Nevado del Ruiz increased the output of sulfur dioxide – El Diario
Photo: Johan Ramírez
According to the most recent report from the Colombian Geological Service (SGC), continuous rock fracturing has been detected inside the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, in the southwestern sector, at a depth of between 2 and 4 km and at a distance from the crater. between 2 and 6 km. Yesterday, a maximum magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded at 7:59 am, located about 4 km southwest of the crater and at a depth of 3 km from the top of the volcano.
Similarly, seismicity related to the movement of fluids within the volcanic conduits and the emission of ash persisted for much of April 10 and to date.
The maximum height of the column of gases and ash observed was 2300 m, measured from the top of the volcano with a dispersion direction that oscillated between the north and northeast. Likewise, there was a slight increase in the output of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere; Additionally, localized thermal anomalies have been observed in the Arenas crater.
Faced with this, the director in charge of the UNGRD, Luis Fernando Velasco, revealed that an increase in the temperature of the volcano’s crater is being seen; therefore, the output of gases and steam is generated.
It is important to note that the volcano’s activity continues to be unstable, despite the fact that the seismicity associated with rock fracturing has decreased in recent days; however, other parameters indicate continued activity. Therefore, it remains at the orange alert level.
According to the director in charge of the UNGRD: “In recent days the earthquakes have decreased, but that does not mean that we should lower our guard, because according to the volcanologists, the magma that advanced towards the crater generated the movements and that magma has already managed to break the rock that is under the crater of the volcano”.
In the event of an acceleration of processes suggesting an imminent eruption or the eruption itself, the activity level will change to red.
evacuation process
Last Wednesday, April 5, President Gustavo Petro asked to accelerate “the preventive evacuation of 2,500 families” who are in areas surrounding the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.
“We have managed to get the community to start evacuating, although not all the family is leaving their homes, We are already getting many people who did not want to evacuate to start moving to the shelters,” said the director of the UNGRD.
Photo: Internet socket
“The community told us that their great concern was their animals and pets, which could be stolen and they wanted to keep them, so we are building, together with the governors, mayors, regional and local Risk Management councils, a whole strategy to transfer some animals that are in the risk zone and that the families that care for these animals evacuate to nearby places so that they can go and return to their farms”, Velasco added.
The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management revealed that, currently, there are two types of threats for those who live in the perimeter of the 15 kilometers surrounding the volcano. The first is the flow of hot ash, and the second threat is the mudflow and avalanches, which caused so many deaths in Armero and Chinchiná.
For this reason, the counselor for the Regions of the Government of Gustavo Petro, assured: “What we are doing there is setting all the alarms and checking that they work.”
In addition, it has been determined from this body that in the event of a possible eruption: “We are not going to wait to see in which rivers an avalanche can form, but we will give an immediate evacuation order,” warned the manager.
Finally, in the department of Tolima, around 400 or 500 people have been evacuated from the municipalities closest to the volcano, the vast majority of them children.
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