From devastating earthquakes to record tornado outbreaks, 2011 was the most expensive year for natural disasters worldwide, according to a new insurance report.
At $380 billion, global economic losses from natural disasters in 2011 were two-thirds higher than in 2005, the previous record year, which had losses of $220 billion.
The magnitude 9.0 Japan temblor in Marchalone caused more than half the year’s losses, according to the report from global insurance firm Munich Re. In the United States, a deadly dozen disasters each caused more than $1 billion in damage.
While 90 percent of the recorded natural catastrophes were weather-related, the big earthquakes were the most expensive disasters,. Normally, it is the weather-related disasters that account for the greatest insured losses, according to the insurance firm. Over the last three decades, geophysical events such as earthquakes accounted for less than 10 percent of insured losses, Munich Re said.
Around 70 percent of economic losses in 2011 occurred in Asia, where 16,000 people were killed in Japan during the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Even without considering the consequences of a crippled nuclear reactor in Fukushima following the quake, the economic losses caused by the quake and the tsunami came to $210 billion — the costliest natural catastrophe of all time.
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, in February caused $16 billion in damage. Other expensive disasters included tornado season in the United States, which caused $46 billion in damage. Hurricane Irene, the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States in three years, caused $15 billion in damage.
“Thankfully, a sequence of severe natural catastrophes like last year’s is a very rare occurrence,” said Torsten Jeworrek, the Munich Re board member responsible for global reinsurance business, in a statement.
Some 27,000 people died in natural catastrophes in 2011. This figure does not include the countless deaths from famine following the worst drought in decades on the Horn of Africa, which was the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of the year.
Update 20/10 – 15:53 UTC:
– 10 earthquakes have been recorded by IGN (max. magnitude : 2.0) since midnight UTC.
– The diving companies, one of the important sub-economies on the island, are living through a very bad period. Cancellations have been coming in until december 2012. Alpidio Armas hopes that the present crisis situation will end soon and that business will gradually be back to normal.
El Mundo Radiography animation of the El Hierro volcano eruption
Update 20/10 – 7:46 UTC: Spanish newspaper El Mundo did something what you can expect from a quality newspaper, they invested money in afantastic animated overview of what happened . The animation is divided into the following parts :
– Geography of El Hierro
– Divergent fault line
– location and size of the craters/cinder cones
– Ocean sea floor surrounding El Hierro
– Eruption specifics.
We advise our readers to take a look at this great animation. Click here to watch the El Mundo animation
Update 20/10 – 7:37 UTC: slight changing harmonic tremors during the last 8 hours. Since midnight IGN reported 2 earthquakes (this number can change when IGN updates her records).
The number of earthquakes yesterday was the highest in number since October 10 when the active period started
Port of La Restinga on October 19 – many fish died by the acidic water – image courtesy and copyright Desiree Martin
Update 19/10 – 23:58 UTC: Killing nature. Due to the lower Ph, the water is very acid and a lot of fish did not survive it. The picture at right has been shot in the port of La Restinga.
Update 19/10 – 23:55 UTC: A total of 16 volcanic earthquakes have been recorded on Wednesday. Max. magnitude: 2.6
Update 19/10 – 17:44 UTC: La Restinga fishermen demand that the Ramon Margalef will not only have geologists on board, but also the “best possible biologists”. They want to know from the biologists when their fishing grounds will get back to normal.
The dry summit environment of the summit of Mauna Kea – The white points on the summit are the astronomical telescopes – Image courtesy Tony Romaine
Description: At 00:10 AM UTC October 20, a moderate earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 18.8 km attracted our attention. To our surprise the epicenter was located below the slopes of Mauna Kea, an active shield volcano who’s last eruption occurred at approx. 2,400 BC.
Update 13:37 UTC : The presentearthquake swarm is not necessarily to be linked to volcanic activity since occasional swarms have been registered since 25 years. The swarms are linked to structural adjustments within the Earth’s crust due to the heavy load of Mauna Kea.
A similar earthquake swarm occurred in March 2010. The aftershocks (just like they are occurring now) continued for many days in a row.
Update 12:28 UTC : Mauna Kea shield volcano is presently called “dormant”.
