The director of the National Geographic Institute (IGN) in the Canary Islands, María José Blanco, stated this Thursday that the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma maintains explosive phenomena, a stable speed in deformations and low-level seismicity.
In a press conference to report on the agreements of the scientific and director committee of Pevolca, she commented that a lava flow has practically stopped --the one oriented further north-- and the other is advancing "very slowly", at about 4 meters per hour, which is normal when they move away from the emission center, apart from the fact that it has to drag the previous material, part of it cold, and adapt to the topography of the terrain.
She commented that the lava front is about 500 meters long and in some sections, 12 meters high, and the column of gases from the volcano reaches maximum peaks of 4,500 meters in altitude.
Blanco said that acid rain is "not expected" due to the action of the trade winds and that the air quality is good, and she guaranteed that, given the slowness of the lava, it will not reach the sea either this Thursday or tomorrow Friday.
She pointed out that the emitting center has not stopped "and remains the same", and has emitted about 26 million cubic meters of lava.
In a fissure-type eruption, such as the one in La Palma, she commented that there are different emitting centers and when they build a cone, gas accumulation phenomena occur that "is released suddenly, abruptly" and are very explosive, as has happened in recent days.
In that line, she pointed out that they will continue to occur in the coming days and does not rule out the creation of new emitting centers --mouths--.
Blanco also acknowledged that early this Thursday the action of the wind combined with the production of ash has caused problems in air navigation --there have been delays in La Palma and two restriction zones have been created for emergency flights-- and has recommended that the population of the most affected municipalities stay at home or, if they go out, use a mask.
