The eruption of the volcano on La Palma, which has lasted for two months, increases the area of the island considerably. An end to the two-month outbreak is not in sight.
Santa Cruz de La Palma – There is no near end of the volcanic eruption on La Palma. The volcano Cumbre Vieja, which erupted on September 19, 2021, sometimes gives the impression that its activity is slowing down, only to then pour more lava over the island with frequent earthquakes.
This long-term eruption has resulted in the island’s land area increasing significantly due to lava flowing into the sea. According to analyzes, the island has already grown by 43 hectares. The before-and-after images of the Sentinel-2 satellites of the Copernicus Earth observation program make the extent of land reclamation clear. The lava flow has already covered a total of 1065.9 hectares of the island. A total of 2,651 buildings have been destroyed since the outbreak began more than two months ago. For the impact of the lava on the sea, the release of large amounts of poisonous gases was forecast. Almost 3,000 people had to stay in their homes for 24 hours because of the gases. The residents of the capital Santa Cruz de La Palma were asked to wear masks.
Volcanic eruption on La Palma: Canary Island registered 40 tremors in one day
According to the National Geographic Institute, more than 40 vibrations were measured on the island on Monday (November 22nd, 2021). The strongest earthquake, a magnitude 4.8, occurred in the municipalities of Fuencaliente and Villa de Mazo.
The air quality on the island has also deteriorated. An increase in sulfur dioxide in the air was noted. Sulfur dioxide is an important indicator of the activity of a volcano.
La Palma: Airport closed – volcano tourists are stuck
The airport on La Palma is still out of order. Wind blows the volcanic ash towards the runway, making flight operations impossible. Many tourists come to see the volcano phenomenon up close. However, many of them are now stranded on the island and have to cross over to other Canary Islands by ferry in order to take a flight home from there.
Flights will probably not be possible in the near future, as the wind should not change in the coming days either. (lz)
Header list image: © Christoph Hardt via www.imago-images.de
