All posts tagged ‘Soufriere Hills’ Over the weekend, the fairly
remote Indonesian volcano Paluweh (also known as Rokatenda)
erupted. Now, the size of the eruption is somewhat unclear due
to its location on Palu’e Island, north of Flores Island. Early
VAAC reports suggested ash as high as 43,000 feet / ~13 km,
however reports from on the ground put it closer to 13-16,000
feet / 4-5 km. Now, that is a sizable difference and possibly
the early VAAC reports from satellite and aerial observations
got the height wrong — but in any case, the volcano did
experience a notable explosive eruption. Ash fell on towns on
the nearby island of Flores, with thicknesses in the millimeters
(so noticeable but not very hazardous). The island had been
evacuated (~10,000 villagers) earlier last year after the
volcano showed signs of unrest. I saw (and was sent) a lot of
articles about the findings from Anthony Watts and others in
Nature Geosciences on the submarine volcanism in the Kermadec
Islands north of New Zealand. A group of