A volcanic eruption has started this afternoon, around 3:10 p.m., in the Cabeza de Vaca area, in the municipality of El Paso, in La Palma, just when seismic activity on the island had reached its peak since the swarm began a week ago.
The eruption has started in the area where experts agreed it could start, and for now there are two eruptive vents that are spewing lava flows and pyroclasts. Also, about 300 residents of the El Paraíso area have already been evacuated and no homes have been affected.
David Calvo, geologist at the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan), explained in statements to Canary Islands Television, collected by Europa Press, that what is called a 'strombolian eruption' is now taking place, a phase in which lava flows and pyroclasts are emitted that resemble the images seen in the Teneguía eruption, 50 years ago.
Calvo added that from now on we must continue working on the ground, try to quickly estimate the volume of lava that is being emitted, continue with the research work and provide all kinds of data to the authorities to help manage this emergency.
The geologist has pointed out that this scenario is not very different from the one they have already worked on in other eruptions around the world, and insisted that now it is time to see how the eruption develops. In this sense, he commented that it does not seem like a very explosive eruption and it seems that the lava comes out quite easily.
Regarding how long this eruption will last, David Calvo acknowledges that it is "totally unpredictable" until the first estimates of the energies that are being released through the fissures are available and it is a little clear what eruptive dynamics this new eruption is taking in the Archipelago.
Likewise, he has clarified that the opening of several eruptive vents is common in volcanism in the Canary Islands, as has already been seen in many other eruptions in the past. In this sense, he stressed that it will be necessary to see if it finally concentrates in a single point or if another vent appears, but always linked, for the time being, with the fracture in which the eruption has occurred.
