The displacement of the earthquakes is what set off alarms, because the intensity and proximity to the crater of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano is occurring.
News Colombia.
“The Nevado del Ruiz has been in the eruption process for 10 years,” but it has increased in recent days to 5,000 or more earthquakes, being more worrying that it occurs 2 kilometers from the crater, where the volcano’s lava dome is, and with a quantity of gas and ash “because the magma is pushing.”
All seismic signals beyond the movement of the earth are those that are taken into account with the current orange activity level.
Active last 10 years
In 2012, there were also thousands of earthquakes, and there were two small eruptions. But with the current activity, it has focused more on the southwest of the volcano, which has always been more active.
There, it is aligned with the route of the La Palestina fault, “which is one of the routes of ascent of the magma of the volcano.” And it is the first time that it has happened “with such a number of earthquakes in such a short time”, since it was monitored in 1985.
In 2015 there was another effusive eruption of lava, “but it did not come out of the crater.” Then others have followed, with the emission of ash columns.
What is happening in 2023
Jhon Makario Londoño, director of Geothreats of the Colombian Geological Service, explained that this April 4, 2023, a high seismic activity continues, on April 3 there were 5000 earthquakes.
Londoño recalled that the passage to the red activity level, “will take place as long as this level of seismic activity, and if it gets closer to the crater, if the gas decreases or if it stops moving completely”, because there, it would be an indication of an impending eruption.
There is a chance of eruption, but it is not certain.
“The volcano is still unstable, and it is the right time to find out, prepare, have active contingency plans,” he said.
If an eruption were to occur at night under difficult conditions, with cloudy skies, rain or something, there would be 10 minutes to confirm that it is important and that it requires action by people and entities.
These are the doubts that the SGC resolves on this panorama:
Do not repeat Armero, Nevado del Ruiz in orange level
This time, 2023, the government, relief agencies and citizens have activated their contingency plans.
There are already preventive evacuations in nearby towns.
In the municipality of Murillo, in Tolima, one of the closest towns to the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, classes were suspended in six schools and tourist activity in the area was prohibited. Four other departments: Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and Cundinamarca, are taking measures, because there could be a strong eruption.
This time, it is the same Colombian Geological Service and the Risk Management Unit, who warn of a possible emergency.
A few hours ago, it went from yellow alert to orange, “this level indicates that in days or weeks the Nevado del Ruiz volcano could erupt a major eruption to those it has done in the last decade.”
What set alarm bells ringing was the comprehensive evaluation of the parameters monitored by
the SGC, and the seismic events registered during the last days, “located at a distance from the crater between 2 and 5 kilometers with depths between 2 and 4 kilometers from the top”.
It had an increase in activity and this March 29, there were more earthquakes; 11 thousand, than in the entire history of monitoring that has been done since 1985.
Call for prevention…
The general director of the UNGRD, Javier Pava Sánchez, calls on the government authorities, “the necessary preventive actions can be taken to
timely manner.”
In the last 24 hours, there have been at least 9,600 earthquakes.
Authorities have been meeting in an extraordinary way for hours, to activate contingency plans. In some populations, they are evacuating preventively.
The Nevado del Ruiz has been registering more than “normal” activity in the last decade and between 2022 and so far in 2023, it has intensified.
There has been a strong fall of ash in nearby towns.
⚠️#Gunsmith and the #Nevado del Ruiz a painful memory that has resurfaced. The tragedy and uncertainty after November 13, 1985 returned 36 years later, with the orange alert due to high seismic activity and ash expulsion.
???????? This time authorities confirmed a plan of… pic.twitter.com/r3l7DZh3st
— TUBARCO (@tubarconews) April 2, 2023
