La Palma eruption update 25th september 2021: New effusive vents open

La Palma eruption update 25th september 2021: New effusive vents open

Daily summary

Given the evolution of the eruptive activity over the last 24 hours, it was decided by PEVOLCA to maintain the latest evacuation order given on the 24th. The two effusive vents that opened on the 24th on the side of the cone showing effusive (Hawaiian) behaviour and emitting lava flows have merged into one vent, exhibiting the same behaviour. The lava flow from this merged vent is fluid but has slowed, from about 80 m per hour in the night of the 24th/25th to 40 m per hour by the afternoon of the 25th. So far, it has travelled approximately 3.6 km on top of previous flows. The older flows are still active, although the front is only advancing incrementally currently. The explosivity of the strombolian activity from the main cone has decreased slightly since the afternoon of the 24th where the highest peak in the eruptive intensity so far was recorded. The activity is concentrated in the main cone through at least three strombolian vents, in addition to a new Hawaiian vent at the base of the NW sector of the main cone. Furthermore, a small rupture in the southern side of the main cone overnight noticeably altered its summit morphology.

Volcanic tremor peaked on the afternoon of the 24th and remains at a lower but still medium-high level, showing an increasing trend later in the day. The ash plume height exceeds 4000 m, although ongoing atmospheric conditions favour dispersion to the east and at lower levels (<1500 m) causing more disruption to La Palma airport. SO2 emissions from the volcano remain at relatively high levels, estimated at >25,000 tons per day. Deformation also remains stable across the network, with no patterns of inflation or deflation seen. Earthquake activity remains at a low level, although with a slight increase and migration further east relative to previous days. 4 events were recorded at around 10 km depth, peaking at 2.8 mbLg.

A landscape picture showing more intense ash plumes on the left and a small plume a few hundred m to the right showing the new vent

The main cone of the eruption (left) and a new vent (right). Image credit: INVOLCAN

Sources: Government of the Canary Islands, PEVOLCA, Involcan, IGN, DSN, Cabildo La Palma, 112 Canarias, Tolouse VAAC

Lava flows

Earthquakes

Exclusion zone map

Exclusion zones shown here have been approximated from press releases from the Cabildo de La Palma and will not be exact, nor claim to be official maps of the exclusion zones. For official information, please contact the Cabildo de La Palma.

Official social media

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News articles

  • Reuters – Airport closed as La Palma volcano eruption intensifies – here
  • Guardian – La Palma residents warned of ‘evolution of volcanic emergency’ – here

To see our full news archive, visit our open data section or click here.

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Eruption footage

News and Interviews

Witness Testimonies

Interactive Lava Flow Map

Notes: Use the button in the top right to open the map into full screen mode. Use the legend icon in the top left to see the legend and further information about the map. Click on individual days to see an outline of the lava flows on that day.

Interactive Earthquake Map

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Notes: The size of the points represents the size of the earthquake, and the colour represents the depth. The map will also only show a certain number of points at once. For ease of use, we recommend you uncheck all dates and the satellite basemap from the legend in the top right, and inspect the earthquakes one day at a time.

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