Update 11:13 UTC : USGS maintains her NORMAL green color alert (no problem)
Update 10:23 UTC : Since the mainshock at 00:10 earlier today, we noticed 38 other earthquakes. The shallowest of the +1 magnitude earthquakes was at a depth of 14.3 km.
The shallower earthquakes at Fern forest and Volcano have to be linked to the Kilauea complex.
21 km (13 miles) SE (137°) from Waimea, HI and 23 km (14 miles) SSW (199°) from Honokaa, HI
Earthquake swarm below Mauna Kea on October 20 2011
Spain’s Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) confirmed on Tuesday that an underwater eruption has occurred five kilomtres off the southern coastline of El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Island. The eruption is Spain’s first since the eruption in 1971 of the Teneguía volcano on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands).
Scientists Monitor Underwater Volcano Eruption Near El Hierro
By MARK DUNPHY – Tue Oct 11, 2:53 p
The IGN says all three of its seismic stations on El Hierro in the Canary Islands have registered a volcanic tremor of low frequency in the south of the island at La Restinga (population 547), the southern-most village in the Canaries. Residents of the town were summonsed to a local football field on Tuesday afternoon to be briefed on provisional evacuation procedures in the event of another eruption closer to the shore.
Scientists from IGN and CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), meanwhile, have conducted a reconnaissance flight over the sea to the area south of the island, where they have located dead fish floating on the surface five kilometres from the coast. The dead fish were identified in an area where lower seismic magnitude occurred on October 9, at a depth of approximately 2 km.
The present volcanic activity is understood to be occurring at a depth of 600 metres (just under one kilometre) below sea level, in the Las Calmas sea.
Scientists from IGN, CSIC and the University of Cadiz have established their monitoring base at La Restinga. Efforts are underway to determine if the subsea volcanic vent is widening and if so, in which direction (away or toward El Hierro).
Initial reports of the eruption were received from crews on board four separate ships. Local media agency Canarias7 reported on Monday that Government authorities have suspended ferry activities to and from the 285 square-kilometre island.
English language newspaper islandconnections.eu reported: “The martime chief for the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Antonio Padrón has issued a recomendation that boats should not sail closer than four miles off El Hierro. Divers have also been told to suspend all activities.
El Hierro (highlighted) on Google Earth
The eruption takes place amidst an unprecedented earthquake swarm in El Hierro. The number of earthquakes recorded since July 17, 2011 on El Hierro has now exceeded 10,000.
Hierro, a shield volcano, has had a single historic eruption from the Volcan de Lomo Negro vent in 1793. The eruption lasted approximately one month and produced lava flows.
The recent surge in the number and intensity of earthquakes prompted officials from the IGN and The Canary Islands Government to raise the alert level for the Hierro volcano to ‘Yellow’ late last month. The alert remained in place on Monday, but the estimated 11,000 residents of El Hierro were being reassured not to be alarmed.
The majority of the earthquake activity shifted from El Golfo in the island’s northwest to beneath the Las Calmas Sea in the south earlier this month. Surface deformations exceeding 35mm have also been recorded on the island in recent weeks.
Evacuations
A dramatic rise in recorded earthquakes on El Hierro prompted officials to evacuate some local residents, shut El Hierro’s main tunnel, and close local schools on 27 September.
The Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) advised almost 50 residents of the municipality of La Frontera to leave their homes because of landslide fears. Two units of the Spanish military’s emergency intervention unit (EMU) were also placed on standby to depart the nearby island of Tenerife to assist in the possible evacuation of hundreds of other El Hierro residents.
Meanwhile, the island’s main tunnel (Tunel del Golfo), which links Frontera to Valverde, was shut forcing motorists to travel across the 280-sq-km island via a mountain road. The Cabildo de El Hierro also ordered the closure of schools.
The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program.
Updated every Week (mostly Wednesday), notices of volcanic activity posted on these pages are preliminary and subject to change as events are studied in more detail. This is not a comprehensive list of all of Earth’s volcanoes erupting during the week, but rather a summary of activity of volcanoes that meet criteria discussed in detail in the “Criteria and Disclaimers” section. Carefully reviewed, detailed reports on various volcanoes are published monthly in the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network.
