April 28 , 2018.

Piton de la Fournaise , La Réunion :

Update 9h30.

Activity Bulletin from Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 10:00 am (local time)
The eruption started on April 27, 2018 at 23:50 local time, continues

Figure 1: Evolution of the RSAM (indicator of the volcanic tremor and the intensity of the eruption) between 20:00 (16h UTC) on April 27th and 05h30 (9h30 UTC) on April 28th on the seismic station of BOR. (© OVPF / IPGP)

Following the reconnaissance flight conducted this morning with the help of the Gendarmerie Air Section and the PGHM, the eruptive site was accurately located. It is located at the crater Rivals (south flank of the volcano), the latter having been intersected by one of the eruptive cracks (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Shooting of the eruptive site at 08:30 (local time). (© OVPF / IPGP)

Figure 3: Shooting of the eruptive site at 08:30 (local time). (© OVPF / IPGP)

A total of 4 eruptive fissures opened. Two cracks on either side of the crater Rivals and one that crosses, these three cracks were no longer active this morning. The fourth crack, which is currently active, opened just downstream from the crater Rivals and extends for less than 300 m (Figure 3).
During the flight at 8:30, fountains lava less than 30 m high escaped over its entire length

.

Figure 4: Shot of the flow front at 8:30 am (local time). (© OVPF / IPGP)

Several flows arms are active and are found very quickly to form a single main flow heading south and the wall of the Enclos Fouqué. At 8:30 (local time), the flow was less than 200-300 m from the rampart. Due to the topography of the place and the presence of the August-October 2015 flow, contact with the rampart and an accumulation at this level is likely.

Note that the observatory lost a seismological station and a GPS station under the flow of lava .

Source : OVPF.