Satellite pictures shows new headland amid La Palma volcano eruption
Before and After Satellite Imagery Shows New Headland Amid La Palma Eruption
Before and after satellite images captured on September 25 and 30 show the new headland created by lava from the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish Island of La Palma as it poured into the Atlantic. (Credit: European Union, contains modified Copernicus Sentinel Data 2021, processed with EO Browser via Storyful)
New before and after satellite pictures show on Sept. 25 and 30 the new headland created by lava from the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish Island of La Palma as it poured into the nearby Atlantic.
The Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) said on Sept. 27 that the lava and saltwater would combine to create "water vapor loaded with hydrochloric acid."
The images show lava falling from the cliff onto the new land, described as a "lava delta" by Involcan.
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Meanwhile, the erupting volcano blew open two more fissures on its cone Friday.
The new fissures, about 50 feet apart, sent streaks of fiery red and orange molten rock down toward the sea, parallel to an earlier flow that reached the Atlantic Ocean earlier this week.
The volcano was "much more aggressive," almost two weeks after it erupted on the island of La Palma, said Miguel Ángel Morcuende, technical director of the Canary Islands’ emergency volcano response department.
Overnight, scientists recorded eight new earthquakes up to magnitude 3.5.
The eruption was sending gas and ash up to nearly 20,000 feet into the air, officials said.
The prompt evacuation of more than 6,000 people since the Sept. 19 eruption helped prevent casualties.
Officials were monitoring air quality along the shoreline. Sulfur dioxide levels in the area rose but did not represent a health threat, La Palma’s government said.
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The volcano has so far emitted some 80 million cubic meters of molten rock, scientists estimate — more than double the amount in the island’s last eruption, in 1971.
The lava has so far destroyed or partially destroyed more than 1,000 buildings, including homes and farming infrastructure, and entombed around 709 hectares (1,750 acres).
La Palma, home to about 85,000 people who live mostly from fruit farming and tourism, is part of the volcanic Canary Islands, an archipelago off northwest Africa that is part of Spain’s territory.
The island is roughly 35 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide at its broadest point. Life has continued as usual on most of the island while the volcano is active.
Storyful and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.