LA PALMA – From Thursday to Friday, new earthquakes caused a third fault line and new lava flows on the volcano of La Palma. It is still unclear whether these new lava flows will join the earlier ones or find their own way across the Spanish island.
The volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma is far from over. On Friday, a third opening created two new lava flows. These new flows are currently parallel to the previous flow from the other craters. The new lava flows appear to be moving toward unaffected areas of the municipalities of El Paso and Los Llanos.
New lava flows engulfs more than two hundred homes
The new lava flows have destroyed about 200 additional homes in the past 28 hours, bringing the total number to 981. Scientists are monitoring the new flows and are in close contact with local emergency services to evacuate new areas when needed. At the time of writing, it is not yet clear whether the flows will eventually join the first lava flow or find their own way down.
Footage from local media shows how the current currents rip through a village and completely destroy houses.
Seventeen hectares larger due to solidified lava
Until now, all lava flowed in the same direction to the sea. Recently the lava reached the ocean, which has made the Canary Island 17 hectares larger. Images from the Spanish research institute CSIC and from the news site Las Provincias show a kind of peninsula about 500 metres wide that was formed by the solidified lava.
Warning for poisonous clouds on La Palma
Not only are the lava flows causing concern among experts and residents of the island, a higher concentration of sulfur dioxide has also been observed on the island. Residents have previously noted a ‘rotten egg smell’. Earlier there were poisonous clouds in the vicinity of Tazacorte. Due to the predicted wind, the emergency services are now also warning about poisonous clouds in the area of Los Llanos de Aridane and El Paso.
