Earthquakes, ash and lava reaching the sea: the chronology of the eruption of Cumbre Vieja

(CNN Spanish) – The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, on the Spanish island of La Palma, marks one month this week, a period during which it has produced thousands of earthquakes, huge columns of ash and long rivers of fiery lava that have reached the sea.

In the midst of this devastation, thousands of people have had to be evacuated.

The following is the chronology of the volcano’s eruption from the beginning of seismic activity to the present day.

11 of September: An “intense activity both seismic and deformation” begins in the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, Spain, agree with data from the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME).

September 19th: At 14:10 (UTC) erupts the Cumbre Vieja volcano, located in the Cabeza de Vaca area, in the municipality of El Paso. Up to the time of the eruption, more than 22,000 earthquakes in the area.

In this way begins the evacuation of between 5,000 and 10,000 people in the affected areas, as announced by the Civil Guard cited by EFE.

September 20: Lava advances at a speed of 700 meters per hour on several fronts, agree with the National Geographic Institute (IGN).

24th September: The speed of lava is reduced at 10 meters per hour, and the eruptive column rises more than 5,000 meters above sea level.

Authorities order additional evacuations, while several flights are canceled due to rising volcanic ash.

September 27th: Residents of the eastern coast of La Palma receive the confinement order, as the lava flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano approaches the sea.

It is warned that the lava, 1,250 degrees Celsius, could touch the Atlantic Ocean in the next few hours, which would probably cause explosions and send clouds of toxic gases over the island, according to the Canary Islands emergency services.

September 29th: The lava that has flowed from the volcano for 10 days finally reaches the sea after falling off a cliff in the area of ​​Playa Nueva, near the town of Tazacorte, confirms the Institute of Volcanology of the Canary Islands through Twitter.

Authorities tell residents of La Palma’s western coast to seal doors and windows with duct tape and wet towels to protect themselves from toxic gases spewed by the lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano as it reaches the sea.

4th of October: The river of red-hot lava gushing out from the Cumbre Vieja volcano thickens, after the north side of the crater collapsed the night before, causing spectacular explosions.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano is now erupting even more aggressively after weeks of spewing lava jets, the IGN said.

The height of the eruptive column it has been reduced at 4,500 meters above sea level.

October 6: Vicente Soler, a volcanologist with the Spanish Higher Council for Scientific Research, points out on CNN Radio that “we are at the maturity of the eruption” of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma.

The specialist emphasizes that the phenomenon is “in the middle of the eruption at cruising speed”, while indicating that “the most likely scenario is that the activity will continue where it is.”

Column height eruptive: 3,000 meters above sea level.

October 10th: Blocks of molten lava the size of three-story buildings roll down a hillside on La Palma as a series of tremors shake the ground, three weeks after the volcanic eruption.

Column height eruptive: 3,500 meters above sea level.

October 12 °: The emergency services of the Canary Islands order hundreds of people to immediately evacuate their homes on the Spanish island of La Palma, due to the proximity of a lava flow.

Column height eruptive: 3,500 meters above sea level.

October 13: There are at least 6,800 evacuees and more than 1,500 buildings destroyed by the eruption of the La Palma volcano, after the new lava flow caused the evacuation of another 800 residents.

Column height eruptive: 3,000 meters above sea level.

October 15th: The Cumbre Vieja volcano presents a new mouth or crater, according to the authorities of the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands. What’s more. It has expelled so much lava that specialists have called it a ‘lava tsunami’.

Height scattering cloud: 4,000 meters above sea level.

October 18: In just one day, 101 earthquakes were recorded in the area affected by the volcanic eruption, which shows growth compared to previous days, according to the IGN. The height of the scattering cloud remains at 4,000 meters above sea level.