- Status: Orange, but —
El nivel de actividad naranja 🔶 del VNR nos indica que debemos estar preparados para una posible erupción de magnitud considerable. Como existe la probabilidad de que el volcán alcance el nivel de actividad rojo, este es el momento de tomar medidas de prevención⛑️ pic.twitter.com/jRoZPkXZEG
— Servicio Geológico Colombiano (@sgcol) May 1, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
They don’t usually make such tweets daily. See May 1st 5:04 p.m. update below.
- Interactive official hazard map (autotranslated), via Relief Web; En español
- Links to webcams, public data, and other information.
- Update archive.
Update, May 10, 2:54 p.m., Pacific: This morning, between 8 and 9, Pacific, I thought Ruiz looked a little mean on the cam:
“Nevado” no more, with ash covering the snow and ice.
There was an ash advisory in effect, too.
However, the volcano was still listed (Spanish) as ORANGE.
I had errands and couldn’t wait for the SGC update, but am back now.
There is another VAAC advisory in effect at the moment:
FVXX22 KNES 102123
VA ADVISORY
DTG: 20230510/2123Z
VAAC: WASHINGTON
VOLCANO: RUIZ 351020
PSN: N0453 W07519
AREA: COLOMBIA
SUMMIT ELEV: 17319 FT (5279 M)
ADVISORY NR: 2023/279
INFO SOURCE: GOES-16. WEBCAM. NWP MODELS.
ERUPTION DETAILS: VA EMS OBS
OBS VA DTG: 10/2100Z
OBS VA CLD: SFC/FL200 N0501 W07526 – N0453 W07519
– N0452 W07519 – N0454 W07531 – N0501 W07526 MOV
NW 5KT
FCST VA CLD +6HR: 11/0300Z SFC/FL200 N0454 W07519
– N0447 W07506 – N0440 W07514 – N0453 W07519 –
N0454 W07519
FCST VA CLD +12HR: 11/0900Z NO VA EXP
FCST VA CLD +18HR: 11/1500Z NO VA EXP
RMK: EMS OF STEAM, GAS AND LIKELY VA OBS IN
WEBCAM. VA NOT VISIBLE IN STLT IMG POSS DUE TO
HEAVY MET CLDS. MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS NW MVMT
TO SHIFT SE BY T+6. …GATLING
NXT ADVISORY: WILL BE ISSUED BY 20230511/0330Z
Here is the Google Translation of SGC’s update today, following Jhon/VIDJCB’s video. (As you can see, today’s skies are cloudier, but there are some views of a strong volcanic white plume at times.)
As always, he reads the SGC update in these videos. Below is a translation, with emphasis added by either SGC or me:
Between 9:00 a.m. from May 9 until 9:00 a.m. As of today, May 10, the seismic activity related to the movement of fluids inside the volcanic conduits continued to predominate. This seismicity, in general, evidenced a slight increase in the number of registered earthquakes. Also, through the web cameras used for volcanic monitoring, it was possible to confirm several pulsatile ash emissions, highlighting the one registered today at 03:21 a.m., which reached a height of 2000 m measured from the top of the volcano in the direction of spread to the northeast.
Regarding the seismic activity associated with rock fracturing within the volcanic edifice, in the same period it presented a similar behavior with respect to the number of registered earthquakes, as well as a slight increase in the seismic energy released, compared to the previous day (8 of May). The seismicity was located in the Arenas crater and in the southeastern and eastern sectors of the volcano. The maximum magnitude registered was 1.0 corresponding to the earthquake at 03:44 p.m., located in the Arenas crater at a depth of 1.0 km.
On the other hand, the variations in the degassing of sulfur dioxide and the release of water vapor from the crater into the atmosphere are maintained. The direction of dispersion of the column has varied between the west and the southwest and the northeast and the southeast of the volcano.
This morning at 07:40 a.m., a report of ash fall was received in the Ventanas (Villahermosa) and La Cabaña (Murillo) sectors of the department of Tolima. Thermal anomalies continue to be observed at the bottom of the crater and there were several reports from satellite monitoring platforms.
All these indicators ratify what the SGC has reiterated: the activity of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano continues to be highly unstable. It is possible that the levels of seismic activity, as well as the levels of degassing or ash output, decrease or be oscillating, in the sense of increasing on some days and decreasing on others. However, this does not imply that the volcano has returned to its normal levels of activity, so it is recommended not to get used to these oscillating changes in activity and think that it is a normal activity of the volcano.
Therefore, we reiterate that the activity of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano continues at ORANGE LEVEL, which indicates that there is a probability that in days or weeks it will erupt more than it has in the last 10 years. To change the level and return to the yellow level, a prudential time is required where trends and patterns can be observed that allow us to infer the possible decrease in activity, aspects that the current activity of the volcano still does not show, which is why it is warned that the activity level of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano will remain at ORANGE LEVEL for several weeks. During this time, in the event of an acceleration of processes suggesting an imminent eruption or the eruption itself occurring, the activity level will be changed to red.
We recommend that the community remain calm, follow all the instructions of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) and local authorities, and be attentive to the information provided by the Colombian Geological Service on the evolution of the state of the volcano.
The level of activity of the volcano remains at ORANGE LEVEL of activity or (II):
ERUPTION LIKELY WITHIN DAYS OR WEEKS.
The COLOMBIAN GEOLOGICAL SERVICE will continue to be attentive to the evolution of the volcanic phenomenon and will inform opportunely about the changes that may occur.
For more information visit the following link:
https://www2.sgc.gov.co/Noticias/boletinesDocumentos/Forms/AllItems.aspx
Featured image: Ric Photography/Shutterstock
Flight To Wonder 