (8:06 PM CST in Mexico). A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 7.8 WAS COMPUTED FOR THIS EARTHQUAKE. The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. There have been some reports of damage in the states of Colima, Michoacan and Jalisco. The earthquake was felt strongly in Mexico City.
This shallow earthquake occurred in a seismically active zone near the coast of central Mexico. The earthquake occurred near the juncture of three tectonic plates: the North American Plate to the north-east, the Rivera Plate to the north-west, and the Cocos Plate to the south. Both the Rivera Plate and the Cocos Plate are being consumed beneath the North American Plate. The slower moving Rivera Plate is moving north-west at about 2 cm per year relative to the the North American Plate and the faster moving Cocos plate is moving in a similar direction at a rate of about 4.5 cm per year.
There have been several significant earthquakes near the recent event. In 1932, a magnitude 8.4 thrust earthquake struck about 100 km to the north-north-west. More recently, on October 9, 1995 a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck about 50 km to the north-west killing at least 49 people and leaving 1,000 homeless. The most deadly earthquake in the region occurred about 170 km to the south-east on September 19, 1985. This magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed at least 9,500 people, injured about 30,000, and left 100,000 people homeless.
Volcanoes of Mexico...
Solomon Islands Earthquake (Magnitude 7.2)
Monday 20th January 2003
The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A major earthquake occurred IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS about 85 miles (135 km) southeast of Honiara or about 1280 miles (2055 km) north-northeast of Brisbane, Australia at 0843 (UTC) today, Jan 20, 2003 (7:43 PM local time in Solomon Islands). A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 7.2 WAS COMPUTED FOR THIS EARTHQUAKE. The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. There have been no reports of damage. (NEIC)
People on the island of Makira near the epicentre reported the sea rising but then falling again - suggesting there had not been a major tsunami. The quake came just weeks after two islands in the Solomons chain were devastated by a powerful cyclone.
Volcanoes of Solomon Islands...
Volcano Monitoring in Japan
Saturday 18th January 2003
The Japanese Meteorological Agency and its volcanic research panel plan to increase the number of volcanoes under surveillance from the current 86 to 108, sources said Friday.
The agency and the panel currently monitor 86 volcanoes, defining them as active due to their eruption histories over the past 2,000 years. They will now define volcanoes that have erupted in the past 10,000 years as active, in line with common Western research practices. The 22 new entries include Mount Yotei in Hokkaido, Mount Yufudake in Oita Prefecture and Toshima Island south of Tokyo. The agency and panel plan to categorize the 108 volcanoes into three levels based on likelihood of eruption. The volcanoes with the highest risk include Mount Asama, which stretches over Gunma and Nagano prefectures, and Sakura Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. Mount Fuji will be included in the middle rank among other peaks that become active every 100 years or so.
More on volcanoes of Japan...
Mt Etna Volcano (Italy)
37.73 N, 15.00 E, summit elevation 3350 m, Shield volcano
Friday 17th January 2003
During the night of 14th-15th January an increase in the emissions of ash occurred at the crater of 2750 m and towards 8h00 the morning of 15th there were new white and blue plumes of vapor, generated by the presence of the magma close to surface. In the course of the day, this change of activity caused an increase in the flow of lava flow moving in direction of the south (Sapienza) since January 13, several arms of lava advances in parallel. During the evening the most advanced flow is at 2600m, the height of the station of cable car which was destroyed at the time of the eruption of July 2001, right before the slope which goes down towards Sapienza.
More on Mt Etna Volcano...
Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii)
19.425 N, 155.292 W, summit elevation 1222 m, Shield volcano
Thursday 16th January 2003
Geologists say an outpouring of lava from the Kilauea volcano that began last May may have stemmed from activity beneath neighboring Mauna Loa, reviving a decades-old debate over whether the two volcanic systems are connected. Scientists have long believed that Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano, and Kilauea are connected deep beneath the Earth's surface. A new study suggests there is a shallow interaction between the magma systems of Mauna Loa and Kilauea. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times in the last 150 years, most recently in spring 1984, when a three-week eruption sent a 16-mile lava flow toward Hilo. The current Pu`u `O`o-Kupaianaha eruption at Kilauea began 20 years ago and ranks as the most voluminous outpouring of lava on the volcano's east rift zone in the past six centuries. Last Mother's Day, lava began flowing from a new vent on the west side of Kilauea. At about the same time, Mauna Loa began inflating, with the summit area rising slightly and the caldera widening to suggest swelling of the magma reservoir within the volcano. If it's not coincidence, this is kind of the first line of geophysical evidence that shows the two volcanoes are linked.
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Semeru Volcano (Indonesia)
8.10 S, 112.92 E, summit elevation 3676 m, Stratovolcano
Thursday 16th January 2003
6-12 January 2003 update.
Ash explosion occurred 24 times. Ash column reached 300-700 m over the crater. Explosions heard 11 times with medium intensity. Lava avalanche occurred 11 times with runout distance of 500-750 m from the crater. Steady 25 m high glows were observed once over the crater. Pyroclastic flow occurred once, which traveled 1500 m entered Besuk Kembar.
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Mt Etna Volcano (Italy)
37.73 N, 15.00 E, summit elevation 3350 m, Shield volcano
Wednesday 15th January 2003
Since the renewal of explosive activity (on January 10) on the cone at 2750 m has produced variable activity - explosions followed by periods of calm. Two lava flows leave the effusive mouth at 2700 m. One of the flows moves south in direction of Sapienza but it is still high and does not threaten the station. Explosive activity has continued at two summit craters. Ash emissions have reached 2 km above the vents. Ashfall from Mt Etna has deposited on crops of oranges, mandarin and lemon. In siracuse nearly 80 percent of the orange and lemon crops have been damaged. About a third of the crops are damaged around Catania.
More on Mt Etna Volcano...
Mt Etna Volcano (Italy)
37.73 N, 15.00 E, summit elevation 3350 m, Shield volcano
Sunday 12th January 2003
After a reduction in the explosive activity at the 2750 m crater for approximately one week, a change took place yesterday, with the resumption of explosions. Explosions every few seconds projected lava tens of metres high and falling back inside the cone.
More on Mt Etna Volcano...
Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
38.79 N, 15.21 E, summit elevation 926 m, stratovolcano
Saturday 11th January 2003
A helicopter overflight over Stromboli volcano on 10th January by INGV volcanologists allowed observations of the summit region and Sciara del Fuoco. Lava flows continue towards the sea. Small landslides were observed, but these did not cause any problems.
More on Stromboli volcano...
Papua New Guinea Earthquake (Magnitude 6.7)
Saturday 11th January 2003
The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A large earthquake occurred 115 miles (185 km) SE of Rabaul, New Britain at 6:11 AM MST today, Jan 10, 2003 (11:11 PM local time in Papua New Guinea). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. There have been no reports of damage.
Date-Time 10th January 2003, 13:11:56 (UT)
Location 5.23 S, 153.55 E, Depth 70.9 km.
Volcanoes of Papua New Guinea...
Fuego Volcano (Guatemala)
14.47 N, 90.88 W, summit elevation 3763 m, stratovolcano
Friday 10th January 2003
(Translated from Spanish)
A strong explosion registered at Fuego volcano, 60 kilometers from the Guatemalan capital. The eruption caused a cave-in of its crater and ejected a great quantity of material into the atmosphere. The director of the Institute of Vulcanología (INSIVUMEH), informed journalists that the strong explosion registered at 09.05 local time on 8th January (15.05 GMT).
Officials said that at the moment the activity of Fuego volcano does not constitute a risk for the nearby populations, but stressed caution in predicting events.
The volcano had reactivated on 22nd December when it emitted ash without causing injuries.
On that occasion geologists said there was a release of magma which produced seismic activity and ash ejection. Fuego volcano remained inactive for 21 years prior to May 21, 1999, when registered a violent eruption that caused serious damages to the nearby plantations, and since then has maintained a constant activity with emission of fumaroles and magma. Geologists consider this normal activity. Fuego volcano is one of 34 volcanoes which boarder the Pacific coast from Guatemala to Mexico.
