what caused el chichón to erupt

These eruptions killed a large but unknown number of people (later estimated between 1700 and 2300), made more than 20,000 homeless and caused severe economic damage, mostly from cattle stock loss, and extensive damage to the coffee, cocoa and banana plantations. The El Chichón eruption injected more sulfur into the stratosphere than the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora. Intermittent small eruptions continued until the following weekend, when two Plinian phases occurred on April 3 and 4. Coyoacán, 04510 México City, México * Corresponding author: sdelacrr@geofísica.unam.mx, Received: July 3, 2008 Accepted: October 14, 2008. Most of the villages such as Guayabal and Colonia el Volcán were nearly abandoned except for the few male farmers who returned to watch over their crops and farm animals. Other major global cooling events due to volcanoes include Mt. 1360 A.D. … Our first impressions upon arrival (afternoon of 29 March) in the region affected by heavy ashfall, especially south of Villahermosa, were that widespread confusion and disbelief prevailed among all the sectors of society. Geophysical Research Letters, 10, 4, 293–296. This is the first time that a direct connection between an increase of stratospheric temperatures and an increased aerosol load has been established in real time. [ Links ], Silva–Mora, L., 1983. It caused droughts in some regions and floods in others, a warm winter with no snow, hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean. c. El Chichon, Mexico d. Krakatau, Java e. Crater Lake, Oregon. Three major eruptions of tephra occurred between that date and 7 April, discharging approximately 0.3 cubic kilometer of andesitic pyroclastic material. In this paper, we only report the personal experience of the small IGEF group that arrived in the area during the earliest stages of the eruption. Informe preliminar de geoquímica de los fluidos geotérmicos del Volcán Chichonal, Chiapas: Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Informe (Unpublished internal report). (2) The plan could be launched only by presidential order. [ Links ], Casadevall, T. J., S. De la Cruz–Reyna, W. I. This week–long eruptive outburst (VEI 5) produced world–wide volcanic gas clouds, extensive ash fall, and surges and pyroclastic flows. The global cooling has been attributed to a major volcanic eruption in 539 and 540 C.E., but until now there is no consensus about the source volcano. 59, 436–449. Geologia e Historia –Volcanológica del Volcán Chichonal, Estado de Chiapas. radiocarbon-dated: 1360 ± 100, 1190 ± 150, 780 AD ± 100, 590 AD ± 100, 480 AD ± 200, 190 AD ± 150, 20 BC ± 50, 700 BC ± 200, 1340 BC ± 150, 2030 BC ± 100, 6510 BC ± 75 years | More on VolcanoDiscovery. El Chichón is a complex of domes with a tuff ring, made of ejected volcanic material, located between the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Central America Volcanic Arc. Villages within 6 km on all sides of the volcano summit were destroyed by pyroclastic flows and surges, killing around 2000 people, even though many villages were already partially abandoned (Fig. Evolution of the seismic activity from the 1982 eruption of El Chichón Volcano, Chiapas, Mexico. 55 pp. The city of Villahermosa, capital of the Tabasco state, was dark for several days, and the green jungle was mantled by the white–gray ash covering most of eastern Mexico and even ships in the Gulf of Mexico reported ash fall on their decks. Near the end of this pre–eruptive stage, about one week before the onset of the eruption, news about this seismic activity reached the Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (IGEF), and around March 23 local authorities requested a study of the phenomenon. El Chichón volcano erupted explosively on March 28, 1982, after a long quiescence, producing a heavy wet ash fall locally and extensive ash fall over 200 km away that resulted in closing of airports and roads. The media was more interested in trying to report a sensational story rather than to get the facts right. The March–April 1982 eruptions produced a large amount of ash fall over a wide area. Enjambres sísmicos en Chiapas: un fenómeno frecuente. At least a total of 6 main explosive eruptions took place following the March 28 event (Yokoyama et al., 1992). Much has been said about the response to the disaster in the early eighties and how the scientific community reacted to the Chichón crisis (see for example, El Chichón Volcano. However, no pyroclastic flows or surges were produced during the 28 March eruption, and the fatalities reported in this stage probably numbered between 10 and 20, most of them caused by roof collapse induced by ashfall and lithic ballistics, as was the case of Nicapa, a small village located 7 km to the NNE of the volcano, where at least 10 were killed and many more seeking refuge were injured by the collapse of the church roof. “We were able to connect a prominent volcanic sulfur spike in bipolar ice core records, dated at 539 and 540 C.E., to a major eruption of the El Chichón volcano.”