Sierra Negra volcano eruption: Galapagos Island evacuation – which areas are affected?
THE SIERRA Negra volcano on Isabela Island in the Galapagos erupted on Tuesday, causing evacuations and triggering an orange alert. Which areas are affected?
By GEORGINA LAUD
Express.co.uk
Wed, Jun 27, 2018
wo strong 5.3-magnitude earthquakes shook the Sierra Negra volcano, triggering a new eruptive period for the volcano.
Strong lava fountains and multiple flows of lava were seen on Tuesday, June 26.
It has been 13 years since Sierra Negra last erupted and 10 days since La Cumbre volcano erupted on neighbouring island Fernandina.
Fernandina Island is uninhabited but endangered nearby wildlife with a lava flow that entered the ocean.
Isabela Island has a population of 1,748 and is the largest island in the Galapagos with volcano Sierra Negra at the south eastern end of the island.
There have been two years of seismic activity beneath the volcano, with a steady increase over time.
The earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks preceding the eruption could be felt in the village of Puerto Villamil which lies 20 km south east of the volcano.
Puerto Villamil is a small port village located on the southeastern edge of Isabela Island.
Of the 2,200 people who live on the island, the majority live in Puerto Villamil.
A strong anomaly of heat was found using a GOES-16 satellite camera, located in the northern area of the volcano’s caldera – a depression in the crater of the volcano.
The shield volcano has been reported to have lava flows running into the volcano, as well as lava flowing towards Bahia Elizabeth according to Galapagos National Park employees.
An ash column rising from the caldera was also seen by eyewitnesses following the eruption.
The Rest…HERE
