January, 1996:
The new year started with a volcanic bang.
Karymsky, Russia: On the morning of January 1, 1996, a phreatomagmatic eruption began at the north end of Karymsky Lake, about three miles (5 km) south of Karymsky volcano in Kamchatka. An ash plume rose 23,000 ft (7,000 m) above sea level and stretched 120 miles (200 km) to the southeast of the volcano. By January 3, activity had shifted to Karymsky volcano. A new crater formed next to the old summit crater.
The new crater was twice as large as the old crater. A thick black plume began erupting explosively from the new crater. This plume rose to 18,000 ft (5,500 m) above sea level. On January 5, explosions continued every one to three minutes.
Etna, Italy: On the morning of January 25 fire fountains were seen on Mt. Etna, Italy. These fountains lasted about six hours. During this time, jets of lava reached 1,000 to 1,300 ft (300-400 m) above the rim of the crater. An area from the vent to about seven miles (12 km) northeast of the vent was blanketed by scoria.
February, 1996:
Fire fountains were once again present on Mt. Etna beginning on February 9. Lava was shot to heights of 650 ft (200 m) above the crater rim. Lapilli covered a strip from the vent to the shoreline, 15 miles (25 km) away. Ash fell on the town of Catania. This episode of activity continued until February 12.
"Continual steaming and frequent vertical bursts of very dark water" were reported on February 18 at Eastern Gemini Seamount, Vanuatu in the southwest Pacific. On February 21, an area of steam about 1,200 ft (400 m) in diameter was seen rising from the ocean above this volcano. An explosion was sending black volcanic material 60 ft (20 m) above the ocean every three to nine minutes. As this material fell to the surface, it turned the water around the volcano brown.
March, 1996:
Following several quiet months, Popocatepetl began to erupt again on the morning of March 5, 1996. Ash and gas rose 2,600 ft (800 m) above the Mexican volcano.
On the morning of March 27, a 6,000-7,000 ft (1,800-2,100 m) tall ash cloud rose over the Soufriere Hills volcano in Montserrat. Ash was channeled down for about 0.6 miles (1 km) from the dome and ignited dead trees. Bigger rock fragments were deposited within a small area much closer to the dome. The event probably resulted from collapse of small sections of the dome.
April, 1996:
The eruption at the Soufriere Hills volcano changed significantly on April 3. Starting early that morning, earthquake activity and ash emission were nearly continuous. Explosive eruptions created numerous pyroclastic flows and generated ash clouds up to 30,000-40,000 ft (9,000-12,000 m) in height. The southern part of the island was evacuated. Several spines grew above the dome. Many of these spines collapsed or broke. A large event on April 12 generated a pyroclastic flow and an ash cloud that rose 3,000 ft (900 m) above the volcano. Rockfalls and small explosions generated moderate sized ash clouds.
On April 30, a major explosion at Soufriere Hills sent pyroclasts to the northeast. Clasts one-quarter of an inch (0.5 cm) fell in the village of Xalitzintla, seven miles (12 km) from the crater.
May, 1996:
On May 2, the bodies of five mountain climbers were found just below the rim of the crater at Soufriere Hills volcano. The cause of death may have been the April 30 explosion. They did not heed warnings that the volcano was closed to climbers.
July, 1996:
On July 8, 1996, activity at Ruapehu intensified with an eruption from the vent in the south part of the summit crater. This activity began with Strombolian explosions happening every two to three minutes. At that time, lava bombs were thrown 300-1,500 ft (100-500 m) above the vent. Some landed up to 2,700 ft (900 m) away. A gas plume rose to 15,000 ft ( 5,000 m) and stretched to the northeast. This activity began to decline after about 12 hours.
On July 17, the largest swarm of earthquakes ever recorded on any Hawaiian volcano began at Loihi Seamount. Over 4000 earthquakes were recorded during this time. More than 40 of these were between magnitudes of four and five.
August, 1996:
On August 10, three hikers were killed on Canlaon volcano in the Philippines. Several others were hospitalized after being hit by falling ejecta . A steam and ash plume rose 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above the summit crater. Ash was thrown out of the crater for about 24 minutes. This ash was thrown to the northeast and reached heights of 7 miles (11.3 km). An ash plume stretched for 68 miles (110 km) to the southwest.
September, 1996:
On September 16, a small eruption of Pavlof volcano in Alaska occurred. Earthquake activity indicated a low level eruption. On September 24, earthquake activity began to increase, indicating stronger eruptions. Plumes rose to 4,000 ft (1,200 m) and stretched as far as 30 miles (45 km) from the volcano. On September 27, lava fountaining and small explosions were observed in the summit crater. A lava flow began moving down the northwest side of the volcano.
