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Report on Piton de la Fournaise (France) — 13 February-19 February 2019


Piton de la Fournaise

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 February-19 February 2019
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2019. Report on Piton de la Fournaise (France) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 13 February-19 February 2019. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (13 February-19 February 2019)

Piton de la Fournaise

France

21.244°S, 55.708°E; summit elev. 2632 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


OVPF reported that a seismic crisis began at Piton de la Fournaise at 1521 on 16 February accompanied by rapid deformation. The number of earthquakes sharply decreased at 1618 and deformation stopped at 1630. A second seismic crisis began at 0916 on 18 February, again accompanied by rapid deformation. Tremor commenced at 0948, coincident with at least eruptive fissures opening on the E flank of Dolomieu crater. Weather conditions prevented good views of the eruption site. Lava fountains rose less than 30 m above the vents, and after about an hour the longest lava flow reached 1,900 m elevation. Lava effusion ceased at 2200 on 18 February. A seismic crisis began at 1500 on 19 February, and tremor began to be recorded at 1700. Gas emissions were recorded by webcams for about an hour. During an overflight on 20 February the OVPF team observed a new eruption site located at 1,800 m elevation at the foot of Piton Madoré. One fissure opened and at 0620 only one lava fountain was active. The front of a lava flow reached 1,300 m elevation.

Geological Summary. Piton de la Fournaise is a massive basaltic shield volcano on the French island of RĂ©union in the western Indian Ocean. Much of its more than 530,000-year history overlapped with eruptions of the deeply dissected Piton des Neiges shield volcano to the NW. Three scarps formed at about 250,000, 65,000, and less than 5,000 years ago by progressive eastward slumping, leaving caldera-sized embayments open to the E and SE. Numerous pyroclastic cones are present on the floor of the scarps and their outer flanks. Most recorded eruptions have originated from the summit and flanks of Dolomieu, a 400-m-high lava shield that has grown within the youngest scarp, which is about 9 km wide and about 13 km from the western wall to the ocean on the E side. More than 150 eruptions, most of which have produced fluid basaltic lava flows, have occurred since the 17th century. Only six eruptions, in 1708, 1774, 1776, 1800, 1977, and 1986, have originated from fissures outside the scarps.

Source: Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise (OVPF)