Pico Perqueno (Eruption 1995)
Location: 14.944° N, 24.355° W
Elevation: 1.985 m
The eruption began on the night of 2-3 April with Strombolian 
activity, quickly followed by a curtain-of-fire fountain that fed a
flow which cut off the road to the village of Portela by 2 a.m.
The 1,300 people living inside the caldera fled during the night
to the safety of villages on the north coast. No one was killed,
about 20 people required medical attention. During the day on
April 3, the island was covered by a thick cloud of dark ash that
reached 2.5 to 5 kilometers high. The initial flows were
pahoehoe lava. The violent eruption produced lava bombs up
to 4 meters across that were ejected as far as 500 meters from
the vents. On April 4, lava fountains reached 400 meters high
beneath a cloud of ashes about 2 kilometers high. A new
scoria cone formed that was open to the southwest and fed a
growing 'a'a flow. On April 5, the new 'a'a flow reached the
western caldera wall and destroyed about five houses and the
main water reservoir. During these first few days, civil
authorities evacuated about 3,000 people. The eruption has become more steady following the first few days, and
moderate, Hawaiian-style lava fountains about 100-120 meters high have built a spatter cone that now stands more than
140 meters high. The flows have been 'a'a and have flowed towards the west to the caldera wall and then turned north.
These flows have advanced episodically as pressure builds from ponding and thickening of the flows. On April 13, a second
'a'a flow began to cover an earlier, stagnant 'a'a flow and was almost entirely on top of the earlier flow until April 15, when it
spread out and destroyed another home. Cinder fell as far as two kilometers south of the vents on April 15. By the 17th, the
flow had advance to within 420 meters of the nearest house in the village of Portela, but was stagnant again. On April 18,
was indicated a change in eruptive style from fire fountains back to Strombolian activity. Spatter was discharged every 3-8
seconds with loud gas bursts. In addition, the eruptive rate increased and the upper 300 meters of the channel was largely
pahoehoe lava. The eruption rates, estimated from the dimensions and flow rates in the channel, are between 4 and 8.5
million cubic meters per day. During the night of April 18, a series of large, explosive bursts occurred that may have
followed collapse of parts of the cone into the vents and subsequent explosive clearing of the debris. By morning, the
activity had returned to fire fountains, and the seismic record was much quieter. The lava flows continued to thicken, and
lava ponded along the central channel. As pressure builds within the flow, a rapid advance of the flow into Portela seems
likely. The eruptiv activity ceased by 26 May. (Wikipedia)
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activity, quickly followed by a curtain-of-fire fountain that fed a
flow which cut off the road to the village of Portela by 2 a.m.
The 1,300 people living inside the caldera fled during the night
to the safety of villages on the north coast. No one was killed,
about 20 people required medical attention. During the day on
April 3, the island was covered by a thick cloud of dark ash that
reached 2.5 to 5 kilometers high. The initial flows were
pahoehoe lava. The violent eruption produced lava bombs up
to 4 meters across that were ejected as far as 500 meters from
the vents. On April 4, lava fountains reached 400 meters high
beneath a cloud of ashes about 2 kilometers high. A new
scoria cone formed that was open to the southwest and fed a
growing 'a'a flow. On April 5, the new 'a'a flow reached the
western caldera wall and destroyed about five houses and the
main water reservoir. During these first few days, civil
authorities evacuated about 3,000 people. The eruption has become more steady following the first few days, and
moderate, Hawaiian-style lava fountains about 100-120 meters high have built a spatter cone that now stands more than
140 meters high. The flows have been 'a'a and have flowed towards the west to the caldera wall and then turned north.
These flows have advanced episodically as pressure builds from ponding and thickening of the flows. On April 13, a second
'a'a flow began to cover an earlier, stagnant 'a'a flow and was almost entirely on top of the earlier flow until April 15, when it
spread out and destroyed another home. Cinder fell as far as two kilometers south of the vents on April 15. By the 17th, the
flow had advance to within 420 meters of the nearest house in the village of Portela, but was stagnant again. On April 18,
was indicated a change in eruptive style from fire fountains back to Strombolian activity. Spatter was discharged every 3-8
seconds with loud gas bursts. In addition, the eruptive rate increased and the upper 300 meters of the channel was largely
pahoehoe lava. The eruption rates, estimated from the dimensions and flow rates in the channel, are between 4 and 8.5
million cubic meters per day. During the night of April 18, a series of large, explosive bursts occurred that may have
followed collapse of parts of the cone into the vents and subsequent explosive clearing of the debris. By morning, the
activity had returned to fire fountains, and the seismic record was much quieter. The lava flows continued to thicken, and
lava ponded along the central channel. As pressure builds within the flow, a rapid advance of the flow into Portela seems
likely. The eruptiv activity ceased by 26 May. (Wikipedia)
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