Earthquake activity began at Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland on September 29. This led to a sub glacial eruption of the volcano on September 30. A 2.5 mile (4 km) long fissure formed on the north side of Grimsvotn.
October, 1996:
On October 1, eruptive activity on Grimsvotn increased. A large depression was discovered in the ice of Vatnajokull glacier. Within a few hours, an eruption column rose to a height of 15,000 ft (4,600 m) above the vent. The fissure grew to six miles (10 km) in length. Large volumes of melt water began to fill the caldera. Ash began moving to the northeast.
On October 4, the vent of Grimsvotn was under 150 ft (50 m) of water. A steam column rose to 30,000 ft (10,000 m). Explosions threw ash 600-900 ft (200-300 m) into the air. As the depression in the ice around the vent continued to grow, water from the melting ice had nearly filled the caldera. Glaciologists began predicting a jokulhlaup (glacial outburst causing sudden flooding).
An explosive eruption began at Bezymianny, Kamchatka on October 4. An ash plume reached an estimated elevation of 33,000 ft (10,000 m) above sea level and stretched to the northeast. The eruption ended on October 5.
The eruption at Grimsvotn stopped on October 13, but melt water continued to flow into the caldera. The water had reached levels of 150 ft (50 m) higher than the level at which glacial outbursts typically occur.
On October 14, explosions were reported every 10 minutes at Karymsky, Kamchatka. Ash plumes rose to 10,000-15,000 ft (3,000-5,000 m) above the volcano. These plumes stretched over 125 miles (200 km) to the northeast. Explosions threw volcanic bombs up to 1,500 ft (500 m) above the crater.
A strong eruption was also reported at Pacaya, Guatemala on October 14. About 1,200 people were evacuated from the area. Intense earthquake activity accompanied the eruption.
Late on the night of October 18, earthquake activity at Pavlof indicated a considerable increase in eruption strength. Lava fountaining was observed in the crater and an eruption plume of 25,000 ft (7,600 m) rose above the volcano.
On October 21, 1996, a destructive lahar moved down Maderas volcano in Nicaragua. This lahar destroyed the village of El Corozal and killed six people. Crops were damaged and 36 houses were destroyed. At least 1,600 people were affected by the lahar, and many of them were left homeless.
On October 22, a short-lived burst of earthquake activity occurred at Pavlof. Lava fountaining continued and an ash plume reached heights of 25,000 ft (7,500 m) and drifted to the northeast.
An explosive eruption occurred at Popocatepetl on October 28. The eruption sent ash to the west and produced a column that rose to an altitude of about 27,000 ft (9,000 m).
On October 31, a large eruption of Merapi began. Ash fell on houses around the volcano and at least 300 people were evacuated. The eruption may have been triggered by a collapse of part of the lava dome inside the volcano's crater.
November, 1996:
On November 1, 1996, lava fountaining continued at Pavlof. Two events at the summit of the volcano fed flows that moved down the west and northwest sides of Pavlof.
On the morning of November 4, eruptive activity at Pavlof increased significantly. Ash plumes once again reached altitudes of 25,000 ft (7,500 m) and extended downwind at least 100 miles (160 km).
The long awaited jokulhlaup (glacial outburst flood) at Grimsvotn started suddenly on the morning of November 5, 1996. The jokulhlaup was preceded by earthquake activity of unknown origin at Grimsvotn caldera. The estimated flow was 20,000 cubic ft/sec (6,000 cubic m/sec). Nearly 1.9 cubic miles (3 cubic km) of water had accumulated in the caldera. The glacial outburst flood peaked late on November 5. Nearly 150,000 cubic ft (45,000 cubic meters) of water was discharged each second. By noon on November 6, the discharge had dropped to 49,000 cubic ft/sec (15,000 cubic m/sec). By November 7, the Jokulhlaup had stopped. It had washed away area roads, destroyed two bridges, severely damaged another and wiped out many power lines and phone lines in the area. Icebergs 30-50 ft (10-15 m) high and weighing up to 1000 tons lay scattered across the surrounding plains. Estimated damage caused by the flood was $15 million US.
December, 1996:
On December 27, seismic activity at Pavlof indicated the strongest eruptive activity of the current event. Early that morning, a summit hot spot was seen along with an active lava flow and an ash plume which stretched for several tens of miles. Later in the afternoon, periodic bursts of ash and steam rose a few hundred feet above the summit of the volcano.
On December 28, ash plumes rose 12,000-16,000 ft (3,700-4,900 m) above sea level. Early in the day, lava fountaining and an active lava flow were observed. Activity subsided late on December 28.
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