October
October kept me busy in more ways than one – and showed my dedication to the blog as the activity at El Hierro finally lead to an eruption on October 10 (coincidentally the same day Esa was born). Over the next few weeks, we talked about all the “Jacuzzis” and “coconuts” related to this eruption that was taking place under hundreds of meters of seawater. A few volcanoes were showing signs of unrest or new explosions, including Costa Rica’s Poás and Rincon de la Vieja and over at Anak Krakatau. Meanwhile, seismicity at Rainier and Mauna Kea got people’s attention, but neither seemed to be directly related to magma in the volcano. I took a look at volcanism on Mercury and where I might put my volcanic “evil lair”. However, the month closed with a surprise eruption as Cerro Hudson in Chile (see above) produced a small explosive eruption likely caused by steam in the upper parts of the volcanic conduits. And Etna erupted.
Image: Plumes from Cerro Hudson in Chile seen in late October 2011. Image courtesy of SERNAGEOMIN.
