La Palma volcano has been erupting for 2 months

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | This image shows a fireball (a bit of space debris) from the Taurid meteor shower behind a live volcano. Roberto Porto in La Palma, Canary Islands, wrote on November 14, 2021: “Day 56 of the eruption of the volcano Cumbre Vieja on the island of La Palma. The volcano is quiet, it no longer emits its deafening noise. Barely any magma comes out of the Strombolian eruptive mouth… We are leaning against the wall of the church of Tajuya, while the 5 Nikons tirelessly shoot photos at the volcano. Some dogs in the distance start barking for no apparent reason. Suddenly, a short but intense tremor shakes the wall of the church. We just felt an earthquake of intensity 4.7. In a few seconds the dynamics of the volcano change completely. It stops emitting so much ash and the lava gains strength again, coming out of the main mouth. At that moment a fireball, from the rain of Taurids, falls from the sky and explodes just above the volcano.” What a moment! Thank you, Roberto!

La Palma volcano began erupting on September 19

It’s been two months since a volcano on the Atlantic island of La Palma – part of Spain’s Canary Islands – began to erupt on September 19, 2021. And the volcano is still erupting. According to the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program, as of November 16, the eruption at La Palma continues to be characterized by:

… Strombolian explosions and lava fountaining from multiple vents, advancing and sometimes branching lava flows, and daily ash emissions.

As of October, according to the Spanish news outlet 20minutos.es, the eruption has forced around 7,000 people to evacuate. And the lava flow has covered over 1000 hectares (about 4 square miles), making this volcano the most destructive in La Palma’s history. The lava flow is about 0.6 miles (1 km) wide and has reached the sea. 20minutos.es said the lava has destroyed more than 2,600 buildings, cut the coastal highway and formed a new peninsula.

The 2021 La Palma eruption is coming from Cumbre Vieja, considered to be one of the most active volcanos in the Canary Islands. Footage from local and international media shows the current eruption of red-hot lava and dust emanating from the Cumbre Vieja National Park in the south of the island. This volcano erupted twice in the 20th century, in 1949 and again in 1971. So, before the September 19 eruption began, the last eruption of this volcano on La Palma was 50 years ago. The 1971 eruption lasted just over three weeks.

See the images and video on this page. Our thanks to EarthSky Community members Roberto Porto and Antonio Gonzalez, both of whom are on La Palma, and who contributed photos to our community page.

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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Antonio Gonzalez in El Paso, La Palma Island, took this image of the volcanic eruption on November 14, 2021. He wrote: “During a volcanic eruption, when it has an episode of emission of a lot of volcanic ash, it’s possible to see a lot of volcanic lightning. Some scientists think that this lightning helped in the formation of life on Earth.” Thank you, Antonio!

Lava fills swimming pool, headed to sea

We want to thank those who, since yesterday, have been sending us messages about our situation. NOT staff and their families are well and safe. Here you have a cool pic of the #volcano taken from the top of Roque de los Muchachos by Emmy Paraskeva. #Lapalmaerupcion #ORMLaPalma pic.twitter.com/2mi3cjI8AX

— NOT Telescope (@nordictelescope) September 20, 2021

La Palma volcano, September 19, 2021, via Reuters.

View larger. | Our friend Roberto Porto in La Palma captured this glorious panoramic photo on September 20, 2021. He wrote: “The new volcano in La Palma erupted and created this pyrocumulus illuminated by the full moon.” Thank you for sharing, Roberto.

View larger. | Also from Roberto Porto, who captioned this image from the same day: “The first night of the new volcano in La Palma.” It’s spectacular.

Bottom line: The La Palma volcano – which began on September 19, 2021 – has now been erupting for 2 months. Photos and video here.

Canarianweekly.com said in October that is now officially the most damaging among the historical eruptions that occurred on the island of La Palma since records began.

NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly spoke on November 17 with a resident of La Palma, who said the lava is now only 400 yards (meters) from her house.

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