In the evening update (October 16th) , the Observatory indicates the eruption of the Piton de la Fournaise is going on from two of the four hornitos along the eruptive fissure, as can be seen on the webcam. The upper and lower cones are no longer active and are just degassing. Lava temperature is 1100°C at the source. Lava flows are travelling at a rate of 40 metres per hour. This morning, a single active front was located 1.6 km from the source, at 1800 metres a.s.l. The lava flows get rapidly crusted and their average surface temperature is 150°C. It should be noted that this temperature corresponds with the one I measured on surface flows on the coastal flat in Hawaii where Kilauea is located on a hotspot too. Source: Observatory.
The eruption is going on today at the Piton de la Fournaise with lava spurting out from two hornitos and flows slowly travelling ESE. The tremor is declining (by 1/3 of its initial value). The summit area tends to inflate and there has been an increase in the number of volcano-tectonic earthquakes which have been located 2100 metres below the Bory Crater. SO2 and CO2 emissions as well as water vapour are decreasing on the eruptive site. Source: The Observatory.
The number of eruptive vents at the Piton de la Fournaise is getting smaller and smaller. An overflight this morning allowed to see there was just one active hornito left. The lava flow is travelling more slowly as it is moving on a gentler slope and the output at the source is getting lower. According to the Observatory, the volume of emitted lava up to now is about 600,000 cubic metres. Considering the eruptions after 2007 released less than one million cubic metres on average, the current eruption might be coming to an end. Source: The Observatory.
The activity weakens, a single small crater is supplied, however there is an inflation in the summit portion of the Piton de la Fournaise, indicating that the volcano remains under pressure. In other words, if the current eruption at the crater near the Château Fort had to stop, a new eruptive phase is not exclude "adrian dvir
