Colima Volcano Spitting and Spewing

May 21, 2002

As of the 21st of May, the Universidad de Colima has reported that the seismicity associated to the volcano has modified its characteristics, suggesting a greater internal activity. Particularly, the seismic signals (tremors) have evolved during the last days towards levels greater than they can be associated to internal magmatic activity. These changes have also been pronounced in the other parameters being monitored as they are the deformation (inclinometers), chemistry of the water of near springs, composition of emitted rocks, and the temperature observed through the infrared visual monitoring. Nevertheless, not yet external manifestations in the volcano are perceived visible. With these parameters the increase in the probability of occurrence of a scene that could be included/understood between the eruptive events of 1999 (moderate explosions) and of 1913 was determined (great explosions). This increase in the activity motivated that the Scientific Committee emitted the recommendation of a change in the alert levels. Like answer to this recommendation, and analyzing other factors, the state systems of Civil defense of Colima and Jalisco decided to make, the day Saturday 18 of May in the evening, the preventive evacuation of the communities of Marijuana (Sights on) and Juan Barragán, the El Agostadero, Los Machos and El Borbollón (Jalisco and the Borbollón (Jalisco), situation that stays until the moment.

The Colima volcanic complex is the most prominent volcanic centre of the western Mexican Volcanic Belt. It consists of two southward-facing volcanoes, Nevado de Colima (the 4,320 m high point of the complex) on the N and the historically active Volcán de Colima on the S. Volcán de Colima (also known as Volcán Fuego) is a youthful stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera, breached to the S, that has been the source of large debris avalanches. Major slope failures have occurred repetitively from both the Nevado and Fuego cones, and have produced a thick apron of debris-avalanche deposits on three sides of the complex. Frequent historical eruptions have mostly originated from Colima's summit crater. The current eruptive episode began in November 1998 and has included summit lava dome growth to feed three SW-flank lava flows, pyroclastic flows, and intermittent explosive activity.
The Colima volcano is currently at the YELLOW alert level

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