These days dozens of scientists are working to understand when and how the great volcanic eruption that began on Sunday, September 19, will end on the island of La Palma, the most northwestern of the Spanish Canary archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean . One of the analyzes carried out is the temperature of the volcano, but how is this measurement carried out? What is the use of doing this?
How to measure the temperature of a volcano and what is the use of doing this
The eruption originated in Rajada Mountain, in the Cumbre Vieja volcanic chain, which had been inactive since 1971, and so far the lava flow has destroyed dozens of buildings and homes , without causing injuries. The behavior of a volcano is quite unpredictable, but there are different types of analysis and measurements that help to get an idea of what could happen and how an eruption could evolve.
One of them is to measure the temperature of the volcano thanks to thermography . From this measure and also from the analysis of the fissures in the mountains and the advance of the lava, the technicians displaced to Cumbre Vieja can know how the eruption of the volcano will evolve, which yesterday also entered what has been called « extreme explosive phase ”.
In this way, knowing the heat of the volcano helps to identify new eruptive mouths and thereby understand how the lava is going to flow.
Infrared sensors to measure volcano temperature
Infrared sensors are used to carry out thermography of the volcano, the same ones used for night vision. Thanks to this technology, movement can be detected from heat since any object emits heat in the form of radiation. Thanks to these sensors, volcanologists are able to analyze the heat or radiation emitted by the lava flows that are descending as well as the plumes that the mountain “spits” outwards.
With the use of these thermal sensors, volcanologists on the island of La Palma are able to detect infrared radiation and then interpret it in degrees Celsius. Once this is done, the Involcan scientists are in charge of placing the temperature points that have been obtained on the map of the area . In this way, by superimposing the results that are given with the temperature measurement, they can predict how the volcano will evolve. Something that allows them some “advantage” with respect to the events that are happening even if it is not a too long time frame; in fact, they only have 48 hours to release their forecasts . Beyond those two days the margin of error is quite wide.
According to the experts, these heat maps are also a complement to the information captured on the ground by the thermally visible cameras.
The evolution of the volcano on La Palma
Since last September 19, the Volcano in Cumbre Vieja has been expelling lava that has exceeded 1,000 degrees in temperature and has ended up concentrating in two main languages . The first seems to have slowed down, while the second continues to advance at a speed of 4 meters per hour so it could still take days to reach the sea if it finally arrives.
This does not mean at all that the volcano has decreased its activity. According to the calculation made by the experts, it is estimated that inside it still houses 20,000 million liters of lava waiting to come out , which is equivalent to 2,000 Olympic swimming pools.
So far, the lava that the volcano has expelled has destroyed 400 buildings, 14 kilometers of roads and more than 200 hectares , the vast majority, farmland.
