Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Volcano fires molten 'lava bombs' as scientists watch in aVolcano fires molten 'lava bombs' as scientists watch in awe

Brian Lada
Tue, November 2, 2021

Geochemist Harri Geiger was on the Spanish island of La Palma in the final days of October witnessing the power of the Cumbre Vieja volcano. The volcano was erupting at what appeared to be a safe distance, but as Geiger and others watched, a piece of the volcano came racing down the mountainside, slowing to a stop just yards away from his feet.

This wasn't just any rock, it was a molten lava bomb.

Geiger's video showed the lava bomb tumbling down the side of the mountain, glowing orange as it gathered volcanic dust.


At a glance, the outside looks like a normal rock found in the vicinity of a volcano, but after closer inspection, the rocks are alive on the inside with partially molten lava.



A 'lava bomb' that has rolled down a hill is seen as the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt, on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain, October 27, 2021 in this still image form a social media video. Video recorded October 27, 2021. Harri Geiger/via REUTERS



Lava bombs do not occur with every volcano. According to the USGS, these dangerous projectiles only occur during an explosive eruption, like the ongoing eruption in the Canary Islands, which began in late September.

Additionally, to be considered a bomb, the fragment must be at least 2.5 inches across.

The lava bomb captured on camera by Geiger was much bigger than that, measuring 3.2 feet across with an estimated weight of half a ton. It was also careening down the mountainside at speeds in excess of 35 mph, Geiger said.

Once the chunk of debris came to a rest, Geiger and others approached it for a closer look.

Over the last month, the Cumbre Vieja volcano has been causing quite a disruption on the island of La Palma, forcing thousands to evacuate, closing the La Palma airport and leading to the destruction of numerous properties. It has also drawn global interest and drone operators have been capturing footage of the volcano's impacts, including dramatic video of the moment a lava flow collided with a swimming pool.

Meteorologists have also paid close attention to the Cumbre Vieja volcano for the impacts it has had on the weather. In October, satellites captured a rare phenomenon known as gravity waves, which were triggered by the volcanic eruption. The lava bombs are the latest in a series of jaw-dropping images that have resulted from the eruption.

As a man in Hawaii found out a few years ago, anyone in the vicinity of a volcano should be on alert for lava bombs as they can endanger lives and property.

In 2018, Darryl Clinton was protecting homes from the Kilauea eruption on Hawaii's Big Island, using garden hoses and fire extinguishers to stop the lava bombs from igniting houses. Clinton turned his attention away for just a few moments before he was struck in the leg by a lava bomb.

"‘That didn't just happen' was my first thought," Clinton told CNN at the time. "I knew it was real because of the pain. Then I got caught on fire, fell on the floor, grabbed my foot and leg and held ‘em together."



Clinton was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was able to be treated for his injury.

The volcano in the Canary Islands is not the only one in the world that is currently erupting.

Around 2,500 miles to the north, scientists and travelers have been flocking to see the Fagradalsfjall volcano, the first volcanic eruption in far southwestern Iceland in nearly 1,000 years.

One group of researchers in Iceland took advantage of the sizzling volcanic rocks to cook hot dogs while out in the field, saving the scientists a trip back to town or the hassle of lugging a grill out in the volcanic landscape.

For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.

Banana farmers lose livelihoods as lava devours La Palma


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APTOPIX Spain VolcanoAsh from the volcano covers a banana plantation on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. The volcano that has been roaring on Spain's La Palma for over six weeks has destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and workers who grow and sell the Canary Islands banana. So far, lava flows have covered over 390 acres of land dedicated to the cultivation of the sweet yellow fruit that feeds 30% of the economic motor of the Atlantic island. 
(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)More

EMILIO MORENATTI and JOSEPH WILSON
Tue, November 2, 2021

LAS MANCHAS DE ABAJO, Canary Islands (AP) — His home went first. Then the house his father built. Then the lottery stand and hardware store he owned succumbed.

