Likewise, the official maintained that “It is essential not to approach the crater area, since people are at great risk of being affected by gases or ash emissions that may occur suddenly”.
Likewise, it was reported that while the Orange alert status is maintained, it is possible that temporary fluctuations occur in the activity levels of the volcano, That is, at some times it decreases compared to previous days or weeks.
However, this does not imply that the volcano has returned to a stable state of activity. To return to a lower alert state (Yellow) A reasonable amount of time is required in which all the monitored parameters are evaluated and trends that may indicate greater stability are determined.
- Latest activity and monitoring
Since 2021, the Puracé volcano has been showing gradual changes in its activity. One of the most notable was the increase in seismic activity, which occurred in March 2022, month in which the highest number of daily earthquakes was recorded since the SGC began its monitoring.
These variations were recorded before the occurrence of a small phreatic eruption in the crater of the Curiquinga volcano, on March 29, 2022, one of the fifteen volcanoes that, together with Puracé, make up the Los Coconucos Volcanic Chain (CVLC).
At that time (March 30, 2022), The SGC changed the alert status of the volcano to Yellow, due to the high variability observed in the number and location of seismic fracture events and fluid movement after the eruption.
The Popayán Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of the SGC monitors the activity of the Puracé volcano since the late 80s. Currently it is one of the best instrumented volcanoes in the country, that is, one of the ones with the most equipment to understand its behavior and the changes in its activity.
Currently, it has a surveillance network made up of 97 stations, of which 60 They have a data telemetry system; while, In the remaining 37, data are acquired directly at sampling points.
