09/18/00 (14:42 GMT) – M4.2 earthquake detected several miles beneath Guagua Pichincha. Due to recent changes in activity character, Ecuadorian government has made a preliminary request for VDAP assistance.
09/19/00 (20:19 GMT) – 32 minor earthquakes recorded in last 24-hour period under Guagua Pichincha. Most too minor to be felt. No outward physical signs of unrest.
09/20/00 (22:02 GMT) – 28 minor earthquakes were recorded today. Pablo Bernardo Gonzalez, a 53-year-old cab driver on the western side of Quito, called into the Instituto Geofisico with a report that his kids felt an earthquake in their home.
09/21/00 (08:56 GMT) – Seismic activity jumped today. 53 minor earthquakes were recorded. All were below M3.0. Scientists from the Instituto Geofisico are scrambling to get more data, but lack of equipment and funds are problems.
09/22/00 (23:01 GMT) – Daily earthquake count jumped
to 80 yesterday. A total of three
earthquakes have registered as M2.6 or greater in the past 72 hours. It is becoming increasingly hard to argue
that the activity is typical shock/aftershock seismicity that would be associated
with tectonic activity.
09/23/00 (12:49 GMT) – Seismic activity continued to
increase, with the report of approximately 200 small earthquakes near Guagua
Pichincha.
09/24/00 (17:17 GMT) – Quakes per hour increased from
12 to 20 by the end of the day, with overall magnitude also showing an
increase. 121 quakes greater than M2.5
were registered today. Bernardo’s
Chihuahua, “El nino”, hid under a bed for most of the day and wouldn’t touch
his food.
09/25/00 (21:19 GMT) – Today, the sheer number of quakes has made it impossible to differentiate between events. 80 large events (>M2.5) occurred.
09/26/00 (18:34 GMT) – 1st eruption from the summit of Guagua. Cloud cover obstructed the mountain, but a loud boom was heard at 12:36 local time. Aerial spotters saw a small column of ash rising through the clouds to approximately 2000m above the summit.
09/27/00 (04:15 GMT) – Clearing allowed for a view of the summit today. A new crater has formed within the summit amphitheater. Structural analysis and thermal imagery are being put together.
09/28/00 (11:52 GMT) – Another eruption took place this morning at 2am. This one lasted several hours and spread ash for several kilometers to the west of the summit. Quito has become somewhat restless now. There were many small eruptions by midnight.
09/29/00 (14:27 GMT) – The greatest earthquake activity in terms of number of large quakes was recorded today. Over 150 quakes measuring M2.5 or greater. Gas measurements began today…results should be in within a few days.
09/30/00 (06:47 GMT) – Energy release continued to rise today, but number of earthquakes began to subside. Pablo Bernardo has gathered a following of supporters that believe the mountain’s rumbling are a sign from heaven and he has started to loudly denounce all scientists involved in monitoring the volcano.
10/01/00 (16:51 GMT) – A weak burst of harmonic tremor was felt today that lasted approximately 5 minutes. Eruptive blasts continue, but the duration and magnitude of the blasts seems to be lessening.
10/02/00 (01:11 GMT) – The most significant amount of energy was released today by a moderate number of earthquakes. Stronger harmonic bursts were felt today as far away as 100km from Guagua Pichincha.
10/04/00 (09:53 GMT) – Gas emission results today showed a relatively small amount of SO2 coming from Guagua. Energy release continued to be quite high, but the overall number of significant quakes dropped precipitously. Eruptive blasts continue to decrease in number and size.
10/07/00 (12:22 GMT) – A comparison between an old topographic map of the summit and one produced today yielded interesting results. The overall crater has enlarged.
10/10/00 (19:03 GMT) – A new set of gas emission data has been taken. Results are difficult to interpret due to large margins of error. The overall up and down trend in the number of earthquakes and their energy release has continued and is now on an upswing. A thermal image of the mountain will be taken tomorrow.
10/11/00 (03:38 GMT) – The thermal image taken today shows a considerable area of heat beneath the summit.
10/12/00 (23:45 GMT) – Another topographic map was produced today and shows a considerable rise within the crater complex.
10/13/00 (11:28 GMT) – There was a considerable drop in seismic activity today. Other data was unavailable due to poor visibility of the mountain. All other data collection will have to wait for the weekend.
10/15/00 (11:01 GMT) – The general character of the activity has remained the same over the course of the weekend. Eruptive activity continues to slow, but unrest in Quito and surrounding towns continues to be high. This is mostly due to lack of communication from scientists involved. A press release may become necessary in the near future.
10/16/00 (19:58 GMT) – A flyover of the volcano for gas emissions data revealed no gas emissions. What this means is still debatable. Another flight has been scheduled for next week to see if this is significant.
10/17/00 (01:38 GMT) – There were no eruptions today for the first time since late September. Fumarole activity continues from inside the crater. Earthquakes continue to occur at rather impressive rates.
10/18/00 (11:12 GMT) – The volcano was relatively
quiet again today. Quakes continue, but
no eruptive activity was recorded aside from fumarole activity within the
crater.
10/19/00 (23:23 GMT) – New gas emission data today. No new eruption. General character of activity remains low, with seismicity the only element remaining relatively high.
10/20/00 (14:48 GMT) – New deformation data. No eruptions today or any serious seismic activity.
10/22/00 (03:56 GMT) – Another round of gas emission data came in today. Yesterday was relatively quiet. There have been no eruptions in over 5 days. The lack of activity is not helping the growing anti-scientist sentiment within the city and surrounding rural areas.
10/23/00 (09:01 GMT) – Eruptions resumed today. One small eruption of ash rose about 1,000 feet above the crater floor. Ash was only spread in the immediate area around the crater rim.
10/24/00 (21:38 GMT) – No eruptions today, but a M5.0
quake was recorded around 4am local time.
This was the strongest shock felt since activity began in
September. This event was followed by 2
minute-long periods of harmonic tremor.
There is also a new gas emission report.
Important
Note/Correction Regarding Deformation
10/25/00 (16:17 GMT) – One eruption occurred today,
sending a cloud of ash approximately 3km above the crater floor.
Seismic activity remains average as compared to the last few days.