According to a new study, Tungurahua, a volcano located in Ecuador known for its recent activity, may be experiencing severe instabilities.
Tungurahua is a stratovolcano that has produced intense eruptions releasing lava and pyroclastic flows. A new series of explosions initiated in 2000 and is probably continuing until now. The volcano's activity has resulted in the evacuation of about 25,000 people in the vicinity of the site.
A new study, published in Journal Earth & Planetary Science Letters, suggests that the west side of the volcano experiences severe instability issues. In particular, satellite data collected in 2015 show that part of the volcano presents high deformation patterns. Scientists believe that the ground movements are associated with the equilibrium of magma inside the volcano. “Using satellite data we observed very rapid deformation of Tungurahua’s west flank in 2015, which our research suggests was caused by imbalances between magma being supplied and magma being erupted,” Dr. James Hickey, lead author of the study and a Volcanologist at the University of Exeter, stated.
Data showed that excess of magma is stored in the west flank of the volcano and, if that process is not mitigated, ground displacements will persist and slope instabilities will be presented.
The deformation could advance and lead to an immense landslide in the surrounding region, scientists emphasize. It would not be the first massive landslide to occur in the volcanic region if that scenario is verified. About 1,000 B.C., another instability was caused in that particular flank of the volcano leading to a vast ground movement as debris covered an area of 80 km2 or 8000 hectares. The flank was "re-built" again over time but the current rates of the observed surface deformation may indicate a new slope instability. Nowadays, a similar incident would result in devastating ramifications in a large region around Tungurahua.
Nevertheless, Dr. Hickey emphasizes that there are more natural processes that have not been quantified yet and could beneficially impact the flank's stability. Therefore, it is not certain that a huge landslide will occur. Scientists should be aware of the risk and monitor the phenomenon.
Fortunately, the remaining flanks of the volcano remain stable as data showed reduced deformation patterns.
Source: University of Exeter
The landscape of Anak Krakatau volcano that recently erupted causing a disastrous tsunami in Indones...
Scientists have come up with a new method of analysis, and the secret lies with an eerie phenomenon...
In a report released on April 18, 2017, the country's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources...
In 1980, the explosion of Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington, United States, triggered the...
Researchers from the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan have developed a new tec...
According to official reports, Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico erupted 14 times during a single nigh...
According to seismologists, the Taal volcanο in the Philippines may erupt any time soon. The volcan...
A volcano in Iceland erupted after a period of intense earthquakes which lasted for weeks. Iceland...
Scientists have shed light on the existence of so many volcanoes across a belt in Australia. The ea...