Latest news from the Erta Ale: overflow of lava and collapses in the caldera.

Participants in a "special eruption" of Volcanodiscovery have just returned from the Erta Ale and recount their stay on this site: in summary, after the first overflow of the lava lake on January 16th, from 3pm on January 17th, the lava has overflowed 70% of the edge of the lake, feeding flows that quickly covered up to 1 km ² of the caldera.

On the morning of the 18th, all the vicinity of the south pit crater was covered with lava. In the afternoon of the 18th and the 19th, the outbreaks were more sporadic, the level of the lake fluctuating and fountains of lava Have reached more than 50m high.

Other news, by Olivier Grunewald via Culture Volcan, tells us of major gas bubbles on January 20, with projections of spatter at over 30 m high.

More importantly, the observation of phases of collapse in the caldera following the magmatic drainage: a collapse occurred at the level of the northern crater, where a new pit crater of 150 by 30 meters, 20 m deep, is formed in 24 hours. A collapse also hit the lava lake in the southern pit, doubling its size. The activity was accompanied by ash emissions reaching 700 to 800 m in height, with flows covering much of the south of the caldera.

The thermal anomaly observed by Mirova shows a maximum recorded on January 21, with 13,434 MW, passing on January 22nd between 7368 MW and 5882 MW, then decreasing the 23.01 from 5.2013 MW to 1.900 MW. On January 24, the oscillation is between 1,733 Mw and ... to follow!

Sources: Mirova, Volcanodiscovery & Culture Volcan.