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Eruption of Nabro Volcano in Eritrea


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http://earthquake.us...ps/10/40_15.php

Largest is 5.7.

http://oiswww.eumets...FRICA/index.htm

Some sites are claiming an eruption plume visible (last two frames) - it's in the area of the earthquakes (which is around the large silicic caldera Nabro) but there's also a tropical wave in western Ethiopia.

Located in an isolated hell on earth. Found a paper suggesting that Nabro has had a previous eruption with 20-100 cubic kilometers of ejecta, which is 1/2 to 2 times the size of Tambora.

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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/40_15.php

Largest is 5.7.

http://oiswww.eumetsat.org/IPPS/html/MSG/IMAGERY/IR039/COLOR/EASTERNAFRICA/index.htm

Some sites are claiming an eruption plume visible (last two frames) - it's in the area of the earthquakes (which is around the large silicic caldera Nabro) but there's also a tropical wave in western Ethiopia.

Located in an isolated hell on earth. Found a paper suggesting that Nabro has had a previous eruption with 20-100 cubic kilometers of ejecta, which is 1/2 to 2 times the size of Tambora.

There are two frames on the satellite so far, so it's pretty much impossible to tell if it's an eruption or just convection. It would be a pretty big coincidence, since the blow-up is directly over the earthquake zone. If the eastern edge of the plume still looks relatively stationary for a third frame, I'd go with volcanic pyrocumulus.

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There are two frames on the satellite so far, so it's pretty much impossible to tell if it's an eruption or just convection. It would be a pretty big coincidence, since the blow-up is directly over the earthquake zone. If the eastern edge of the plume still looks relatively stationary for a third frame, I'd go with volcanic pyrocumulus.

A third EUMETSAT image is available - the eastern edge is stationary and the plume is expanding to the west. I'm pretty sure it's an eruptive column.

No advisory from the Toulouse VAAC yet, though.

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Sat24 has a good close-up loop over the area.

http://www.sat24.com/en/et

A third EUMETSAT image is available - the eastern edge is stationary and the plume is expanding to the west. I'm pretty sure it's an eruptive column.

No advisory from the Toulouse VAAC yet, though.

Yup, based on that close-up that bluewave provided, that's almost certainly a volcanic eruption. The only other explanation I can think of is a near-stationary seabreeze trigger, but that seems highly unlikely to me... especially given the warm water and the fact that it's nighttime.

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There are two frames on the satellite so far, so it's pretty much impossible to tell if it's an eruption or just convection. It would be a pretty big coincidence, since the blow-up is directly over the earthquake zone. If the eastern edge of the plume still looks relatively stationary for a third frame, I'd go with volcanic pyrocumulus.

Agreed. Its narrow and the ejecta is moving fast down stream in a non-anvil manor.

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Agreed. Its narrow and the ejecta is moving fast down stream in a non-anvil manor.

Although I wouldn't be surprised if the rising column of air in the generally unstable airmass there was creating a cumulonimbus (pyrocumulus), complete with lightning and rain.

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no record of recent eruptions... so when's the last suspected eruption of nabro?

http://www.volcano.s...m?vnum=0201-101

Nabro

112010.jpg

Country:Eritrea

Subregion Name:Northeastern Africa

Volcano Number:0201-101

Volcano Type: Stratovolcano

Volcano Status:Holocene?

Last Known Eruption: Unknown

Summit Elevation: 2218 m 7,277 feet

Latitude: 13.37°N 13°22'0"N

Longitude: 41.70°E 41°42'0"E

The 2218-m-high Nabro stratovolcano is the highest volcano in the Danakil depression of northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. Located at the SE end of the Danakil Alps, Nabro lies in the Danakil horst. Nabro is the most prominent and NE-most of three volcanoes with large summit calderas aligned in a NE-SW direction SW of Dubbi volcano. These three volcanoes, along with Sork Ale volcano, collectively comprise the Bidu volcanic complex. The complex Nabro stratovolcano is truncated by nested calderas, 8 and 5 km in diameter. The larger caldera is widely breached to the SW. Nabro was constructed primarily of trachytic lava flows and pyroclastics. Post-caldera rhyolitic obsidian domes and basaltic lava flows were erupted inside the caldera and on its flanks. Some very recent lava flows were erupted from NNW-trending fissures transverse to the trend of the Nabro volcanic range.

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so is this a big deal or just a run of the mill volcanic eruption?

I'll hazard it's at least a moderate deal - the plume is growing rapidly, and most eruptions in this area in the last century or more have been small or just lava flows, which makes it unusual.

Also, the seismicity was really pretty strong - not a whole lot of eruptions are preceded by an M 5.7 quake.

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