Active volcanoes prompted ash warnings and set nerves on edge in Italy, Mexico and the Democratic Republic of Congo over the weekend.
Mount Etna showered ash over Catania in eastern Sicily Sunday and forced the temporary suspension of airport operations. Ash also briefly closed Mexico City’s largest airport and the eruption of Volcano Popocatépetl prompted officials to urge people to avoid traveling near it.
The Nyamulagira volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo also continued ongoing activity and lava flow.
The volcanoes are among nearly 50 volcanoes active around the world
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Volcano Popocatépetl prompts warnings in Mexico City
Volcanic ash from Popocatépetl triggered the temporary closure of Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport on Saturday, according to the U.S. Embassy. Flight delays related to the presence of ash also were reported Monday.
CNN reported that millions were warned to prepare for possible evacuation Popocatépetl, as authorities closed schools in dozens of municipalities.
- People were urged not to travel within a 7.5 mile radius of the volcano and to avoid the crater, “due to the danger of falling ballistic fragments,” according to Mexico’s National Center for Communication and Civil Protection Operations.
- The volcano has experienced explosions, tremors and exhalations of vapor, gas and ashes for weeks, according to monitoring reports from the national center and the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
- Ash fell across more than a dozen municipalities over the weekend.
- Volcano Popocatepetl lies near Puebla, about 45 miles southwest of Mexico City.
- CNN reported 25 million people live within a 60-mile radius of the volcano.
- Watch Popocatepetl on webcams
Mount Etna spews ash
Stepped up tremor activity had been noted at Mount Etna for several days, reported Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.
- No injuries were reported and cloud cover was impeding views of the eruption on Sunday, the agency said.
- People in the towns of Adrano and Biancavilla reported hearing loud booms from the volcano on Sunday
- Activity frequently originates from multiple cones in the craters at Etna’s summit, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey.
- Lava flows were reported in January, and an explosion on May 14 produced an ash admission, the group stated.
- Activity at Mount Etna has been observed and recorded for more than 2,500 years, making it one of the oldest continuously monitored volcanoes.
What happened at the Nyamulagira volcano?
Lava flowed on Saturday and Sunday from an ongoing eruption inside the Nyamulagira volcano, reported Charles Balagizi, a geochemist and geohazards researcher at the Goma Volcano Observatory in a Twitter post. The volcano is north of Goma, on the eastern side of the Democratic Republic of Congo near the border with Rwanda.
- Nyamulagira is Africa’s most active volcano.
- It was releasing large quantities of sulphur dioxide over the weekend, Balagizi said.
- He encouraged residents in the region to wash all vegetables before cooking.
- An eruption began in the summit crater on March 14 and active flows were seen on May 7 and May 12, according to the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program.
- The volcano has been active since April 2018.
How many volcanoes are active?
As of April 14, 49 volcanoes around the world were in continuing eruption status, according to the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program. Last week, 24 were in some stage of active eruption, according to the program’s latest weekly report.
USA TODAY
The Associated Press contributed to this report.