As of: 09/30/2021 4:49 p.m.
A new headland is emerging off the west coast of the Canary Island of La Palma. Cooled lava has formed a peninsula about ten hectares in size in the sea. Concerns about rising toxic gases were not confirmed.
The volcanic eruption on La Palma makes the Canary Island grow. The lava flow has already formed a ten hectare headland in the sea, which is around 500 meters wide. The peninsula, consisting of cooled lava, should be measured more precisely with the help of drones, said the spokesman for the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute (Involcan), David Calvo, the AFP news agency.
The liquid rock, which is around 1000 degrees hot, hardens as soon as it flows into the water of the Atlantic, which is only 20 degrees warm, and slowly pushes the coast out into the sea, as was shown on a video published on Twitter by the Spanish research institute CSIC.
Trade winds drive gases apart
The volcano in Cumbre Vieja erupted eleven days ago. On Wednesday night, its lava finally reached the Atlantic. On their six-kilometer journey there, according to the authorities, they expanded to more than 470 hectares of land and destroyed more than 740 buildings and some roads. 6000 people had to be brought to safety. Red-hot lava continues to flow out of the volcano. No explosions or boiling waves were caused. However, according to Involcan, columns of smoke continue to rise.
Initially, nothing was known about the health impairment of the residents of nearby towns, which was initially feared due to poisonous gases that can arise when lava and salty sea water come together. Trade winds from the northeast drove the clouds of water vapor and toxic gases apart, said Eugenio Fraile of the Spanish Oceanographic Institute.
Nevertheless, the curfew, which was imposed on four nearby districts with around 300 residents, was continued for the time being as a precaution, as reported by the state TV broadcaster RTVE. The Spanish weather service AEMET had indicated that the wind direction could change.
Volcanologists see some relaxation
It is still unclear how the situation will develop. On the one hand, there is cause for concern that the lava flow could spread due to the unevenness of the island and damage other houses and agricultural areas. However, volcanologists also emphasized that the outflow of the lava into the sea had relaxed the situation on the island somewhat, as the risk of the lava spreading on land had decreased, reported RTVE.
For the economy of the 85,000-inhabitant island, the volcanic eruption means heavy economic losses. The lava destroyed numerous banana plantations, which are one of the main sources of income on the Canary Island. At times, the air traffic had to be suspended because of the volcanic ash.