New lava stream on La Palma is 200 metres from the ocean

Sulphur dioxide cloud from La Palma reaches Galicia and Portugal

Sulphur dioxide cloud from La Palma reaches Galicia and Portugal. image: twitter @involcan

The new lava stream on La Palma is only 200 metres from the ocean

As reported this Sunday, October 17, by Involcan, the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands, the latest lava stream from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island La Palma is just 200 metres from clifftops, where it could fall into the ocean.

According to the information on their social networks, the stream – which is travelling further north than the original ones – has slowed to a speed of 15 metres per hour. The temperature of this stream has been recorded as being around 1,270 degrees, and contains the greatest load of the current volcanic flows,

If it makes the final few hundred metres and falls into the ocean, this magma will form another new strip, although this will depend on the orography of the area, and what its final trajectory is.

In anticipation of this latest event, residents of the immediate vicinity are being asked to evacuate their homes, as a civil protection measure. Miguel Angel Morcuende, the technical director of Pevolca, the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan, recommended this action. He reported that there could be small explosions and hydrochloric acid detachments once this volcanic material enters the water.

Mr Morcuende added that although it seems that it has slowed down, the flow has “an enormous contribution of energy”, and there is “the certain possibility of it reaching the sea”, as reported by laprovincia.es.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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