El Teneguía volcano located on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, it erupted on Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 15:12 p.m. Since then, all the media are attentive to what may happen. It is one of the historical eruptions such as those that have occurred in this volcanic archipelago and it is the one that will be talked about the most in the coming years.
In this article we are going to tell you what are the causes and consequences of the eruption of the Teneguía volcano, its characteristics and disprove some hoaxes.
Eruption of the Teneguía volcano
The El Hierro eruption occurred about 10 years ago and this eruption has characteristics quite similar to the rest of the eruptions that have taken place on these islands. The eruption of the Teneguía volcano it is of the strombolian type and it begins through a fracture and with emissions of lava, pyroclasts and gases. The rash usually lasts from a few weeks to a few months.
We must find the cause of the eruption in the accumulation of magma at the bottom of the volcanic building on La Palma (6 to 8 kilometers deep). The magma comes from the mantle and is produced in the next area that we call the asthenosphere. It is tens of kilometers deep. In this area, the pressure and temperature conditions allow the rocks found there to partially melt, producing magma. The density of this silicate composition liquid containing rock debris, suspended crystals and dissolved gas is lower than the density of the surrounding rocks.
In view of the density difference with closed rock, when magma accumulates in sufficient quantities, it will use existing cracks in the rock or cracks that the magma itself can produce (due to buoyancy) to ascend to a shallower area. . Thus, rises to lower pressure and temperature levels, and can even accumulate at an intermediate level in the contact area between rocks of different nature. When magma builds up in sufficient quantity, it uses existing cracks in the rock to rise to a shallower area.
Prevention and prediction of eruptions
These accumulation zones, which we call magma reservoirs or magma chambers, allow deep magma to accumulate closer to the surface, which generates overpressure and deforms and fractures the surrounding rocks. This results in an increase in seismic activity and soil deformation as measured by the volcano monitoring equipment. Similarly, when a crack opens, gases are released from the magma, and these same gases are also recorded by these same equipment. This is how we know that the volcano prepares for a new eruption.
In fact, when it comes to the La Palma volcano eruption, the pre-eruptive process began on September 11, seismic activity and ground deformation increased significantly and magma gas emissions have remained to this day. This allows you to predict eruptions and take the necessary measures to prevent and reduce possible related risks.
The developing eruption must not involve risks related to the location of the lava flow, which is completely controlled by the topography, and volcanic debris accumulates around the eruption, eventually forming the corresponding volcanic structures. Volcanic gases, such as derivatives of sulfur or carbon dioxide itself, they also exist and must be considered due to the dangers they represent, although they are restricted in the same area as the previous products.
The duration of the eruption depends on the amount of magma that can be discharged to the outside, which determines the overpressure applied from the magma chamber and stops the eruption when overpressure is reestablished in its environment. Previous eruptions are similar to current eruptions, with durations ranging from a few weeks to a few months.
Disinformation and hoaxes of the Teneguía volcano
It is clear that much of these events require knowledge of a basic culture about it. The large amount of news has generated certain information hoaxes that must be denied. Let's see which are the main ones:
- Erosion and global warming: some think that the eruption of this volcano has to do with global warming. Global warming has nothing to do with this eruption. It is caused by the volcanic nature of the island and its origin. It is normal due to its geological context.
- It has caused a tsunami in Brazil: This is another of the hoaxes. This eruption has not caused any type of tsunami.
- The Teide is going to be activated: Another of the hoaxes that circulate through the networks is that this volcano is going to activate Mount Teide. There is no proof of it. There have been recent elections and Mount Teide has not erupted because of it. And is that most volcanic systems are not connected to each other.
- Lava can't be finished with hoses: Although it seems obvious, there are still people who believe that firefighters can put out lava with their water hoses.
- The volcanic eruption can be predicted: volcanic eruptions are easier to predict than an earthquake. And it is that they always warn with small modifications in the terrain or with some small earthquakes. They can also warn with fumes and other signals. Even so, it is difficult to determine an exact date and time of the choice of a volcano.
- Stopping air traffic: it's something that people worry about. Some eruptions spew volcanic ash several kilometers into the atmosphere, often leading to the closure of airspace. In the case of this election, it does not seem that it will cause any closure of the airspace since the smoke column is not as large as in other volcanoes.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Teneguía a volcano, what its characteristics are and disprove some of the hoaxes that circulate on social networks.