Ring Of Fire ON ALERT As Earthquake Rocks Japan

The ring of fire is on alert after Japan was rocked by an earthquake. The 5.1 magnitude quake is just one more in the past week that’s made the area increasingly geologically unstable.

The Japan earthquake struck 46 miles from the town of Miyako, which is home to more than 50,000 people.  Morioka-shi, home to nearly 300,000 people, is 73 miles from the epicenter. It comes after a week of chaos in the region, with a volcanic eruption sparking a fatal avalanche in Japan earlier this week.  And still one other fairly major earthquake which measured at a 6.2 magnitude struck off the coast of Honshu at a depth of 24 miles.  Luckily, no damages or injuries were reported because of that earthquake.

However, a volcanic eruption in the Philippines forced mass evacuations just recently, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic eruption or earthquake could be on the way.

According to Japan Today, earthquakes occur around the Ring of Fire on a daily basis, but the recent string of quakes and eruptions sparked talk of an uptick, with the U.N.’s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction tweeting that the Ring of Fire was active. “The Pacific Rim is in a period of activity,” acknowledged Toshiyasu Nagao, head of Tokai University’s Earthquake Prediction Research Center.  “In terms of volcanic history, however, the current activity is still regarded as normal,” he told AFP. “It’s not referred to as the ‘ring of fire’ because it sits there doing nothing… it is normal to have so much activity,” tweeted volcanologist Janine Krippner.

The experts do not appear overly concerned about the activity on the Ring of Fire.  “Volcanic activity at each volcano is not correlated,” said Yosuki Aoki, assistant professor of physical volcanology at the University of Tokyo. He also said volcanos “cycle through active and inactive periods, and this is part of it. I don’t think something abnormal is taking place.”

“This is pretty normal activity for Earth, the media is just reporting on more of them right now,” Krippner added on her Twitter account.  Which makes one wonder why the media can’t report on the massive corruption and major scandals in the FBI but have time to scare the public over some volcanic activity.

Nagao said the volcanic activity seen in Japan could continue, but that the region was experiencing a relatively quiet period for earthquakes. “In terms of earthquakes, the region is not that active now. There was an earthquake in Alaska the other day, but quakes with such strength have occurred regularly in the region.”

Mount Mayon Erupts Beautifully But Violently, Spewing Lava, Smoke, And Ash

Warnings that Mount Mayon would soon erupt have caused over 50,000 Philippines residents living in the area to flee their homes.  Well, the volcano has erupted, complete with lava fountains and ash, and it’s eerily beautiful.

Mount Mayon has spewed lava up to 2,000ft high and its ash plumes stretched up to three miles above the crater.  Cedric Daep, a provincial disaster response official, told a news conference that he has recommended electricity and water supplies be cut in the no-go zones to discourage residents from returning. “If pyroclastic flows hit people, there is no chance for life, Daep said. “Let us not violate the natural law, avoid the prohibited zone, because if you violate, the punishment is the death penalty.”

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the volcano that’s been erupting for almost two weeks, at times very explosively, and still appears to be swelling with magma under the surface.

Mayon’s most destructive eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1,200 people and buried the town of Cagsawa in volcanic mud. The Philippines, which has about 22 active volcanoes, lies in the “Ring of Fire,” a line of seismic faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.

This is the third time since its eruption that Mayon has generated a lava fountain. Pyroclastic flows, superheated gas and volcanic debris that could incinerate anything in their path, reached 3 miles from the crater in one area, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. “It’s a logistical nightmare,” Office of Civil Defense regional director Claudio Yucot said of the government’s effort to look after the still-swelling number of evacuees in at least 66 emergency shelters in nine cities and towns in northeastern Albay province, where Mayon lies.

Based on its previous eruptions, Mayon’s restiveness could last from two to four months, prompting Albay and national authorities to take steps to ease the impact on schools, public health and safety, livelihood, and law and order, officials said.  Officials have already had problems keeping people from entering the restricted zones to check on livestock or the condition of their homes.

Should any of these trends continue, Mayon could severely impact not only the global climate but become deadly.

 

Mayon Volcano Alert Level Raised, Explosion Anytime: ‘Just Be READY’

The Philippines most active volcano, Mount Mayon, has been rumbling for days.  Because of the volcano’s ongoing activity, the alert level has been raised to 4 and the danger zone around Mayon is now 5 miles in diameter.

A recent explosion has taken place at the volcano in the Philippines as well, sending a huge plume of ash and steam into the sky. Authorities have since raised the alert level to four out of five, meaning a potentially deadly major eruption is possible within days.  The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised its alert on Mayon to level 4, signifying a hazardous eruption is imminent, from level 3, which warns that such an eruption could be “weeks or even days” away. “We strongly advise all people, both residents, and tourists, to avoid the danger zone, and airlines to avoid flying near the volcano summit,” agency chief Renato Solidum said in a public news conference.

PHIVOLCS reported “increased seismic unrest, lava fountaining, and summit explosions” in the area and Solidum warned of two possible scenarios in the press conference on Monday: continuous lava eruptions, or a more dangerous pyroclastic flow.  (A pyroclastic flow is a mix of hot lava blocks, pumice, ash, and volcanic gas that moves at high speed down the slope of a volcano while typically following valleys, according to the United States Geological Survey.)

Solidum said this eruption was a possible “smaller version [of the] 2001 eruption,” which had pyroclastic flow. Solidum said the agency had recorded increased seismic activity and “lava fountaining and a summit explosion” from Sunday night, indicating more explosions could be ahead, including a hazardous eruption. A level 5 would signify that a violent and possible deadly eruption is underway.

Mayon, which at 2,462 meters (8,077 ft) is also one of the tallest mountains in the country. It has been issuing lava and pyroclastic material since it started showing activity and a red-hot glowing core back on January 13. About 40,000 residents living near Mayon have been evacuated. Authorities have also closed schools and encouraged those in the outskirts of Mayon’s danger zone to stay indoors.

Mayon lies in the central province of Albany.  “In some areas…it’s already zero visibility, especially along the foot of the volcano,” governor Al Francis Bichara told CNN Philippines, adding that strong winds could carry ash to distant towns. “The public is reminded to observe the danger zone — not to panic, but in essence just be ready. Prepare either gas masks, handkerchiefs or clothes to prevent inhalation of fine ash,” said Solidum.

“This kind of eruption is not over yet. Just like what we experienced a long time ago, it might extend up to a month,” said Bichara. “Maybe tomorrow, there will no eruption, and the following day there will be [one].”