All articles tagged with #lava flows
Scientists have discovered that Turkey's Tuz Gölü Fault is gradually widening at about one millimeter per year, revealing that it is an extensional fault where the land is moving apart, challenging previous assumptions and providing new insights into continental deformation and earthquake hazards.
New data from NASA's Magellan spacecraft suggests Venus is more volcanically active than previously thought, with Italian researchers identifying large lava flows in two new areas. This discovery, published in Nature Astronomy, indicates that Venus's volcanic activity may be comparable to Earth's, significantly altering our understanding of the planet's geological processes.
Radar images reveal fresh lava flows on Venus, suggesting the planet is more volcanically active than previously thought. Scientists compared images from the 1990s to current conditions, identifying new rock formations likely caused by recent volcanic activity. This discovery supports earlier studies indicating Venus has active volcanoes, with volcanic activity potentially comparable to Earth's.
New software has allowed scientists to re-examine old radar images of Venus, revealing two vast lava flows and providing strong evidence that the planet is still volcanically active. This discovery helps to better understand Venus's hellish environment and its volcanic history.
A volcano in southwest Iceland, which erupted for the second time in less than a month, appeared less active on Monday, but the risk of new fissures opening without warning remains. Lava flows reached the outskirts of the town of Grindavik, causing fires and prompting evacuations. Defensive barriers helped divert the lava away from the town, but residents expressed concern about the future of their community. The Icelandic government is set to meet to discuss support for the affected people.
A strong volcanic eruption on the southwestern flank of Cumbre Vieja in La Palma, part of Spain's Canary Islands, caused extensive damage to buildings, banana plantations, and pine forests. Lava flows and ash covered over 12 square kilometers of the island, reaching the coastline. However, in the two years since the eruption, some roads have been reconstructed, reconnecting towns and communities. Sparse trees and shrubs, including the fire-resistant Canary Island pine, have started to grow amidst the deposited ash.
Icelandic authorities are preparing to build defense walls around a geothermal power plant in Grindavik, Iceland, in an effort to protect it from potential lava flows caused by an imminent volcanic eruption. Seismic activity and underground lava flows have intensified in the area, prompting the evacuation of nearly 4,000 people. The Icelandic Meteorological Institute has stated that the probability of an eruption remains high. Construction of a protective dyke around the power station is pending government approval, and equipment and materials are being moved to the plant.
Kilauea, Hawaii's most active volcano, erupted for the second time in three months, with fountains of lava reaching almost 500 feet into the air. The eruption, which occurred in the national park, poses no immediate threat to residents, but volcanic smog could be a health risk to those with respiratory issues. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory had been monitoring the volcano since August due to increasing earthquakes, ground swelling, and magma flow. The duration of the eruption is uncertain, but it is not expected to be as destructive as the 2018 eruption that destroyed over 700 homes.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is conducting field tests in Iceland using its airborne F-SAR radar sensor and an infrared imager called V-EMulator to study lava flows, as a strong analog for what the VERITAS Venus mission might find on Venus' volcanic surface. The mission, which has been delayed indefinitely, aims to understand the evolution of Venus' surface and rocky planets in general. The DLR is also testing V-EMulator, a prototype for the Venus Emissivity Mapper that will be installed on VERITAS.