The longest volcano eruption recorded in La Palma, in the Canary Islands, began September 19. It lasted for 85 days.
Since then, the Cumbre Vieja volcano has destroyed almost 3,000 buildings in the area and caused thousands of people to flee their homes.
Today, after several days at low levels of activity, it blew up a huge cloud of ash in the sky. It then suddenly burst into life.
Members of the Spanish Military Emergency Unit, (UME), are seen on December 10, monitoring toxic agent emissions following the eruption at Cumbre Vieja
The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute earlier today tweeted a video in which a thick plume of ash could be seen smoking out of the volcano this afternoon.
The caption was: “Intense column ash at 12.00 pm Canarian time. Video taken from Dos Pinos dam.
Since its inception, the eruption has been ebbing and flowing ever since. Spanish experts originally predicted that it would last for up to three weeks.
Some of the evacuated families returned to La Palma after almost three months.
Houses destroyed by Lava during an eruption at Las Manchas, on Monday in La Palma’s Canary Island.
Mariano Hernandez is the senior official of the island’s government. He described the volcano in Spanish to RTVE as being stable over recent days.
He stated that “all the important indicators” had been very low.
“But scientists can’t tell when it will end.”
Las Manchas houses covered in Ash, photo taken December 6,
As the Cumbre Vieja volcano continued erupting, the skies were clouded by ash. Graphed on December 8, 2008.
Experts were still measuring the magnitude and number of earthquakes within the region, as well as the local levels of sulphur dioxide.
Although 24 earthquakes occurred from Saturday to Sunday according to authorities, none of them were felt locally.
The eruption caused no deaths or injuries, but there have not been any direct injuries.
Last Friday, cats wandered on the road in La Palma covered with ash.
A large portion of the land covered by rivers of lava, which are pouring molten rocks into the seas, is agricultural.
One section on the southwest side was the worst affected.
You can find Africa’s northwest coast off the volcanic Canary Islands.