Experts from the National Geographic Institute of Spain cannot yet predict when the volcanic eruption on the island of Palma will stop. Cumbre-Vieja woke up on September 19 and remains highly active.
Due to the area covered by lava, more than 900 hectares, this eruption was called the most destructive on Palma in the last five centuries. Lava flows destroyed over 2 thousand buildings and reached the ocean, leading to the release of dangerous gases. For security reasons, about 7 thousand people have already been evacuated on the island, reports ru.euronews.com.
Increased seismic activity was recorded on the island and its surroundings, and more than 21 thousand tremors were recorded. As a result of natural disasters, about 450 buildings were destroyed. On September 28, lava flows from Cumbre Vieja reached the ocean. Their contact with salt water provoked emissions of harmful gases. It was noted that the passage of lava to the ocean took five days.
Experts said it is difficult to predict when the eruption will end because the lava, ash and gases that come to the surface are a reflection of complex geological activity occurring deep underground and far from currently available technology. The Canary Islands in particular are “closely associated with thermal anomalies that reach down to the Earth’s core,” said Cornell University geochemist Esteban Gazelle, who collected samples from the Cumbre Vieja volcano. The ash column rising above the volcano reached a height of 4.5 km on October 31 before being blown away by stronger winds.
Many nearby towns and a telescope base further north, which sits on a mountain 2,400 meters above sea level, were covered in a thick layer of ash, IGN writes.
To stop the flow of lava flowing into the sea, one of the politicians on the neighboring island of La Gomera proposed conducting an aerial bombardment of the volcano’s mouth. The proposal, which has caused heated criticism, is reported by the online publication livescience.com with reference to the scientific publication Live Science. For example, in 1935, when lava flowing from the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii began to flow dangerously close to the city of Hilo, the US Army dropped 20 high-explosive bombs on the lava river. After the bombing, the lava flow stopped.