It Was a Busy Week of Explosive Eruptions at Colima's 'Volcano of Fire' Erik Klemetti - Wired
go to original July 18, 2015

Colima's Volcano of Fire in Constant State of Activity (Sky News)

Colima is no stranger to eruptions, but this past week has seen especially vigorous activity at the Mexican volcano.

Last weekend, Colima had one of its largest explosive eruptions in years, sending pyroclastic flows down the slopes of the volcano after the summit lava dome collapsed. The ash plume that was created by this collapse reached 7.6 kilometers (~25,000 feet) and noticeable ash fell as far as 88 kilometers (54 miles) from Colima. Since then, smaller explosions have continued and views of the volcano at night show incandescent blocks of lava cascading down.

However, with the destruction of the summit down, volcanologists in Mexico think that the explosive activity should begin to wane. Without the dome, less pressure builds in the volcanic conduit feeding lava to the surface.

Over 670 people have been evacuated so far from the area around Colima, mainly in the 12 kilometer (7.5 mile) exclusion zone around the volcano. Not surprisingly, these explosions did significant damage to the local ecology and livestock. A large, Plinian-style eruption at Colima, which the volcano has experienced as recently as 1913, could have serious consequences for the over 400,000 people that live within 35 kilometers (21 miles).

Read the rest at Wired

Related: State of Emergency Declared in Colima Due to Volcanic Eruption (El Universal)

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