Explainer: Wide dangers ahead for island after eruption

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MADRID – A tiny Spanish land successful the Atlantic Ocean is struggling days aft a volcano erupted, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, and authorities are informing that much dangers from the detonation prevarication ahead.

Here is simply a look astatine the volcanic eruption connected La Palma and its consequences:

WHERE DID THE VOLCANO ERUPT?

The eruption occurred Sunday day connected La Palma, 1 of 8 volcanic islands successful Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago, which is strung on Africa’s northwestern coast. It was the 2nd volcanic eruption successful 50 years for the island, which has a colonisation of 85,000.

A 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded earlier the eruption. Huge plumes of black-and-white fume changeable retired from the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge aft a week of thousands of tiny earthquakes. Unstoppable rivers of molten lava, immoderate up to 6 meters (20 feet) high, are present flowing downhill toward the ocean, engulfing everything successful their path.

The Canary Islands are a volcanic blistery spot fashionable with European tourists owed to their mild year-round climate. Mount Teide, connected the adjacent land of Tenerife, is 1 of the world's tallest volcanoes and Spain's highest mountain. On La Palma, radical unrecorded mostly from farming.

WHAT CAUSED THE ERUPTION?

Scientists had been intimately monitoring a build-up of underground magma successful La Palma for a week earlier the eruption, detecting much than 20,000 earthquakes — astir excessively tiny to beryllium felt. That is known arsenic an “earthquake swarm” and tin bespeak an approaching eruption.

Three days earlier the eruption, the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported that 11 cardinal cubic meters (388 cardinal cubic feet) of molten stone had been pushed into Cumbre Vieja.

After the 4.2-magnitude earthquake, 2 fissures belched agleam reddish magma into the air. The lava flowed successful streams down the upland slope.

HOW BAD HAS THE DAMAGE BEEN?

The adjacent technological monitoring meant that authorities were capable to rapidly evacuate radical erstwhile the volcano erupted and nary casualties person been reported.

But the harm to property, infrastructure and farmland has been considerable. So far, the eruption has destroyed astir 190 houses and forced the evacuation of 6,000 people. The molten stone has besides entombed banana groves, vineyards and crops of avocado and papaya. Some irrigation networks person been lost, groundwater contaminated and roads blocked.

The rivers of lava are present moving toward the island's much populated seashore and the Atlantic Ocean, wherever they could origin caller problems.

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS NOW?

Authorities accidental residents look a big of dangers successful the coming days and weeks.

When the lava reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it could origin explosions and nutrient clouds of toxic gas. Scientists monitoring the lava measured it astatine much than 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit). In the island’s past eruption successful 1971, 1 idiosyncratic died aft inhaling the state emitted arsenic lava deed the water.

Earthquakes connected the land person continued, rattling tense residents. A caller fissure opened precocious Monday aft what the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said was a 3.8-magnitude quake, and began spewing much lava. Scientists accidental much caller lava vents and cracks successful the world could emerge, endangering caller areas.

The volcano has been producing betwixt 8,000 and 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide a day, the Volcanology Institute said. Sulfur dioxide is smelly and irritates the skin, eyes, chemoreceptor and throat. It tin besides origin acerb rainfall and aerial pollution.

The eruption has besides produced volcanic ash, which tin origin respiratory problems. Authorities connected La Palma told radical successful the wide areas wherever the ash was falling to enactment indoors with their doors and windows closed.

HOW LONG WILL THE ERUPTION GO ON?

Scientists accidental the lava flows connected La Palma could past for weeks oregon adjacent months. The past eruption connected the island, successful 1971, went connected for conscionable implicit 3 weeks.

The past eruption connected each of the Canary Islands occurred underwater disconnected the seashore of El Hierro land successful 2011. It lasted 5 months.

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