More on Fuego volcano...
Mt Etna Volcano (Italy)
37.73 N, 15.00 E, summit elevation 3350 m, Shield volcano
Thursday 9th January 2003
Mt Etna continues erupting after 71 days. For the last 4 days there has been a reduction in activity and this has allowed the re-opening of Catania airport. Flights have previously been diverted to Palermo. Effusive lava flows continue from the vent at 2700 m elevation on the south side of the volcano.
More on Mt Etna Volcano...
Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
38.79 N, 15.21 E, summit elevation 926 m, stratovolcano
Tuesday 7th January 2003
The effusive eruption at Stromboli volcano is still going on. Effusion of lava is taking place from two vents located at 500 m and 300 m a.s.l. in the middle of the Sciara del Fuoco. The two vents are feeding two narrow lava flows that merge together and reach the sea. Occasional small landslides from the unstable walls of the Sciara cover the lava flows with thin talus. No explosive activity has been recorded at the summit craters of the volcano since the start of the effusion within the Sciara del Fuoco. Concern for a major landslide is largely moderated by the occurrence of several rock falls from the walls of the depression, all of them of very small volume.
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Yasur Volcano (Vanuatu)
19.52 S, 169.42 E, summit elevation 405 m, Stratovolcano
Tuesday 7th January 2003
From 21 to 24 December 2002, heavy rain with hail - a very unusual phenomenon in these latitudes - fell on the southern Tanna Island; from Ipeukel on the Southeast Coast to Green Point in the South. The rain and hail caused a number of large landslides and flash-flooding along many of the creeks and rivers, damaging farmland around Imaki and Isiai villages, the areas west of Whitesand and around Port Resolution. The majority of roads in these areas were blocked and some bridges were washed away, reducing access by vehicle and even by foot. Port Resolution is still cut off. Telephone lines were also cut and many villages now lack communications; from Ipeukel to Imaki the telecommunications network is completely destroyed.
The water supply system is reported to be badly damaged by floods and landslides, and people now have to resort to surface water sources that may be contaminated. The worst damage appears to have been done to agriculture; as the rain, hail and flooding destroyed almost all village gardens in the Southeast, and a fifth of those from Imaki to Green Point on the South Coast. These gardens are the main source of subsistence food and of cash through market sales and, due to the loss of topsoil, it will take 6 months to restore their productivity.
The damage to agriculture and the restricted access to some communities indicate that there may be localised food shortages over the coming weeks and months. There are also concerns about the reduction in the availability of potable water and, with it, the increased possibility of waterborne diseases.
More on Yasur volcano...
Veniaminof Volcano (Alaska)
56.17 N, 159.38 W, summit elevation 2507 m, stratovolcano with summit caldera
Tuesday 7th January 2003
Eruption is possibly in the next few weeks and may occur with little or no warning.
Seismic activity at Mt. Veniaminof volcano on the Alaska Peninsula has been increasing since mid-December and the color code for Mt. Veniaminof is now raised to YELLOW from Green. Increased seismic activity in September caused AVO to raise the color code for Veniaminof from Green to Yellow at that time. Visual and satellite observations suggested minor explosive activity. Seismic activity diminished and the color code was subsequently lowered to Green on November 18. Activity picked up again in December as the number of small events increased. Observers in Perryville could see the volcano December 21-22 and reported that the intracaldera cone "was covered with ash and there was darkened snow all around the cone". Beginning on December 31, there have been periods of nearly constant seismic activity. This sustained increase in seismicity prompts the change in the Level of Concern to Yellow.
