La Palma 2021 Eruption (Canary Islands): Measurements and Modelling of Lava Flow Cooling Rates and Applications for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Risk Mitigation
On 19 September 2021, a strombolian volcanic eruption began on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. This event resulted in the destruction of 73 km of roads, urban infrastructure, numerous houses, and agricultural crops, affecting approximately 7200 people and causing losses exceeding 1.2 b...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| author | Luis González-de-Vallejo Aaron Álvarez-Hernández Mercedes Ferrer John P. Lockwood Nemesio M. Pérez Pedro A. Hernández Ana Miranda-Hardisson José A. Rodríguez-Losada David Afonso-Falcón Héctor de-los-Ríos Javier Páez-Padilla Luis E. Hernández-Gutiérrez |
| author_facet | Luis González-de-Vallejo Aaron Álvarez-Hernández Mercedes Ferrer John P. Lockwood Nemesio M. Pérez Pedro A. Hernández Ana Miranda-Hardisson José A. Rodríguez-Losada David Afonso-Falcón Héctor de-los-Ríos Javier Páez-Padilla Luis E. Hernández-Gutiérrez |
| author_sort | Luis González-de-Vallejo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On 19 September 2021, a strombolian volcanic eruption began on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. This event resulted in the destruction of 73 km of roads, urban infrastructure, numerous houses, and agricultural crops, affecting approximately 7200 people and causing losses exceeding 1.2 billion euros. Around 12 km<sup>2</sup> were covered by aa and pahoehoe lava flows, which reached thicknesses of over 70 m. Following the end of the eruption, thermal, geological, and geotechnical site investigations were carried out for the reconstruction and territorial and urban planning, with the main objectives focused on opening roads through hot lava, constructing new urban settlements in areas covered by lava flows, and facilitating the agricultural recovery. The primary challenges to reconstruction included the very slow cooling rate of the lava, resulting in persistent high temperatures, exceeding 500 °C, its highly heterogeneous geotechnical properties with numerous cavities and lava caves, and the presence of toxic gases. Site investigations included geotechnical boreholes, seismic geophysics and ground-penetration radar, and temperature measurements of lava flows using drones and thermocouple devices inside boreholes. To estimate the cooling rates of the lava flows, two physical cooling models were developed based on thermal behavior and geological–geotechnical data. The results indicated that lava cooling durations in some areas exceed practical waiting times for commencing reconstruction. This led to the development of geological engineering solutions that permit road construction and urban and agricultural reconstruction to begin sooner than estimated by the cooling models. On the other hand, potential hazards arising from the eruption process have also been taken into account. Stability analyses of the 200 m high volcanic cone formed during the eruption indicate the possibility of failure in the event of heavy rain and consequently lahar hazards. The results of the investigations carried out and their applications to post-disaster reconstruction may be useful for other volcanic regions, contributing to minimizing risk to infrastructure and urban settlements. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-2fed5405012e47eda1725e76d24b3c6b2024-12-27T14:28:11ZengMDPI AGGeoHazards2624-795X2024-10-01541093112410.3390/geohazards5040052La Palma 2021 Eruption (Canary Islands): Measurements and Modelling of Lava Flow Cooling Rates and Applications for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Risk MitigationLuis González-de-Vallejo0Aaron Álvarez-Hernández1Mercedes Ferrer2John P. Lockwood3Nemesio M. Pérez4Pedro A. Hernández5Ana Miranda-Hardisson6José A. Rodríguez-Losada7David Afonso-Falcón8Héctor de-los-Ríos9Javier Páez-Padilla10Luis E. Hernández-Gutiérrez11Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, SpainVolcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, SpainDepartment of Geological Hazards, Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME)—CSIC, 28003 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Geology, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI 96720, USAVolcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, SpainVolcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, SpainVolcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, SpainVolcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, SpainInstitute of Technology and Renewable Energies (ITER), 38600 Granadilla de Abona, SpainInstitute of Technology and Renewable Energies (ITER), 38600 Granadilla de Abona, SpainVolcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, SpainVolcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, SpainOn 19 September 2021, a strombolian volcanic eruption began on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. This event resulted in the destruction of 73 km of roads, urban infrastructure, numerous houses, and agricultural crops, affecting approximately 7200 people and causing losses exceeding 1.2 billion euros. Around 12 km<sup>2</sup> were covered by aa and pahoehoe lava flows, which reached thicknesses of over 70 m. Following the end of the eruption, thermal, geological, and geotechnical site investigations were carried out for the reconstruction and territorial and urban planning, with the main objectives focused on opening roads through hot lava, constructing new urban settlements in areas covered by lava flows, and facilitating the agricultural recovery. The primary challenges to reconstruction included the very slow cooling rate of the lava, resulting in persistent high temperatures, exceeding 500 °C, its highly heterogeneous geotechnical properties with numerous cavities and lava caves, and the presence of toxic gases. Site investigations included geotechnical boreholes, seismic geophysics and ground-penetration radar, and temperature measurements of lava flows using drones and thermocouple devices inside boreholes. To estimate the cooling rates of the lava flows, two physical cooling models were developed based on thermal behavior and geological–geotechnical data. The results indicated that lava cooling durations in some areas exceed practical waiting times for commencing reconstruction. This led to the development of geological engineering solutions that permit road construction and urban and agricultural reconstruction to begin sooner than estimated by the cooling models. On the other hand, potential hazards arising from the eruption process have also been taken into account. Stability analyses of the 200 m high volcanic cone formed during the eruption indicate the possibility of failure in the event of heavy rain and consequently lahar hazards. The results of the investigations carried out and their applications to post-disaster reconstruction may be useful for other volcanic regions, contributing to minimizing risk to infrastructure and urban settlements.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-795X/5/4/52La Palma post-eruption reconstructionlava flows cooling ratesvolcanic geohazards |
| spellingShingle | Luis González-de-Vallejo Aaron Álvarez-Hernández Mercedes Ferrer John P. Lockwood Nemesio M. Pérez Pedro A. Hernández Ana Miranda-Hardisson José A. Rodríguez-Losada David Afonso-Falcón Héctor de-los-Ríos Javier Páez-Padilla Luis E. Hernández-Gutiérrez La Palma 2021 Eruption (Canary Islands): Measurements and Modelling of Lava Flow Cooling Rates and Applications for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Risk Mitigation GeoHazards La Palma post-eruption reconstruction lava flows cooling rates volcanic geohazards |
| title | La Palma 2021 Eruption (Canary Islands): Measurements and Modelling of Lava Flow Cooling Rates and Applications for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Risk Mitigation |
| title_full | La Palma 2021 Eruption (Canary Islands): Measurements and Modelling of Lava Flow Cooling Rates and Applications for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Risk Mitigation |
| title_fullStr | La Palma 2021 Eruption (Canary Islands): Measurements and Modelling of Lava Flow Cooling Rates and Applications for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Risk Mitigation |
| title_full_unstemmed | La Palma 2021 Eruption (Canary Islands): Measurements and Modelling of Lava Flow Cooling Rates and Applications for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Risk Mitigation |
| title_short | La Palma 2021 Eruption (Canary Islands): Measurements and Modelling of Lava Flow Cooling Rates and Applications for Infrastructure Reconstruction and Risk Mitigation |
| title_sort | la palma 2021 eruption canary islands measurements and modelling of lava flow cooling rates and applications for infrastructure reconstruction and risk mitigation |
| topic | La Palma post-eruption reconstruction lava flows cooling rates volcanic geohazards |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-795X/5/4/52 |
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