UNDRO 89/0718
COLOMBIA - GALERAS VOLCANO
UNDRO INFORMATION REPORT NO. 1
6 APRIL 1989

SITUATION

1. ON 5 APRIL COLOMBIAN NATIONAL DISASTER OFFICE (ONAD) DECLARED STATUS OF YELLOW ALERT FOLLOWING INCREASED SEISMIC ACTIVITY OF GALERAS VOLCANO IN SOUTHERN COLOMBIA. YELLOW ALERT (SECOND LEVEL OF FOUR LEVELS) INDICATES HIGH INCREASE OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY, MODERATE DEFORMATION AND EMISSIONS OF FUMAROLES.

2. GALERAS, WHICH WAS ACTIVE IN 1937 AND 1979, STANDS 4,280 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL, 22 KM FROM THE CITY OF PASTO, CAPITAL OF NARINO PROVINCE AND MAJOR POPULATION CENTER OF COLOMBIA WITH ABOUT 250,000 INHABITANTS.

3. PRESENT ACTIVITY BEGAN ON 19 FEBRUARY WITH EMISSION OF SULFUROUS STEAMS AND OPENING OF NEW CRATER.

4. WHITE ALERT (FIRST LEVEL) WAS DECLARED ON 24 FEBRUARY FOLLOWING SURVEYS OF COLOMBIAN SCIENTISTS.

ACTION

5. ONAD, FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS OF IGEOMINAS AND NARINO REGIONAL DISASTER COMMITTEE ARRANGED INSTALLATION OF MOBILE MONITORING INSTRUMENTS AND INSURED CONTINUOUS PRESENCE OF EXPERTS. EMERGENCY PLANS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED IMMEDIATELY.

6. UNDRO IS CO-ORDINATING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR MORE DETAILED EVALUATION OF HAZARD INCLUDING MISSION OF 2 SPECIALISTS AND DISCUSSIONS ON EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT NEEDS BEING HELD WITH DIRECTOR OF ONAD.

7. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT UNDRO GENEVA, MR. S. PIAZZI, TEL: 0041-22-34 60 11 EXT. 3518.

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UNDRO 89/0766

COLOMBIA - GALERAS VOLCANO
UNDRO INFORMATION REPORT NO. 2
13 APRIL 1989

FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM USGS/VDAP:

ON 10 APRIL OBSERVERS, ON THE SUMMIT OF GALERAS VOLCANO, REPORTED PRESENCE OF ORANGE GLOW IN THE MAIN CRATER OF ACTIVE CONE. THIS INFORMATION CONFIRMED BY HELICOPTER SURVEY THE SAME DAY. ORANGE GLOW INDICATES PRESENCE OF LAVA AT THE SURFACE OR ROCKS HEATED TO 700-800 DEGREES C. BY EMISSIONS OF GAS. SEISMIC ACTIVITY REMAINS AT SAME LEVEL OF LAST WEEK AND NO DEFORMATION HAS BEEN DETECTED SO FAR.

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(DPR 310 COL 89'(1))

UNDRO 89/0991

COLOMBIA - GALERAS VOLCANO
UNDRO INFORMATION REPORT NO. 3
8 MAY 1989

1. GALERAS VOLCANO STARTED A MODERATE ERUPTION ON 5 MAY AT 01:00 LOCAL TIME. PHENOMENA STARTED WITH ASH ERUPTION AND PLUME MOVING DIRECTION SOUTHWEST FROM THE CONE, IN A 1,000 METER HIGH COLUMN. AT CHANGE OF WIND DIRECTION, BLOWING NORTH, PLUME COLUMN REACHED 3,300 METERS HIGH. INCANDESCENT GLOW COVERING INNER CRATER AND CONE.

2. AREA IN A RANGE OF 5 KM FROM CONE HAS BEEN EVACUATED ACCORDING T0 EXISTING PLANS.

3. YELLOW ALERT REPLACED BY ORANGE ALERT (THIRD LEVEL OF FOUR LEVELS - MODERATE ERUPTIVE ACTIVITY AND INCREASE IN RELATED PHENOMENA).

4. UNDRO FOLLOWING EVENTS IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZED INSTITUTIONS.

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(DPR 310 COL'89(1))

UNDRO 89/1108

COLOMBIA - GALERAS VOLCANO
UNDRO INFORMATION REPORT NO.4
24 MAY 1989

1. THE REGIONAL EMERGENCY COMMITTEE OF NARINO REPORTED THAT DUE TO PRESENT LEVEL OF VOLCANIC/SEISMIC PHENOMENA THE ORANGE ALERT LEVEL HAS BEEN REDUCED TO YELLOW LEVEL.

2. AN UNDRO SENIOR OFFICIAL COMPLETED A WEEK MISSION IN COLOMBIA, WHERE MEETINGS WERE HELD WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC TEAMS TO ANALYZE POSSIBLE SCENARIOS AND PLAN ACCORDING TO FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

3. UNDRO WILL ISSUE NEXT INFORMATION REPORT IF AND WHEN VOLCANIC ACTIVITY REACH AGAIN ORANGE ALERT LEVEL.

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(DPR 310 COL 89(1))