2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption

The 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption was a volcanic eruption of Cumbre Vieja on the island of La Palma, one of the most active volcanoes in the Canary Islands, Spain. It is the first volcanic eruption on the island since the eruption of Teneguía in 1971. At 85 days, it is the longest known eruption of a volcano on La Palma.

The eruption began at 16:12 UTC on 19 September 2021 in a forested area called Cabeza de Vaca.

An earthquake swarm started on 11 September, which led to the volcanic eruption on 19 September.

Around 300 people from the local area were evacuated shortly after the eruption.

The eruption led to the evacuation of more than 8,000 people, and the lava has destroyed more than 3,000 buildings.

It is the most damaging volcanic eruption on La Palma since records began.

Initially, when the eruption started, it had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 0, when it was a purely lava eruption. But with the ashfall that began a week later, the Volcanic Explosivity Index of the eruption rose to 2.

On 28 September, at around 23:02 UTC, the lava flow reached the sea at the Perdido Beach.

On 20 November, the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) was upgraded from VEI 2 to VEI 3, when the ashfall reached 10 million m³.

On 12 December, the volcanic eruption broke the local record, when it reached 85 days of continuous activity. The eruption is the longest known eruption of a volcano on La Palma. Previously, the eruption of the Tajuya volcano in 1585 was the longest at 84 days. No reliable data is available about earlier volcanic eruptions, before Spanish colonization of La Palma in the 15th century.

On 13 December, the volcanic eruption stopped. Noting weak seismicity and zero tremors, scientists said that a resumption of the eruption is highly unlikely, giving locals hope that it is over.

On 25 December 2021, after 12 days with no activity from the volcano, the eruption was officially declared to have ended.

References

Category:2021 disasters in Africa
Category:2021 in Spain
Category:Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Category:September 2021 events
Category:October 2021 events
Category:November 2021 events
Category:December 2021 events
Category:Volcanic eruptions