Popocatepetl volcano in Mexico rumbles as authorities raise alert level

As mentioned by the Dawg in an earlier post:
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47069468#.T48XjmVKmnI

To compound matters, a 3.4 magnitude earthquake was detected at 10:07am:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eluniversal.com.mx%2Fnotas%2F842240.html

Well......at least it isn't Colima volcano...........yet.
My friend told me it's one of the 18 most dangerous. That's comforting...HAH!

When we were little, my sister and I couldn't quite manage to say, "Popocatepetl".... to us he was "PoppaTeakettle". Lizzy

Wow, my sister and I climbed Popo back In the late 1970's. Even then the sulphur fumes at the summit were strong. Amazing to see those pictures!
Bill

On many clear days we can see Popocatepetl from where we live, it is too far away to be a danger to us though.

It is commonly called “Popo” by most people, and in many newspapers.

Rex

Or Don Goyo

"it is too far away to be a danger to us though."

This may be a true statement as related to lava flow or other related physical damage. But anyone who has experienced the effects and inconvenience of massive ash deposits will tell you that is no walk in the park either. I lived outside of Spokane, WA in 1980 when Mount St. Helens blew its top and life was pretty darned miserable for a number of weeks/months!

WOW, those are super pictures. Is this near Mexico city? And I can still barely pronounce it.

John:

In the linked article, it states: "Popocatepetl, which lies some 50 miles to the southeast of Mexico City, pumped out a cloud of hot air and particles in an emission lasting about 20 minutes on Tuesday."

CheenaGringo wrote:"it is too far away to be a danger to us though."

This may be a true statement as related to lava flow or other related physical damage. But anyone who has experienced the effects and inconvenience of massive ash deposits will tell you that is no walk in the park either. I lived outside of Spokane, WA in 1980 when Mount St. Helens blew its top and life was pretty darned miserable for a number of weeks/months!

I remember being waken up by the explosion I think it was a Sunday Morning. To give you guys an idea of the ash distance we got hit 80 miles south of Portland Oregon. Not much
but it got all the way down the Willamette Valley. I remember looking at it collect on cars. For the folks in the more seriously disturbed areas it was a matter of changing your air
filter every 10 miles or so as it would clog up. CG was right what a mess. Remember Harry from Spirit lake?? He now has the deepest grave short of a mine disaster.

Z

We even heard the boom and received a light dusting of ash from Mt. St. Helen's up in Vancouver.

I had gone to my office in Deer Park, WA (north of Spokane) to catch up on some paperwork before heading off for a flying lesson at the local Cessna flight school. I hadn't heard anything about the eruption. About 30 to 45 minutes before I was to leave for my lesson, the skies darkened and ash started falling. It was only then that I turned on the radio to learn what happened. It was really eerie because all sounds from birds or insects ceased. In a typical overreaction, the Sheriff of Spokane Country declared a state of emergency and closed all bars and liquor stores and made it illegal to be outside without a mask.

The Cessna school was located at the small local airstrip. It was easily six months before they found the money to clear the ash and make it safe to use the strip once again. The company had a very old step van that didn't even have an air cleaner. We drove that rather than endanger our personal vehicles and it just kept running.

It is true about the dangers of volcanic ash. I was living in Anchorage, Alaska when a nearby volcano in the Aleutian Islands erupted. Prior to that time, airlines didn't pay any attention to volcanic ash clouds. However, a 747 airliner arriving from Europe flew right through it. All four engines seized, the ash had turned to glass on the impellers and the engines quit functioning.

Fortunately, as the airplane was dropping from high altitude, the glass flaked off of the impellers due to the cold air, and the pilots were able to restart the engines, and limp into Anchorage. The airplane had to be ferried to Seattle so all four engines could be replaced. Now, all airliners world-wide avoid volcanic ash clouds.

The morning after the eruption, there was about a foot of volcanic ash in my yard, and the streets. Fortunately, there was an auto parts store a very few blocks from my house. I had to go to work, so I stopped to buy some extra air filters for my car. The store was loaded with people, all buying air filters.

Most people were just driving through the volcanic dust on the streets. No telling how many cars had to have an engine overhaul after that day.

Now, in retirement, if there is a similar incident here, I just will not start my car. I will use taxis if a trip is absolutely necessary. It is wise to avoid volcanic ash if possible.

Rex

An interesting and somewhat brief article about Mexico’s Volcanic Axis:

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http://geo-mexico.com/?p=6242

Some of the links provided at the end of the article contain some interesting info if one is interested.

Two new impressive images courtesy of: http://geo-mexico.com/?p=6385:

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There is some new info in the linked article.

Sulfurous looking cloud, that. Reminds me of L.A. Lizzy