The volcanic eruption that began last Sunday has plunged the island of La Palma into a critical situation. The lava follows its advance and destroys everything it finds. It scorches floors, engulfs buildings and causes the evacuation and eviction of thousands of people. The lava tongue has already progressed more than four kilometers on its way to the sea, if it ends up reaching it. It is a natural disaster that threatens La Palma, the fifth island in population and the second youngest after El Hierro (where the underwater eruption took place in 2011) of the Canary Islands.
The lava wall leaves a balance of more than 150 hectares devastated and more than 300 buildings buried. The Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands indicates that it does not know when it will reach the sea or if it will stop along the way. While he is already entering the Todoque neighborhood, where the residents have removed various belongings from their homes in the previous two days. Before, the lava already devastated streets and houses in the Llanos de Aridane, an area that is also livestock and cultivates bananas and some avocados. The affected perimeter extends and the consequences are felt in different aspects. The Copernicus Atmospheric Surveillance Service (CAMS) of the European Union, which monitors the evolution of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, predicts that the plume of smoke, gases and ash will reach a maximum height of 5 kilometers. This cloud moves to the rest of the Canary Islands and can reach the Iberian Peninsula with consequences that are not yet clear. The gases can cause acid rain, although the risk is “minimal,” according to the State Meteorological Agency.
But why did the eruption occur? This phenomenon was expected since September 11 began to produce a series of earthquakes that were linked to the possibility that the magma was pushing under the surface. The seismic swarm was located closer to the surface and the eruption originated. Now it is not possible to know the duration of it or the dynamics that it will follow. The lava flow that flows towards the coast devastates crops, streets and houses. We must wait for its evolution.