May
As May started, another Chilean volcano was put on alert – a certain Puyehue-Cordón Caulle (we all know what comes next). Japan was another eruption as a small explosive event occurred at the Aso caldera while in Central America, Telica in Nicaragua has a number of significant explosive eruptions as well. However, the big event of the month was the eruption at Grímsvötn in Iceland (see above). The subglacial explosive event produced the tallest plume in decades in Iceland, reaching as high as 18 km / 60,000 feet. However, the eruption didn’t produce the same level of disruption in Europe as 2010’s Eyjafjallajökull and within a week, the Grímsvötn eruption was over. We also chuckled at the idea of a big action/romance about the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption and I get a little testy towards bad science in the media, including volcanic heating of the oceans (isn’t happening) and the “Great Rome Earthquake” (didn’t happen). And Etna erupted.
Image: Radar image of the ash plume from Grímsvötn in late May, 2011.
