This Sunday; Mexico raised the alert level for a volcano in the center of the country that has been spewing ash and smoke at accelerating levels since about May 15, resulting in officials closing schools and public parks, as locals prepare for the possibility of evacuating. Ash from Popocatépetl volcano,read more
The Popocatepetl near Mexico City has emitted more than a hundred explosive eruptions in the past 24 hours, causing American carriers to cancel flights in and out of the area.The ashes haven’t reached Mexico City International Airport. But Delta, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines canceled flights that had been scheduled to depart Thursday. At Toluca Airport also outside Mexico City, Spirit Airlines shut down its operations to Fr. Lauderdale and Dallas. Mexican airlines have not shut down their flights, and the US carriers are expected to resume as soon as the ash plumes subside. The current increase in activity began with an extraordinary eruption on June 17.
read more
Two volcanoes in Alaska and Popocatepetl in Mexico are either erupting or showing signs of activity. As sea levels continue to rise, putting pressure on continental shelves, predictions are that volcanic activity will also increase, as well as seismic activity. Whether or not earthquakes will follow the eruptions of these volcanoes is not known, but officials are concerned that plumes from the Alaskan volcanoes could endanger air travel from the US to Asia, and Mexican vulcanologists are watching Popo carefully, in expectation of a more significant and potentially dangerous level of activity.
read more