More ash and aerosols headed for the stratosphere. Click to watch the Video from TVN:
(h/t to Jet Stream)
Here is the satellite image view of the first eruption:
Click for a much larger image from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
More imagery, thanks to Gary Galrud, recently from NOAA showing ash extent:
Click for a full sized image
Anthony, off topic, I’m afraid, because I seem to have lost your e-mail address. I have just stumbled over a truly remarkable Englishman called Lewis Fry Richardson (1881-1953), here:
http://www.cpom.org/people/jcrh/AnnRevFluMech(30)LFR.pdf
As a meteorologist, yourself, I wondered if you had ever heard of him? He was one of those amazing Victorian polymaths whose keen sense of curiosity led him into all sorts of different scientific enquiries including meterorology, fluid dynamics, fractal mathematics long before Mandelbrot, the application of mathematical techniques to psychology, to warfare … and so on and on and on. The paper, written by a family friend who later became a very high powered physicist/mathematician himself, is well worth a read. I just wondered if Richardson is still remembered in the world of meteorology? I was so taken with this remarkable man that I have posted on him over at my place, here:
http://duffandnonsense.typepad.com/duff_nonsense/2008/05/two-great-unkno.html
REPLY: Hmm doesn’t ring a bell.
anyone know what the VEI rating is?
again, if not more then VEI-4 at least, no major effects on climate.
Man! I am glad I don’t live where that video was being taken. It would likely cause long term psychological damage to me. Thanks for keeping us up-to-date, Anthony!
That looks just like or worse than St Helens of 1980.
NOAA says 60k ft and pretty big. I would bet VEI5 or greater on this one :/ thats pretty fricken big OSEI has new image
http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Current/VSHchaiten127_G10.jpg
Is there a scale available on that picture?
The problem is not how much effect this volcano will have, the problem is that the AGW zealots will claim that any cooling can be attributed to it and other eruptions that have been occurring the past year.
see also and seperate from Chaitén, The Nevado del Huila volcano, two weeks ago:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/15/volcano.colom/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
Doesn’t look major to me.
But like terry, what’s VEI (so that we can all sleep peacefully tonight)?
For VEI…
Contact Information:
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Communication
119 National Center
Reston, VA 20192 Clarice Nassif Ransom
Phone: 703-648-4299
Stephanie Hanna
Phone: 206-331-0335
Heidi Koontz
Phone: 303-202-4763
I just spoke with Heidi Koontz, who says she’ll check it out and get back to me. Should I hold my breath?
Another image:
http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Volcano/Chile/2008/ChaitenSA123_G10.jpg
Note height of ash 55K.
Looks like a Plinian eruption.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plinian_eruption
An increase in eruptive force should be preceded by earthquakes. You can monitor them here. There were several mag 5 a few days ago, preceding or coinciding with the original eruption.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php
Dang, there goes the carbon budget!
it’s a classic Plinian eruption but it looks to be more of a St. Helens then a Pinatubo. St. Helens did not have an effect on climate. El Chichon 2 years later did, however. Its spike is noticeable.
Now, coupled with the OTHER eruption in the Southern Hemisphere (Ecuador, I believe?) earlier this year, then MAYBE I’ll get on the “Volcanic Cooling for the SH for the Next Couple Years” boat. Otherwise, no, I remain unconvinced.
Anthony,
OT, but personally I don’t like these coloured squares next to peoples names. I find them distracting to the posts.
David Duff:
You mean Richardson of the Richardson number? (Also known as the inverse Froude number, depending on discipline.) Mechanical Engineers and Aeronautical have all heard of him because the Richardson number is important in natural convection and heat transfer and also to quantify turbulence for purposes of avionics.
Richardson was an oceanographer.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/VEIfigure_en.svg
No idea how much ejected medium has been blown out. Besides all the ash means crap anyway in the scheme of things I consider sulfur dioxide more important.. Obviously the ash is being blasted into the stratosphere that means the damage wont truly be known till we know how much sulfur dioxide was belted out. This means what kind of magma as far as I know?
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Hazards/What/VolGas/volgas.html
Ok just looked at what philip said…
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/285_-45_eqs.php
5?!?!?! earthquakes to do something like this!?!? Is volcanic indicators being rewritten as we watch this? Whats the deal here?!?
