La Palma eruption update 8th November 2021: Lava flow activity is concentrated in existing tubes and channels

La Palma eruption – 8th November 2021

Daily summary

In terms of lava flows, the eruption continues to be stable, with no new ground being affected by the current active flows, which occupy existing tubes and channels in the centre of the flow field. Flow number 11 to the south of the flow field, which was close to overflowing the LP-2 road used for accessing Puerto Naos, has stopped advancing for now. The most active flow currently is flow 1, which is the original flow feeding the lava delta. The affected area hasn’t changed much, at 984 hectares and up to 3,100m wide. According to the land registry, 1,452 buildings have been impacted, including 1,177 for residential use. The number of earthquakes increased to 75, being recorded mostly at intermediate (10-15 km) depths, with the day’s largest earthquake being a mbLg 3.7 event at 14 km depth. Since last week, this still reflects a decrease in earthquake strength and frequency.

At the closest GPS station to the eruption (LP03) near Jedey, some deformations reflecting eruption dynamics are seen, with slight regional deflation seen at the rest of the stations. SO2 emissions were estimated to be 9,000-13,000 tons per day, whilst the ash and gas plume reached 2500 m. However, satellite measurements suggest a downward trend in the SO2 emissions since the start of the eruption. Currently, tremor remains fairly stable at low levels. Despite the decrease in seismicity, tremor and SO2 emissions, PEVOLCA state these parameters must be maintained at much lower values to imply the end of the eruption may be near. SO2 levels were good-reasonably good in all stations except Puntagorda and Los Llanos which exceeded the daily threshold (125 μg/m3). PM10 concentrations in Los Llanos were unfavourable, reflecting previous days albeit with less intensity. In all other stations, PM10 concentrations are between good and reasonably good levels.

The number of homes and area affected by the lava flows increases sharply at first, but has largely levelled off in the last couple of weeks as the lava flows are affecting less new land

A graph published on the 8th showing the evolution of the lava flows in terms of the area covered by them and the number of buildings they have destroyed so far throughout the eruption. Image credit: Copernicus EMS

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

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

  • Volcano Discovery – No end in site – images – here
  • VOA News – Activity continues to slow down – 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

click here to enlarge

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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