Lava from an erupting volcano on the La Palma island of Spain has reached the Atlantic Ocean. It is further raising concerns about toxic gases that can release and cause explosions. It is causing the laze to rise.
Clouds of white steam have been seen rising. A red-hot current is making contact with the water in the area of Playa Nueva. This can further trigger a chemical reaction. This reaction can further irritate the skin and eyes of nearby people. It can also cause difficulty in breathing.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano has destroyed hundreds of homes in the Canary Islands. These volcanoes erupted on 19 September.
About 6000 people have been evacuated. The lava has started engulfing houses, schools, and even banana plantations.
The lava has already reached the ocean, as the Canary Islands Volcanic Institution has tweeted about this. There are also rising fears that the parts of the shoreline may now collapse. It can trigger explosions.
The Spanish authorities have already declared La Palma at the most north-westerly islands of the archipelago at the north African coast. It is now a disaster zone. They are pledging fo0r financial support for all those whom the volcanic activity has affected.
When the lava comes in contact with ocean water, it produces gas plumes, lazes lava, and haze. Laze forms from a series of chemical reactions as the hot lava boil the cold seawater.
“It creates a steam of hydrochloric acid, water vapor, and bits of ash,” science journalist and volcanologist Dr. Robin George Andrews told the BBC when the volcano first erupted. “It’s not good to breathe in.”
Laze plumes can even cause eye, lung, and skin irritation. But it would not be a problem if the citizens stayed at a distance.
Volcanic explosions are also possible if the lava enters the seawater. There was an incident in Hawaii where a chunk of molten rock crashed into a tourist boat at the Hawaii coast in 2018. It has injured 23 people. Authorities have already set up an exclusion zone around the lava to keep people away from any danger.
Credits: BBC
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