I would demand answers if I was somebody rational in Volcanism studies
[…] than 1500 have been evacuated from at-risk areas. UK Telegraph has some amazing pics and Watt’s Up has video. Here are a few […]
Interesting article on S American volcano in 1600 causing a big freeze from Europe to Japan.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354267,00.html
SlicerDicer, I assume you are refering to the absence of earthquakes over the last few days, despite the reported increase in eruption intensity yesterday. I thought that odd too, but it probably means we are probably not going to see a cataclysmic eruption.
However, if we do see more earthquakes then eruption would likely intensify. These kinds of eruptions can last for several months, so it aint over yet.
Don’t know about volcanic indicators, but grammar seems to be taking a back seat.
Anthony, I like the added color with the small icons preceding the screen name, but how can we upload our own selection? And what are the size parameters?
Jack Koenig, Editor
The Mysterious Climate Project
http://www.climateclinic.com
REPLY: Get a free wordpress account:
http://wordpress.com/signup/
IMPORTANT: be sure to check “just a username please” at the bottom. Otherwise you’ll have to design a blog.
Then edit your profile settings to upload the picture.
Plinian eruptions because of their explosive nature sometimes start at VEI 3.5.
It all depends on how long the eruption lasts. This is a caldera.
If this series of eruptions carry on for a length of time there could be case of another caldera being formed. The amount of ejecta totaled from the ongoing eruptions will eventually determine the VEI.
The ejecta need to rise above 25miles (40Km) to able to disperse around the globe and therefore affect the temperature. Most of the temperature affect will come from sulpha droplet particles which reflect sunlight.
There are some reports from Volcanologists in Chile that this is only the early stage of the eruption and much larger explosions could occur. Larger explosions were occurring yesterday (Tuesday) and even the journalists and government people decided to evacuate Chaiten township – These explosions were larger than the original eruption.
Interesting to note that a second township (60 km away) under the plume has nearly 25cm of fallout tephra. Some rain has fallen and the tephra has turned concrete like.
So far there has been no lateral blasts -pyrotechnic flows etc – all ejecta going up in the air – typical Plinian.
Watch this space.
Anthony, a fellow met here…. doubled in Phys. Geog. , thought your readers may be interested in the latest from Chilean Geologists. Translated from spanish with google translator.
At least VEI 5, I’d bet VEI 6 by compleation. Ash cloud hit 20 miles (30 km), about 105,000 feet. Defintely enough to poke through the tropopause.
TRANSLATION
06.05.2008 SERNAGEOMIN report on Volcano Eruption Chaiten
The National Service of Geology and Mining reports that according to background visual and seismic collected from the date of the event Eruptive Volcano Chaiten, we conclude that can not be ruled out new explosion (s) major (s) and an eventual collapse of the eruptive column and / or dome Rhyolite.
Accordingly, SERNAGEOMIN maintains Volcanic Red Alert and launched a remote monitoring since the craft of the Navy Achilles, with daily overflights to monitor the eruptive behavior, especially the evolution of the stability of the dome and the eruptive column, as well as developments the seismicity associated.
It is noteworthy that during the morning on May 6, at 8:20 pm., The eruptive cycle flared with explosions and vigorous rhythmic higher energy holding a column Eruptiva wider and lateral expansion of about 30 km high in its initial phase, which was subsequently declining.
During a helicopter overflight conducted with police, at 10:00 pm. it was observed that the two craters explosion located in northern flank of the dome, joined into one with a diameter of approximately 800 m. The column declined slightly, and apparently there were no major pyroclastic flows associated, at least to the north, west and south. It was verified that the rivers increased their load of material.
The possibility exists that there is a collapse of the eruptive column and / or dome Rhyolite, which would generate pyroclastic flows. On the other hand, the fall of ashes will continue with accumulations whose thickness and accumulation rather than depend on the intensity of explosions and prevailing winds. It was ruled, by far, the emission of lava.
REPLY: Thanks Patrick for the effort, very informative.
Further to what Anthony suggested, can we guess how quickly will the present cooling be blamed on this volcano. I will take a punt that it will be less than a year and within five, it will be marked on the IPCC graphs, with the temperature”adjustments” to suit.