A “tsunami of lava” is pouring from the Cumbre Vieja volcano La Palma, the Canary Islands, which has forced 300 people to evacuate their homes.
A spokesperson from the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said the latest eruption had caused a “lava tsunami”, which they caught on camera on Friday.
Uno de nuestros equipos ha podido filmar hoy un verdadero “tsunami” de lava. Impresionante velocidad y desborde del canal lávico / today one of our crew was able to film a truly lava “tsunami”. Amazing speed and overflow of the lava channel. pic.twitter.com/aoKiUSJ2bX
— INVOLCAN (@involcan) October 14, 2021
The video shows magma – which sits at temperatures around 1,075 Celsius – with high viscosity rolling into La Palma, where over 7.36 square kilometers have been submerged by the lava, according to the EU Copernicus Emergency Management Service.
The 4.5 magnitude quake was the strongest to hit the island out of 100 that occurred in 24 hours, according to Reuters.
(REUTERS/Susana Vera)
Above: The Cumbre Vieja volcano spews lava as it continues to erupt on the Canary Island of La Palma, as seen from Tajuya, Spain, 17 October 2021.
There have been no casualties as a result of the eruption.
There is a concern, however, about the amount of sulfur dioxide emitted from the eruption.
Clouds of toxic smoke – which can cause breathing difficulties – have reached the Caribbean and neighboring European countries.
Scientists cannot predict when the eruption will end, volcanologist Robin George Andrews writes in The Times.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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