Popocatepetl volcano erupts and spews molten lava and ash

Although the main focus of the world lies in combating the coronavirus pandemic, scientists also continue to keep tabs on the world’s active volcanoes. Now, Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano erupted, sending molten lava and ash all over the region.

Express reports that the Popocatepetl volcano in Mexico erupted and spewed molten lava from its crater along with ash. The volcano is located in central Mexico, within the regions of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico City. As of now, the volcano is still reportedly erupting. Prior to the current eruption, explosions from the volcano were heard over the weekend.

Last Sunday, there were 160 water vapor, gases, and ash emissions coming from the volcano, according to the volcano observatory in Washington. The plumes of vapor, gas, and ash drifted towards the northeastern region, and there were 58 minutes’ worth of tremors that were recorded. The plumes of volcanic ash continued Monday, measuring up to 21,000 feet in altitude.

The Popocatepetl volcano is one of Mexico’s active volcanoes, having remained dormant for 50 years, it came back to life in 1994 and since then, has been erupting in irregular intervals. It is also one of the tallest volcanoes in North America and is among the volcanoes included in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where 90 percent of earthquakes, 81 percent of which are major earthquakes, are found.

Meanwhile, another volcano eruption has also occurred. Indonesia’s Krakatoa volcano also erupted twice recently, spewing clouds of ash, lava, and smoke into the air. The first eruption lasted for one minute and 52 seconds Friday last week, and the second eruption occurred almost an hour later.

The eruption was heard all the way in the country’s capital of Jakarta, which is 100 miles away from the volcano. Thick ash reportedly fell from the sky after the explosion, which scientists believe is the biggest one so far since 2018. Over the weekend, officials placed the area on a level 2 alert, but there have not been any casualties so far.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation also reported three more eruptions that happened on Friday but were unrelated to the Krakatoa volcano.