The Peruvian volcano El Misti appears to have woken from centuries of dormancy with signs of increased activity. Note, this DOES NOT mean there will be a volcanic eruption and activity remains within a normal range of an active volcano. However, this is an interesting an opportune time for geologists to study the inner workings of volcanoes to better predict and understand their activity. Geologists are piecing together an interesting set of data that are indicative of an increase in activity. With the help of seismic monitoring systems, Peruvian scientists will be able to link seismic activity to gas release.
Volcanic eruptions are very hard to predict, however, there are a number of signs that geologists have identified as potential precursors to an eruption. Physical changes on the volcano, such as a slight increase in the surface temperature, an increased release of volcanic gases, ground fissures, and slight tremors are often signs of an increased likelihood of eruption. El Misti has exhibited several of these changes in the past weeks; however it’s very important to note the scale of the changes in activity. The slight increase in activity is not the same scale seen when a volcano eruption is imminent. FULL REPORT