New Activity, Unrest or activity change
CLEVELAND Chuginadak Island – satellite map – summit elev. 1730 m On 30 August, AVO reported that satellite observations during the previous two weeks indicated that lava-dome growth at Cleveland had paused. AVO lowered the Volcano Alert Level to Advisory and the Aviation Color Code to Yellow. During 31 August-2 September cloud cover prevented views of the summit crater, but a thermal anomaly at the summit was observed during 3-5 September. Observations on 6 September indicated that the lava dome had resumed growth, reaching 120 m in diameter and filling the floor of the crater. AVO raised the Volcano Alert Level to Watch and the Aviation Color Code to Orange. No current seismic information was available because Cleveland does not have a real-time seismic network. Volcano information: Symmetrical Mount Cleveland stratovolcano is situated at the western end of the uninhabited dumbbell-shaped Chuginadak Island in the east-central Aleutians. The 1,730-m-high stratovolcano is the highest of the Islands of Four Mountains group and is one of the most active in the Aleutians. Numerous large lava flows descend its flanks. It is possible that some 18th to 19th century eruptions attributed to Carlisle (a volcano located across the Carlisle Pass Strait to the NW) should be ascribed to Cleveland. In 1944 Cleveland produced the only known fatality from an Aleutian eruption. Recent eruptions from Mt. Cleveland have been characterized by short-lived explosive ash emissions, at times accompanied by lava fountaining and lava flows down the flanks.
Active volcanoes in the world from 24/08/2011 to 30/08/2011
Last update: September 1, 2011 at 9:43 am by By Armand Vervaeck
New Activity, Unrest or activity change
BAGANA Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) – Satellite map – summit elev. 1750 m
Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 23 August an ash plume from Bagana rose to an altitude of 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 93 km SW. Volcano Information : Bagana volcano, occupying a remote portion of central Bougainville Island, is one of Melanesia’s youngest and most active volcanoes. Bagana is a massive symmetrical lava cone largely constructed by an accumulation of viscous andesitic lava flows. The entire lava cone could have been constructed in about 300 years at its present rate of lava production. Eruptive activity at Bagana is characterized by non-explosive effusion of viscous lava that maintains a small lava dome in the summit crater, although explosive activity occasionally producing pyroclastic flows also occurs. Lava flows form dramatic, freshly preserved tongue-shaped lobes up to 50-m-thick with prominent levees that descend the volcano’s flanks on all sides.
RANAKAH Flores Island (Indonesia) – Satellite map – summit elev. 2350 m
CVGHM reported that observers of Anak Ranakah, a lava dome that formed in 1987 at the base of the large older lava dome of Ranakah, noted white plumes rising up to 10 m high during January-24 August. Seismicity initially increased in December 2010, but increased again during June-August. Based on visual observations and seismic data analyses, CVGHM raised the Alert Level to 2 (on a scale of 1-4). Volcano Information : A new lava dome, named Anak Ranakah (Child of Ranakah) was formed in 1987 in an area without previous historical eruptions at the base of the large older lava dome of Gunung Ranakah. An arcuate group of lava domes extending westward from Gunung Ranakah occurs on the outer flanks of the poorly known Poco Leok caldera on western Flores Island. Pocok Mandosawa lava dome, at 2350 m the highest point on the island of Flores, lies west of Anak Ranakah.
