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The Earthquake
This earthquake started everything. The magnitude was 7.8 and it hit 100km north east of Mt. Pinatubo. -
Period: to
Pinatubo events
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Pinatubo Awakens
After 400 years of laying in dormant it finally awakens. People know because of rumbling noises that were heard next to pinatubo. -
5 Earthquakes
In august 1990, 5 earthquakes occured near pinatubo. -
Rumbling and tremmor
More and more tremmors are heard near pinatubo. -
Small Explosions
Steam and ash explosions occur 1.5km long fissure high on the northen slope of Pinatubo. Sulpher smell is deceted. -
Seismic SWARM
200 small earthquakes are dectected underneath the surface of Mt.Pinatubo. -
Scientist arrive
USGS scientists arrive with modern monitoring equipment. -
Scientists have a base
The monitoring equipment is set up at Clark Air Base. ( 25Km east from the volcano) -
Earthquakes every day.
30-180 earthqakes occur everyday. Sulphur dioxide levels increase. Fresh magma is rising from underneath the surface. A level 2 warning is issued -
Hazard map
USGS published there first safety hazard map. They have indicated where the most dangerous places are. -
More and More Sulphur
Sulphur dioxide emissing increase drastically by a factor of 10 compared to 2 weeks earlier. -
Earthquakes 5km under pinatubo
More earthquakes are detected 5km below the surface of Mt. Pinatubo -
So2 emmisions drop
SO2 emissions drop sharply, because as the vents became temporarily blocked.Seismic activity remains high.A bulge of the volcano is detected by the recently installed deformation monitoring network. The inflation of the volcano suggests magma continues to rise. -
Seismic Activity Rises
1500 earthquakes are now detected under mt Pinatubo's surface.Ash eruptions sends a plume to 8 km altitude, suggesting magma is very close to the surface now. The highest alert level 4 is issued, meaning that a significant eruption might happen any time now. A zone of 20 km radios is declared danger zone. -
Evacuation
Sulphur dioxide starts to escape. The dome becomes unstable, this means there could be an explosion. Evacuations are now in full swing. -
More Evacuation
Evacuations of the 14,400 people at the US Clark Air Base start. -
Ash Eruption
Ash eruptuons reach 20km above the volcano top. -
The Ash keeps on coming
Ash eruptions increase even more, creating a plume reaching 25 km elevation after a short pause of 28 hours with no explosions. Seismicity remains extremely high. -
The Violent Explosion
A violent explosion occurs at 1:09 pm. The eruption column rises to 21 km in 15 minutes. Hot pyroclastic flows sweet through the valleys around Pinatubo. -
Paroxysmal Eruption
While typhoon Yunya passes 100 km NE of Pinatubo, causing heavy rainfall and lahars racing down valley of the volcano at 30 km/h, the largest explosion starts in the early afternoon at 3:39 pm. It lasts 9 hrs, and erupts about 5 cubic km of magma (corresponding to 90% of the total erupted during the whole 1991 eruption).At 4:30 pm the collapse of the mountain starts, and the summit of Pinatubo begins to sink. The eruption lasts 9 hrs and ends around 10h34 pm.