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Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
38.79 N, 15.21 E, summit elevation 926 m, stratovolcano
Monday 6th January 2003
Italian rescue workers set up a satellite-linked early warning system on Stromboli Sunday amid fears the volcanic island off the toe of Italy could trigger another Tsunami. Volcanic activity on Stromboli caused a tsunami on Monday that crashed into a coastal village, injuring three people, damaging several homes and overturning boats. The risk of further landslides and thus of another anomalous wave cannot be excluded. Rescue workers have launched a buoy equipped with sensors a short distance off the coast of Stromboli that is designed to sound the alarm if a tidal wave starts to form. The buoy should send a signal to a communications base on Stromboli, which should then relay it via satellite to the mobile phones, faxes and computer screens of civil protection workers in all the areas at risk. This should give them time to set off alarm sirens so that people can rush away from the coast. On picturesque Stromboli, where tourism is the main money-maker for the 450 inhabitants, the wave caused tourists to desert the island on the eve of the New Year holiday. With its whitewashed houses set against the steep black volcanic slopes and crystal clear Tyrrhenian Sea, Stromboli, which is close to the coasts of southwestern Italy and of Sicily, has been a popular holiday destination for decades.
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Semeru Volcano (East Java, Indonesia)
8.10 S, 112.92 E, summit elevation 3676 m, Stratovolcano
Monday 6th January 2003
Semeru volcano is currently showing a high level of activity.
On 25 December , there was pyroclastic flow which travelled 2500 m entered Besuk Kembar. On 30 December , at 07.20 pyroclastic flow travelled 2000 m toward Besuk Kembar, and at 10.00 a 4000 m pyroclastic flow approached Supit village. On 29 December at 17.00-20.15 lahar flow occurred along Besuk Kembar and getting closer to Supit village. Early in the morning of 30 December local people of Supit village was evacuated.
Visual observation of Semeru showed 14 events of explosion that produced white-gray strong-pressured ash plume, rose about 500 m above Jonggring Seloko crater's rim.
Seismic record on 1 January 2003 are : 88 events of explosion earthquake, 18 events of avalanche earthquake, 3 events of shallow volcanic earthquake, 1 event of tremor.
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Soufriere Hills Volcano (Montserrat, West Indies)
16.72 N, 62.18 W, summit elevation 915 m, stratovolcano
Sunday 5th January 2003
Activity at Soufrière Hills Volcano has been at a high to very high level for most of the week up to January 3, 2003. The Montserrat Volcano Observatory seismograph network recorded 863 rockfall signals, 41 long-period rockfalls, 86 long-period earthquakes, 3 hybrid earthquakes and 1 volcano-tectonic earthquake. Activity escalated to very high levels on the night of 27 December. For the first five days of the reporting period continuous rockfalls and numerous pyroclastic flows spalled off the active extrusion lobe on the north-northeastern side of the dome. Activity decreased on 2 January, but still remained at a high level.
Residents of Montserrat and visitors to the island are advised to tune into ZJB Radio for up-to-date information on the volcano. Access to all areas south of the Belham Valley, to Waterworks, Happy Hill, Lower Friths and Old Towne, and to Bramble airport and beyond is prohibited. There is a maritime exclusion zone around the southern part of the island that extends two nautical miles beyond the coastline from Trant’s Bay in the east to Lime Kiln Bay on the west coast.
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Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
38.79 N, 15.21 E, summit elevation 926 m, stratovolcano
Sunday 5th January 2003
Lava continues to flow down Sciara del Fuoco towards the sea, and unstable blocks fall from the walls where the collapse occurred last week. A volume of two million cubic metres has detached from the volcano. The last direct observations indicated that five new fractures have opened up on the volcano. This current volcanic activity it is confined to the deserted region of the Sciara del Fuoco. Non-residents are currently not allowed to land on Stromboli. A large number of people have been evacuated from the island, with only 50 remaining. All residents of the village of Ginostra have been evacuated. The area around Stromboli is being watched by 10 military helicopters, 15 coast guard ships, and 3 navy vessels.
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Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
38.79 N, 15.21 E, summit elevation 926 m, stratovolcano
Friday 3rd January 2003
All remaining inhabitants of the Italian island of Stromboli have been evacuated amid fears of further violent volcanic eruptions. On Monday part of the island's volcanic cone crashed into the sea, causing a tidal wave that damaged boats and houses.