TAMBORA Sumbawa Island (Indonesia) – Satellite map – summit elev. 2850 m
Based on visual observation and seismic data, CVGHM reported an increase in activity at Tambora during the previous five months. Ground-based observers at an observation post in Tambora village noted dense white plumes rising 50-75 m above the caldera rimduring April and June, but no plumes during May or July. In August dense white plumes rose 20 m above the caldera rim. Seismicity started to increase in April and continued to increase through August. On 30 August the Alert Level was raised to 2 (on a scale of 1-4). Volcano Information : The massive Tambora stratovolcano forms the entire 60-km-wide Sanggar Peninsula on northern Sumbawa Island. The largely trachybasaltic-to-trachyandesitic volcano grew to about 4000 m elevation before forming a caldera more than 43,000 years ago. Late-Pleistocene lava flows largely filled the early caldera, after which activity changed to dominantly explosive eruptions during the early Holocene. Tambora was the source of history’s largest explosive eruption, in April 1815. Pyroclastic flows reached the sea on all sides of the peninsula, and heavy tephra fall devastated croplands, causing an estimated 60,000 fatalities. The eruption of an estimated more than 150 cu km of tephra formed a 6-km-wide, 1250-m-deep caldera and produced global climatic effects. Minor lava domes and flows have been extruded on the caldera floor at Tambora during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Gunung Tambora picture courtesy Pirata Alado – http://www.panoramio.com/photo/36914449
PAPANDAYAN Western Java (Indonesia) – Satellite map – summit elev. 2665 m
On 26 August CVGHM reported that Papandayan showed minor to no changes in recent seismicity, deformation, geochemistry, and visual observations; therefore the Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4). Seismicity remained high, but stable, and was dominated by shallow volcanic earthquakes. Deformation measurements showed no change, and water temperatures in multiple fumarolic areas and lakes remained relatively unchanged. Sulfur dioxide gas emissions decreased from 8 tons per day on 12 August to 6 tons per day on 23 August. Carbon dioxide in the soil at a 1 m depth in multiple areas did not increase. Visitors and residents were advised not to venture within 2 km of the active crater. Volcano Information : Papandayan is a complex stratovolcano with four large summit craters, the youngest of which was breached to the NE by collapse during a brief eruption in 1772 and contains active fumarole fields. The broad 1.1-km-wide, flat-floored Alun-Alun crater truncates the summit of Papandayan, and Gunung Puntang to the N gives the volcano a twin-peaked appearance. Several episodes of collapse have given the volcano an irregular profile and produced debris avalanches that have impacted lowland areas beyond the volcano. Since its first historical eruption in 1772, in which a catastrophic debris avalanche destroyed 40 villages, only two small phreatic eruptions have occurred from vents in the NE-flank fumarole field, Kawah Mas.
ETNA Sicily (Italy) – Satellite map – summit elev. 3330 m
Sezione di Catania – Osservatorio Etneo reported that nine days after the previous episode, the New SE Crater produced its twelfth paroxysmal eruptive episode of 2011 during the early morning of 29 August. The event was preceded by an explosion at 2252 on 27 August, and a series of ash emissions from the New SE Crater almost 15 hours later. Weak Strombolian activity visible during the evening on 28 August intensified during the night.
At 0115 on 29 August lava overflowed the rim through a breach in the E crater rim and traveled towards the Valle del Bove. Strombolian activity progressively intensified and two vents within the crater emitted pulsating lava fountains up to 100 m high. The lava fountains again increased in height and a dense plume rose a few kilometers above the summit before drifting toward the SSE. At the same time, a small lava flow issued from the area affected by the collapse of a portion of the cone’s ESE flank during the 20 August paroxysm. At 0220 the SE flank of the cone fractured and exposed a line of new eruptive vents down to the base of the cone that produced lava fountains. A broad lava flow fed by the vents descended into the Valle del Bove, somewhat to the S of the lava flow emitted earlier during the episode. The lava fountaining from the vents within the crater turned into ash emission just after 0220, whereas the lowest vent on the new eruptive fracture continued to produce incandescent jets until 0250. Ash emission continued at a diminishing rate until about 0315. Read also : Another beautiful eruption of Mt Etna (Italy) on August 29 2011 + videos Volcano Information : Mount Etna, towering above Catania, Sicily’s second largest city, has one of the world’s longest documented records of historical volcanism, dating back to 1500 BC. Historical lava flows cover much of the surface of this massive basaltic stratovolcano, the highest and most voluminous in Italy. Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur at Etna. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more of the three prominent summit craters, the Central Crater, NE Crater, and SE Crater. Flank eruptions, typically with higher effusion rates, occur less frequently and originate from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit. A period of more intense intermittent explosive eruptions from Etna’s summit craters began in 1995. The active volcano is monitored by the Instituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Volcanologia (INGV) in Catania.
