Last night NPR ran a short piece on Popocatéptl's activity. Today (05/14/2013) a short piece appeared in La Jornada that gives a succinct summary of the science behind Popo's activity. Besides, the title proved to be irresistible. Here's my translation.La Jornada: Emir Olivares Alonso
Mexico City - With average emissions of 6,000 to 8,000 tons per day, and about 200,000 tons expelled during outstanding eruptions, Popocatepetl is one of five volcanoes in the world that emit the highest levels of sulfur dioxide.
So says a study undertaken by a team of scientists from the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico [UNAM], who have for years monitored emissions of carbon dioxide and sulfur. The purpose of this monitoring is to understand its role in different types of eruptive episodes, reported Hugo Delgado, researcher at the Department of Volcanology at the UNAM.
Monitoring data show that between 1994--the year in which Popo last erupted--and 2008, the volcano released 30 megatons of gases, and the trends indicate that it will register, at least, another five year period of intense activity.
"The good news," he said, "is that while the gases vent efficiently as they are today, there will be no serious problems."Equipment for measuring, detecting and monitoring the concentration of gases around the colossus was installed for this project.
Scientific Network
This network consists Tlamacas, Chipiquixtle, Colibrí and Cruz Blanca stations that monitor the volcano 360 degrees around. The scientist explained that emissions are monitored from these four stations, which cover an area of 500 square kilometers located in the states of Puebla, Mexico and Morelos. Different methods are used to determine the concentrations of sulfur dioxide and carbon.
Delgado Granados emphasized that the gases play a primary role in the explosive activity of volcanoes. The study of how they are emitted and their trajectory inside provides data on whether or not the eruptions will be explosive, he explained during the talk "How Can We Diagnose Popocatéptl's Gastritis?" given in the auditorium of the Institute of Geophysics Tlayólotl.
Delgado Granados emphasized that the gases play a primary role in the explosive activity of volcanoes. The study of how they are emitted and their trajectory inside provides data on whether or not the eruptions will be explosive, he explained during the talk "How Can We Diagnose Popocatéptl's Gastritis?" given in the auditorium of the Institute of Geophysics Tlayólotl.
The volcanologist commented that, at any given moment, volcanoes emit lava streams and suddenly change their eruptive style to 'explosive' , a phenomenon in which the gases act as the engine of the process, whose origin is still debated by experts.
"In Popo's case, there is controversy about whether [explosive episodes] are caused by hot material that evaporates the limestone rocks or by the magma beneath the volcano. It is a puzzle that must be solved in order to improve explanations of what actually takes place."Spanish original
Still Curious?
Here's the CNN Mexico piece featuring interviews with people who live near the crater: Mexico: Popocatéptl's Eruptions are "Part of the Countryside" Say Neighbors Living on the Volcano's Flanks
Here are several Jenny's posts that discuss the impact of volcanoes and other natural phenomena on the culture of Mexico:
- Geography: Ground of Mexican Culture and History;
- Mexico's Volcanoes and Mesoamerican Mythology;
- Cuicuilco, Volcanes and the Fragility of Life in Mesoamerica;
- Mesoamerican Culture: The Human Bond with Nature.
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