Transcript plosky tolbachik volcano in kamchatka erupts after 40 years

PLOSKY TOLBACHIK VOLCANO
IN KAMCHATKA
ERUPTS AFTER 40 YEARS
January 6, 2013
Walter Hays, Global Alliance for
Disaster Reduction, Vienna,
Virginia, USA
PLOSKY TOLBACHIK SPEWS
ASH 4 KM: JAN. 6, 2013
The Plosky Tolbachik volcano,
which emitted lava, poisonous
gases, and ash, is located in
Kamchatka peninsula,
hundreds of miles (km) from
the nearest residential areas.
Tourists rushing to the area
to view the once-in-40 years
spectacle have been warned
about the toxic gases.
Until the lava-spewing fissure
that occurred on November 27,
2012, and the current eruption
phase, Plosky Tolbachik had
been dormant since 1976.
The current eruption, which is
expected to continue for some
time, has not yet forced any
changes in the airline flight
patterns over this part of Russia.
This type of eruption, known
as a strombolian eruption, is
usually moderate.
BACKGROUND
VOLCANOES
are awesome manifestations of
heat flowing at hot spots (e.g.,
Hawaii and Iceland) and in
subduction zones (e.g., along
almost the entire Pacific Rim).
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF 1,500
ACTIVE VOLCANOES
ACTIVE VOLCANOES
VOLCANOES
•HAZARD MAPS
•INVENTORY
•VULNERABILITY
•LOCATION
ACCEPTABLE RISK
RISK
UNACCEPTABLE RISK
VOLCANO DISASTER
RISK REDUCTION
DATA BASES
AND INFORMATION
COMMUNITY
POLICY OPTIONS
HAZARDS:
GROUND SHAKING
GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING
TECTONIC DEFORMATION
TSUNAMI RUN UP
AFTERSHOCKS
•PREVENTION/MITIGATION
•PREPAREDNESS
•EMERGENCY RESPONSE
•RECOVERY and
RECONSTRUCTION
VOLCANO HAZARDS
(AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)
•
•
•
•
VERTICAL PLUME
ASH AND TEPHRA
LATERAL BLAST
PYROCLASTIC FLOWS
VOLCANO HAZARDS
(AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)
• LAVA FLOWS AND TOXIC
GASES
• LAHARS
• EARTHQUAKES (related to the
movement of lava)
• “VOLCANIC WINTER”
CAUSES
OF RISK
LATERAL BLAST
PYROCLASTIC FLOWS
FLYING DEBRIS
VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS
CASE HISTORIES
VOLCANIC ASH
LAVA FLOWS
LAHARS
TOXIC GASES
ELEMENTS OF VOLCANO
RISK
HAZARDS
EXPOSURE
RISK
VULNERABILITY
LOCATION
VOLCANOES CAUSING MAJOR
LOSS OF LIFE
Three past volcanic eruptions caused
major loss of life: 1) Krakatoa,
Indonesia, where 32,000 were killed in
1883; 2) Mt. Pelee, Martinique, where
29,000 were killed in 1902; and 3)
Nevada del Ruiz, Colombia, where
23,000 were killed in 1985.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR
VOLCANOES
• FORECASTS OF
ERUPTIONS
• MONITORING
TECHNOLOGIES (E.G.,
DEFORMATION,
SEISMICITY, GAS
EMISSIONS, REMOTE
SENSING, WINDS)
• WARNING SYSTEMS
• DATABASES FOR
EACH VOLCANO
• COMPUTER MODELS
OF VOLCANOES
• MAPS
• DISASTER
SCENARIOS
• HAZARD
ASSESSMENT
• RISK ASSESSMENT
MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES
.