SI/USGS Weekly Volcano Report for 2/17-23/2010

Discover the latest findings in the USGS Global Volcanism Program, including eruptions from Oldoinyo Lengai and more.

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The flu has retreated and I'm getting back on track. Huzzah!

I'll get back to the blog by posting this week's new USGS / Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program Weekly Volcano Report. Looks like some interesting stuff in it ...

  • Looks like there were some small eruptions from Oldoinyo Lengai in Tanzania. The volcano is one of the few (only active?) carbonatite volcanoes in the world, erupting a lava composed primarily of calcium carbonate and sodium minerals with very little silica. It leads to the odd lava that erupt black (and cool ~ 500C) and cool to white, making it one of the strangest places on Earth.

  • El Reventador in Ecuador appeared to produce some ash and a thermal anomaly was detected as well.

  • Russia's Kliuchevskoi produced strombolian eruptions along with some phreatic (water-interaction) explosions related to a lava flow.

  • Back in Ecuador, Sangay produced an ash-and-steam plume that reached upwards of 7.6 km / 25,000 feet.

  • The level 3 (of 4) alert at Talang in Indonesia was reduced to Level 2 as seismicity has steadily declined since February 2009.

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