The latest fear is that a large reservoir of magma near the lip of the volcano could burst out and make explosive contact with the sea. The reservoir is 300 metres in diameter, and lies behind a thin crust, some 200 metres below the crater. The sudden meeting of lava and sea could send acid plumes kilometres into the atmosphere, and throw large rocks into the air.
More than 300 residents were taken from Stromboli to the neighbouring island of Lipari in the days following Monday's eruption. Six people needed hospital treatment, one of whom had jumped out of a window in panic. The last 27 people on the island were evacuated on Thursday, because of concern for their safety. They had originally chosen to stay behind despite advice to leave. Currently three liquid lava flows from the volcano are running into the sea, with the resulting cloud of steam is shrouding the whole island. There have also been earthquakes in the Sicilian capital, Palermo, in recent days.
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Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii)
19.425 N, 155.292 W, summit elevation 1222 m, Shield volcano
Friday 3rd January 2003
Today marks 20 years of continuous eruption of Kilauea volcano that has added 544 acres of lava and black sand beach to the Big Island's southeastern shore. Lava continuously oozes from Kilauea, sometimes spewing skyward in spectacular fashion as the molten rock seeks out the coast. Over two decades, lava has buried 43 square miles, creating black sand beaches and an ever-changing coastline. The eruption has become a cottage industry in Volcano, a village of about 3,000 scattered residents near the rim of the volcano's canyon-like caldera. But Kilauea's slow flow also has destroyed homes, and people have died trying to get too close. At Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, officials plan to mark the eruption anniversary Saturday, holding open houses at the park's scientific facilities and special guided tours for visitors.
The current Pu`u `O`o-Kupaianaha eruption is Kilauea's 55th episode, and ranks as the most voluminous outpouring of lava on the volcano's east rift zone in the past six centuries, according to the Hawii Volcano Observatory. Beginning in 1983, a series of short-lived lava fountains built the massive cinder-and-spatter cone of Pu`u` O`o to the point that it now is visible at sea. Over the years, the eruptions have shifted, sending lava down different slopes, covering much of Chain of Craters Road but at the same time providing a marvelous slow-moving spectacle.
In May, a new vent opened on the western side and sparked the largest forest fire in the park in 15 years. The flows reached the ocean in July, bringing as many as 4,000 visitors a day to view the glowing mass and its fiery entry into the Pacific, according to the observatory. Volcanologists are not sure how long the eruption might last. There's no evidence of it coming to an end. Though the lava has destroyed mostly vegetation on its march to the ocean, it also has claimed close to 200 structures, mostly homes, over the past 20 years.
One tourist died in 1993 when a half-acre slab of cooled lava he was standing on broke and dropped into the ocean. A handful of others have died from health issues stemming from the arduous hikes out to the lava and the noxious fumes released when it hits the water.
More on Kilauea Volcano...
Stromboli Volcano (Italy)
38.79 N, 15.21 E, summit elevation 926 m, stratovolcano
Wednesday 1st January 2003
A volcanic tsunami has hit the volcanic island of Stromboli. The greatest damage was recorded in Ginostra, but also in the village of Stromboli many boats were destroyed or taken away by the waves, and many buildings were damaged. At least 3 tourists are reported injured, and other sources talk of 6 injured in total. The tsunami has reached the other Eolian islands and Milazzo harbour, where 2 tankers suffered damage. During the evening, following the invitation of the Civil Defense, tens of inhabitants and tourists voluntarily left the island. Moreover, since this morning NON-RESIDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LAND ON STROMBOLI.
There is no evidence of summit explosions, but only collapse. Part of the lava field over the steep slope of the Sciara del Fuoco, may have detached only by gravitational instability. This hypothesis is supported by the observation, yesterday afternoon, of a big scar at about midslope on the Sciara (source: the volcano guides Antonio Famularo and Nino Zerilli) and by the seismic data recorded by INGV - Catania, which show the presence of two non-volcanic seismic events, at 13:15 and 13:22 local time respectively.
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