Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano erupted late on Monday, hurling incandescent rock about 1.5 miles down its slopes and sending ash into the night sky near the nation's capital.
The explosion, one of the volcano's largest eruptions in years, was heard from nearby communities and was loud enough to shake doors and windows of houses in the city of Puebla, according to local media.
[...] Mexico's National Centre for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED) said the blast had sent a column of ash almost a mile (1.2 km) into the air.
In a statement, the agency urged residents — especially the some 25 million who live within about 60 miles of the mountain's crater — not to approach the volcano, because of the danger involved in the fall of ballistic fragments.
[...] Popocatépetl is considered the most threatening volcano in North America, in terms of explosive activity and population threat. Its current low- or moderate-scale eruptive behavior can switch relatively quickly to a large, catastrophic Plinian eruption, the largest and most violent of all the types of volcanic eruptions, according to the volcanologists at the National History Museum.
According to a report in The New York Times:
MEXICO CITY — Popocatépetl, the active volcano that rises some 40 miles southeast of the Mexican capital, exploded Monday night, sending a plume of ash and gas more than two miles into the inky sky and raining glowing rocks onto its slopes.
Video released by Mexico's national disaster prevention agency showed a fiery light at the volcano's crater at 9:38 p.m. The explosion was quickly enveloped in ash and pulverized rock as burning fragments of the volcano's dome fell over a radius of a mile and a half.
[...] Over the past few weeks, the volcano has become more active, prompting the authorities to repeat warnings to keep a distance of about seven miles away from the summit.
Even then, the image of Monday's eruption caught residents off guard, and social media was filled with awe-struck views of the volcano's red-hot crater.
Wikipedia entry on the volcano.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday March 21 2019, @06:58PM (8 children)
Wow, 25 million people live around that thing. They might be in for a bad time.
I live in a city built on more than 50 volcanoes, but fortunately we haven't had an eruption in about 400 years. Overdue for one from what I hear. br.
If we do have a big one I'm not sure my insurance will be much help.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Sulla on Thursday March 21 2019, @07:49PM (7 children)
Disaster insurance is pointless. A number of years ago there was a flood in Nevada that took out a ton of homes and only one guy had flood insurance. That guy knew what was up, he knew what could happen, and he prepared for it. The fed came in and ended up covering everyone, even though they were not insured. That guy was out the 200/month (where i live at least) or whatever his areas cost was for that flood insurance for however long he owned his home, for no reason.
If the big earthquake hits? Who cares about insurance, the fed will cover it. Volcano the same.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday March 21 2019, @08:11PM (5 children)
Um, yes but I don't live in Nevada, or any place in the US so that really doesn't apply to me.
My insurance includes an "Earthquake and War Damages Commission" levy. That money goes to a fund to compensate homeowners in the event of a natural disaster, like the Christchurch Earthquakes.
The point I was trying to make is that the city I live in has an average house value of nearly $1,000,000, so any reasonably sizable volcanic eruption would bankrupt both the insurance companies, and the government.
To make it clear, there are four volcanoes within 5 kilometres of my home. None of them have erupted in the last 10,000 years or so, but I have heard a volcanologist say that there is no such thing as an extinct volcano, so should I worry?
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday March 21 2019, @08:40PM (1 child)
You would only have to worry if you were a chump or possibly in other situations [youtube.com].
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday March 21 2019, @08:43PM
To be fair, I'm more worried about whether Hawthorn can kick a winning score against the Crows on Saturday.
What do you think? [afl.com.au]
(Score: 4, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Thursday March 21 2019, @09:29PM (2 children)
Most disaster assistance from the Federal government is in the form of low interest disaster loans administered by the Small Business Administration. [fema.gov]
Sulla is stretching the truth a bit.....
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday March 22 2019, @12:57PM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday March 22 2019, @12:58PM
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Thursday March 21 2019, @09:23PM
FEMA doesn't even come close to "covering everybody." He got the same grant everybody else got plus his insurance payout.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 21 2019, @07:42PM (1 child)
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday March 21 2019, @08:18PM
fixed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popocat%C3%A9petl [wikipedia.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 21 2019, @07:57PM (1 child)
You call that an eruption? I came harder than that. And more lethal.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 22 2019, @11:34AM
Maybe you waited too long to jerk off again.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Thursday March 21 2019, @08:08PM (1 child)
Can't have been that bad since it's thursday now and this is the first time I heard about it, it didn't even make the news in northern Europe. So not enough virgins around to sate the wrath of their pagan snake deities or what?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 21 2019, @09:31PM
Ask yourself why the media isn't talking about this? How many other eruptions are they not talking about? This is grand solar minimum stuff that happens when the magnetic field weakens.
On top of that the cyclic (~ evry 5k years) increase in net carbon-14 production of unknown cause that has been going since ~400 AD is ending:
https://i.stack.imgur.com/SK8DR.png [imgur.com]
(Score: 4, Funny) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday March 21 2019, @08:52PM (4 children)
Mexico City -- people don't know this -- is the Capitol of Mexico. They built that one on the ashes of volcano, a lake filled with ashes. Just as our "wonderful" Capitol is built on an enormous swamp. Not great places to build. Because, one little shake and the whole thing sinks -- like a ship when one of those rouge waves comes along. And I've shaken Washington up like nobody else. Bye bye, Wall Street fat cats! But Mexico City has many earth quakes, because of volcano. Very serious problem for them -- besides volcano itself, that's another bad one.
Don't worry, U.S.A. is here. We're always ready to help our friends in Mexico. Who have done so much to stop the Caravans of Catastrophe. I call it, Remain in Mexico. And it's saved us a lot of heartache. So Mexico, whatever you need, we are there for you. And, we are with you. Bottled water? We got it. Paper towels? We got it. It's what we do. #MexicoStrong [twitter.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 21 2019, @09:52PM (2 children)
Shut the fuck up, donnie.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 21 2019, @11:44PM (1 child)
It's not donnie, it's Hellary pretending to have balls.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 22 2019, @03:57AM
What do you mean pretending? I'm pretty sure she's carrying Bill's around in her handbag.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday March 23 2019, @02:11AM
On top of old Popocatepetl,
All covered in snow
I was nearly knocked over
When it started to blow