. [ Links ], Kraft, T., J. Wassermann, E. Schmedes and H. Igel, 2006. The 1982 El Chichón Volcano Eruptions – A Satellite perspective. El Chichon was the first major eruption to have its atmospheric effects studied in detailed by modern instruments. Mexico D. F., p. 3–22. A few people were able to survive the surges but later died due to lung complications from ingestion of ash. El Chichón est un petit cône de tuf trachyandésitique à dôme de lave qui occupe une partie isolée de la région du Chiapas au Sud-Est du Mexique, loin des autres volcans datant de l'Holocène. Late Cenozoic volcanism and metallogenesis over an active Benioff Zone in Chiapas, Mexico, Arizona Geological Society Digest, 11, 155–168. [ Links ], Havskov, J., S. De la Cruz–Reyna, S. K. Singh, F. Medina and C. Gutiérrez, 1983. As mentioned above, at the time of the first eruption no single decision–making institution existed that could manage the crisis. México D.F., pp. Twenty–five Years Later–A Commemorative Conference (19–25 March 2007, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. (Damon and Montesinos, 1978). [ Links ], Luhr, J. F. and J. C. Varekamp, 1984. Visibility cleared for a few hours on April 2, and we were able to get a view of the cone from Colonia el Volcán, 4 km to the southeast of the crater. The eruptions generated a substantial amount of sulfur dioxide and particulates into the atmosphere. Not likely. In this paper, we give an eye witness account of the situation at that time, before there was any Civil Protection agency in Mexico. Tectonophysics 426, 7–30. He speculated that El Chichon might erupt in the future because of fumarolic activity and earthquakes. Official information was scant, and the perception of the ongoing phenomenon among different officials and the general public varied widely, so that it was difficult to find coincident opinions. Two soldiers emerged from the wreckage slightly wounded to report to the officer in charge. Even cursory examination of the seismograms during the paper–change and lacquer fixing routine, and afterwards, in the Teapa headquarters, showed that this seismic activity continued through the next day producing saturation of the seismograms associated with eruptions occurring at 0900 and 1500 of 30 March, this one lasting until 1900 (Yokoyama et al., 1992, Jiménez et al., 1999). 2008). A joint scientific mission with the Instituto de Ingeniería UNAM (IINGEN) was organized to set up a portable seismic network. Felt earthquakes at that time, which apparently motivated Müllerried's visit, did not end in eruption. 3) made many roads impassable in the region and forced the closure of airports at Villahermosa and Tuxtla Gutiérrez, more than 70 km to the north and south of the volcano respectively. [ Links ], Jiménez, Z., V. H. Espíndola and J. M. Espíndola, 1999. Series del Instituto de Ingeniería, Sismología e Instrumentación Sísmica 316. Additionally, the lack of awareness and preparedness among the public made the situation more critical. [ Links ], Bernard, P., H. Lyon–Caen, P. Briole, F. Boudin, K. Makropulus, P. Papadimitriou, F. Lemeille, et al., 2006. “By using ash and stone from the eruption (tephra) and the world’s largest Holocene beach ridge plain we were able to create a new chronological framework”, says Nooren. 9). More detailed descriptions of the volcano geology may be found in Canul–Dzul et al.,(1 983), Duffield et al., (1984), and García–Palomo et al. El Chichón Volcano Eruptions The total darkness caused by the ashfall, which lasted until about 1500 hours of that day made it impossible to see what was happening beyond about 20 meters. We believe this to be caused by aerosols produced from the recent eruptions of El Chichon (17.33°N, 93.2°W) on April 4, 1982. 2). México): Publicación Especial 6, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 126 pp. A major tropical eruption in 540 CE is thought to have played a key role, but there is no consensus about the source volcano to date. [ Links ], Rodríguez R., 1977. [ Links ], Macías, J. L., L. Capra, K. M. Scott, J. M. Espíndola, A. García–Palomo and J. E. Costa, 2004. Pyroclastic flows and surges obliterated nine villages, killing about 2,000 people, and ashfalls downwind posed socio–economic hardships for many thousands of inhabitants of the States of Chiapas and Tabasco. El Volcán Chichonal, Ponencias presentadas en el simposio sobre el Volcán Chichonal, VI Convención Geológica Nacional de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana: Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Sismicidad en Chiapas. Además, la falta de conciencia sobre el peligro volcánico de la población tornó la situación aun más crítica. [ Links ], Yokoyama, I., S. De la Cruz–Reyna and J. M. Espíndola, 1992. English words for chichón include bump, lump and swelling. They laughed at these events and joked about the situation. Number of times cited according to CrossRef: 90. But it does not stand alone. Quickly climbing a small hill, we could see and photograph the initial explosion of this eruption (Fig. El Chichón Cet article est une ébauche concernant la montagne, le volcanisme et le Mexique. Although the volume of the eruption was small (< 1 cubic km of alkalic trachyandesite tephra, similar in volume to Mount St. Helens), El Chichon was also notable because it released an unusually large volume of aerosols (7 Mt of SO2 compared to 1.0 for Mount St. Helens). Pyroclastic flows and surges swept all flanks of the volcano (Mora, 1983; Sigurdsson et al., 1984, 1987; Carey and Sigurdsson, 1986; Macías et al., 1997). On March 