Lastly, Antonio Álvarez had to watch as lava from a volcanic eruption slowly devoured the remaining pillar of his family’s wealth: the dozen acres he dedicated to growing the Canary Island banana that for generations has provided the agricultural lifeblood of the Atlantic Ocean archipelago.

“My father always told me ‘don’t make the house too big, it won’t make you money; invest in banana! The bananas will give you a house.' And it’s true,” Álvarez said. “When I filmed (the lava destroying) my father’s house, it was seeing him die all over again. That house was a part of him.”

Álvarez, 54, is one of thousands of farmers and workers on Spain’s La Palma island whose livelihoods have been put in jeopardy by the destruction wrecked by volcano that is still going strong six weeks after the ground first broke open on Sept. 19.

The regional government of the Canary Islands, an archipelago including La Palma located off the coast of northwest Africa, estimates that the volcano has already caused 100 million euros ($116 million) in losses for the island’s banana industry. Over 390 acres (158 hectares) of land used for banana farming have been covered by molten rock, and more than 700 additional acres (300 hectares) have been cut off after roads on the island's western side were enveloped by lava.



Spain VolcanoAntonio Alvarez carries a bunch of bananas in a banana plantation on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. The volcano that has been roaring on Spain's La Palma for over six weeks has destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and workers who grow and sell the Canary Islands banana. So far, lava flows have covered over 390 acres of land dedicated to the cultivation of the sweet yellow fruit that feeds 30% of the economic motor of the Atlantic island. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)


The banana growers association for the Canary Islands, ASPROCAN, estimates that around 1,500 of the island’s 5,000 owners of banana plantations have been hurt. Most owners have small patches of a few acres. Many, like Álvarez, have seen their land burnt and crushed. Others have lost harvests because they can't get to their trees. And many more have seen their product become unmarketable due to the volcanic ash that has ruined the banana peels.

It's been an shock wave for an industry that provides 30% of the economic life of the island, according to regional government statistics. There are entire businesses dedicated to packing and transporting the fruit, which, along with tourism, keeps La Palma going.

“They say it has wiped out 10% of the island’s economy. I think it is more. It wasn’t just the bananas, or the apartments, or the bed and breakfasts, it has taken everything,” Álvarez said. “What has happened to us has happened to 90% of the people here.”

La Palma, an island of 85,000, is the second-largest producer of banana for the eight-member archipelago, which at its nearest point is 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Morocco. Last year it produced 148,000 tons of the local banana, most of which were shipped to Spain’s mainland. While usually more expensive than imported bananas from Latin America and Africa, the smaller Canary Island banana is often preferred for its sweeter taste and meatier texture




APTOPIX Spain VolcanoLava flows from a volcano as it continues to erupt on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain Spain, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. A volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma that has been erupting for six weeks has spewed more ash from its main mouth a day after producing its strongest earthquake to date. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)Less

Authorities have pledged financial aid to help the sector and fund furloughs for workers. They have also promised to revise a law that says that new land formed by the lava is property of the state.

Desalination plants have been shipped in to supply the water-dependent banana trees at points where lava flows have wrecked the irrigation systems. The island’s government has asked for the military to consider taking farmers in by boat to tend to farms that have been isolated by the rivers of lava.

The lava, however, keeps spewing from the Cumbre Vieja ridge, threatening to widen and consume more land as it churns its way downward to the Atlantic, where a new patch of lava land is forming.

The house of farmer Jesús Pérez is still at risk, but for him the most important property he owns is already gone.

“I would have prefered to lose my house instead of my banana trees,” the 56-year-old Pérez said. “The trees give you life, the house gives you nothing. I have sacrificed all my life, and for what, nothing?”


Spain VolcanoCristina Vera leaves her house covered with ash from volcano eruptions after collecting her last belonging at the Canary island of La Palma, Spain, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. A volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma that has been erupting for six weeks has spewed more ash from its main mouth a day after producing its strongest earthquake to date. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona.

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