KILAUEA Hawaii (USA) – satellite map – summit elev. 1222 m
During 24-30 August, HVO reported that the level of the lava-lake surface in the deep pit within Kilauea’s Halema’uma’u crater periodically fluctuated but remained below the inner ledge 75 m below the crater floor. At Pu’u ‘O’o’ crater, lava from sources on the E and S portions of the crater floor fed a lava lake that was formed during 25-26 August. A new source opened at the W edge of the crater floor during 29-30 August, and lava quickly spread N and S along the base of the W crater wall. Volcano Information : Kilauea, one of five coalescing volcanoes that comprise the island of Hawaii, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Eruptions at Kilauea originate primarily from the summit caldera or along one of the lengthy E and SW rift zones that extend from the caldera to the sea. About 90% of the surface of Kilauea is formed of lava flows less than about 1,100 years old; 70% of the volcano’s surface is younger than 600 years. A long-term eruption from the East rift zone that began in 1983 has produced lava flows covering more than 100 sq km, destroying nearly 200 houses and adding new coastline to the island.
Compare the map of the craton to the current chart of earthquakes shown laid out on the 3D map of EQ3D….. (more here: about the craton) Here is a shot of the activity over the past two weeks around the pacific ring of fire : to read more and see an image of this very interesting activity in the Ring of Fire, go to: http://www.dutchsinse.com/blog/
Active volcanoes in the world from 03/08/2011 to 09/08/2011 + 2 videos
Last update: August 12, 2011 at 10:58 am by By Armand Vervaeck
The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program.
Updated every Week (mostly Wednesday), notices of volcanic activity posted on these pages are preliminary and subject to change as events are studied in more detail. This is not a comprehensive list of all of Earth’s volcanoes erupting during the week, but rather a summary of activity of volcanoes that meet criteria discussed in detail in the “Criteria and Disclaimers” section.
Site Last Updated August 11, 2011: We have passed the mega energized Mid-Point of the Mayan 5th Day
and today with Galactic Tone 13 it is a time of ascension as the earth is awakening big time .
The deeply primal energies of the Mars-Pluto opposition are separating and have triggered major earth changes .
Volcanic activity is starting Southern Hemisphere with Java and Coral Sea plumes to Ascension Island
to the Canary Island magma plume in the Northern Hemisphere along with Mt. Etna and now Undersea off Oregon along with the Cleveland volcano in Alaska
Deep recycling in the Earth faster than thought
The most frequent question I’m asked is how much time do we have left before something major occurs? Not long, as you’ll shortly see. I included this map in my book so everyone could know that magma plumes are the planet’s geologic thermal dissipative features and as such, they are an early-warning sign that entropic processes are accelerating and magma levels are rising uniformly across the planet. Let’s start with Indonesia’s 18 volcanoes that are now on alert and showing above-normal activity- Because of the Java and Coral Sea plumes, we can expect growing unrest from the Merapi Sundoro Dieng volcanic complex, the Taboro, the Gunung Ranakah and Sirung volcanic complex which comprises about 28 volcanic cones.
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 08/07/2011 1:05 PM
Eighteen Indonesian volcanoes are on “alert” status, two of which are at Alert Level 3, which is called “Siaga”, the Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center says.
Center head Surono said Sunday in Jakarta the erupting Mount Lokon in North Sulawesi and Mount Ibu in North Maluku were the two volcanoes at Siaga status.
The center has adopted four levels of alert status: “Normal” (Level 1), “Waspada” (Level 2), “Siaga” (Level 3) and “Awas” (Level 4).
Surono said the conditions at Mt Lokon and Mt Ibu were currently considered most worrisome because they had been consistently erupting searing clouds affecting a radius of 2.5 kilometers.
He added, however, that the eruptions had not yet endangered people living around the volcanoes.
“The eruptions are heading west, while people are concentrated in east,” he said as quoted bytempointeraktif.com.
Surono added that 16 other volcanoes were at Level 2 alert status, “Waspada”, including Mt. Papandayan and Mt. Guntur in West Java.
“Locals have reported several quakes,” he said.
Surono said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had summoned him on Saturday to report the volcanoes’ status and the center’s preparations to anticipate possible disasters.