28, 1982, a powerful hydromagmatic explosive eruption began at El Chichón. These people not only lost their property, and community, they also witnessed how many had been burnt by the flows. The fine ash and sulfuric-acid droplets in the atmosphere caused brilliant sunsets that were viewed from the northern hemisphere for the next few years. Since mid–September 1982, except for a flurry of small rockfalls in June 1992, from the steep walls of the 1982 crater, activity at El Chichón has been restricted to low–level, fluctuating hydrothermal activity in the crater lake (Casadevall et al., 1984; Taran et al., 1998; Armienta et al., 2000). On April 3 – 4, the two most violent eruptions occurred, one beginning ~ 1935 on April 3, and another beginning ~ 0520 on April 4. Prior to 1982, this relatively unknown volcano was heavily forested and of no greater height than adjacent non-volcanic peaks. The 1982 eruptions of El Chichón volcano, Mexico (3): Physical properties of pyroclastic surges: Bulletin of Volcanology, 49, 2, 467–488. Avant 1982, ce volcan relativement inconnu était fortement boisé et pas plus haut que les pics non volcaniques adjacents. [ Links ], Figueroa, J., 1973. (1) The plan was mostly designed to deal with the most common hydrometeorological disasters, namely floods, and relied mostly on aerial support by helicopters and fixed–wing aircrafts. The eruption resulted in the worst volcanic disaster in the recorded history of Mexico, causing about 2,000 casualties, displacing thousands, and producing severe economic losses such as important damage to the banana, cocoa, coffee and other plantations as well as to the cattle ranches (Fig. While of short duration (each lasting ~ 2 hours or less), these eruptions were more energetic and voluminous than the 28 March eruption. El Chichón est un volcan andésitique explosif situé dans la province du Chiapas, dans le sud-est du Mexique. El Chichón caused global cooling About 1500 years ago, the Northern Hemisphere cooled down so much that it disrupted human societies across large parts of the globe. [ Links ], Miller, S. A., 2008. Kees Nooren gave a press conference about his research during the EGU Congress. El Chichón volcano in southern Mexico forms a broad symmetrical cone with a diameter of 10 km at itsbase and is capped by a 600 m wide crater containing a 80 m high andesitic lava dome. 173, 334–338. During 1975–1976 in the area of Cerro Brujo, near the town of Chiapa de Corzo, a seismic swarm that lasted about one year included earthquakes of magnitude up to 3, which caused cumulative damage in houses of that city. Locally, a new ruling for the Civil Protection System of the state of Chiapas, foresees appointment of a new State Scientific Committee in 2009. [ Links ], Carey S. N. and H. Sigurdsson, 1986. Pinatubo (1991) in the Philippines and El Chichón (1982) in Mexico. [ Links ], Canul–Dzul, R. F., A. Razo–Montiel and V. Rocha–Lopez, 1983. A few hours of relative calm followed, but at 0510 on April 4, another rumbling began, and the seismograph needle started pounding again. Once thought to be dormant or extinct, El Chichón wiped out nine villages and killed an estimated 1,900 people with three eruptions in little over a week. Twenty Five Years Later. Some authors believe that volcanism at El Chichón is associated with the subduction of the Cocos plate under the North American plate in a complex tectonic setting due to the geometry of the plate boundary fault system. As our group approached the volcano area, through the states of Veracruz and Tabasco, the effects of ashfalls became increasingly evident (Fig. With the onset of the rainy season in mid–April 1982, a number of lahars were generated in several valleys draining the volcano; the largest of which occurred on 26 May 1982, when a natural dam composed of still–hot pyroclastic debris in the Río Magdalena failed catastrophically (Riva Palacio–Chiang, 19983; Macías et al., 2004). The disaster resulted from several factors, among them the lack of central organization and decision making by inexperienced authorities, resulting in confusion and contradictory actions. Please submit any useful information about climbing El Chichón that may be useful to other climbers. He instructed his communications officer to contact the main headquarters at Pichucalco by radio. Helicopter transportation was first offered for March 26, but the flight was cancelled, and rescheduled to March 29. Tremor signals alternated with periods of seismic quiescence followed during the first half of April 3. Problem (2) delayed starting the plan, and the full operation of the Plan actually began on 1 April (DN–III–E, 1983). The false-color images above were collected by Landsat satellites on March 11, 1986 (top), and June 4, 2011. Communication among scientists was inadequate and attempts to convey scientific information to different authorities were not successful. Krakatoa (1883) in Indonesia, Mt. To isolate the stratospheric temperature signal caused by the eruption of El Chichón, Mexico (March 28-April 4, 1982) requires consideration of temperature changes of dynamic origin, changes related to the warming of the east equatorial Pacific ocean surface in 1982 (an El Niño event), and changes caused by the quasibiennial oscillation (QBO). 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