San Jose Mulatos Volcano Erupts in Colombia
San Jose de Mulatos volcano in Colombia. Nov. 12, 2024. X/ @LaChivadeUraba
November 12, 2024 Hour: 9:54 am
‘The entire national government is on alert to respond to the emergency,’ President Petro said.
On Monday, the Colombian Geological Service (SGC) reported a possible volcanic eruption in the Uraba region, in the department of Antioquia, which may be associated with a mud volcano.
RELATED:
Colombian State Admits Responsibility for Death of M-19 Leader
Images of the explosion that circulated on social media show a large column of fire and smoke in a jungle area of San Jose de Mulatos, part of the municipality of Turbo (Antioquia).
John Makario Londoño, Technical Director of Geo-Hazards at the SGC, stated that the videos are related to a possible eruption of a mud volcano in the San Jose de Mulatos but clarified that the Geological Service is investigating the incident before confirming “whether it is an eruption or not.”
“It is very likely that it could be an eruption from one of the many mud volcanoes in this area, and these types of eruptions are not unusual” in the region, where “there are other volcanoes like San Jose de las Platas and La Lorenza,” which “have also had similar eruptions.”
Londoño clarified that “these mud volcanoes are very different from volcanoes that erupt lava and magma, which are explosive and violent and can reach a wide area, affecting a large population and, in general, the ecosystem.” Mud volcanoes “have very small, restricted eruptions, and what appears in these videos as an explosion is most likely methane gas igniting and exploding.”
According to the SGC, these volcanoes “are the result of mud diapirism, a phenomenon in which large amounts of clayey materials with plastic characteristics and a high content of organic matter, water, and gas have been covered, starting 60 million years ago, by dense and thick layers of fluvial origin.”
Colombia is home to some of the largest mud volcanoes in the world, including the complex in the district of Santa Fe de las Platas in the municipality of Arboletes (Antioquia), which has an 8,000-meter diameter dome. To the east of Santa Fe de las Platas is the Mulatos volcano, also among the largest in the world. Meanwhile, the governor of Antioquia, Andrés Julián, reported that 109 families have been affected, with no fatalities.
“As of this time, the road connecting the district of San Juan de Mulatos with Turbo remains blocked,” added the governor, who plans to travel to the area on Tuesday.
“The entire national government is on alert to respond to the emergency. Authorities are currently en route to assist the communities and assess the damage,” President Gustavo Petro said.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
