The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) announced that as of this Friday, May 3, the alert status of the Puracé volcano, located in the department of Cauca, changed from yellow to orange. The entity explained that the decision was made due to the changes that were registered inside, especially three: seismicity, soil deformation and changes in the type of gases and fluids emitted by the volcano.
In that sense, the SGC specified that these factors indicate that there is a greater probability of an eruption, although it stressed that this does not mean that it will occur.
In the same way, the SGC indicated that telemetry systems show that the volcano building continues to gradually deform and, in addition, there is a small magmatic body that is migrating to the surface.
“As we have warned on several occasions, it is scientifically impossible to predict an eruption and any volcano, as long as it is active, can erupt at any time. However, with the current level of activity of Puracé, the country must be prepared and take the necessary preventive actions to avoid a disaster in the event of a considerable eruption,” warned John Makario Londoño, director of the Geothreats technical area of the SGC. .
For this reason, he added that it is essential not to approach the crater area, since this can be a great risk for people, who can be affected by gases or ash emissions that can occur suddenly.
Likewise, the entity indicated that to return to a state of minor alert, as could be the case of a yellow alert, a reasonable amount of time is required in which all the monitored parameters are analyzed and, based on these, they are determined. trends that may indicate greater stability.
“We invite local and national authorities and actors in charge of risk management in the country to make decisions for the well-being of people based on the scientific information provided by the SGC, which is due to years of study and permanent monitoring of this volcano,” said Julio Fierro Morales, general director of the SGC.
