A very inspiring view from the ocean, Mount Fako rising from the ocean as it sits on the coastline.
Tombel Graben
Technically Mount Fako is a strato volcano on the coastal end of the much larger (800 square kilometer) Tombel Graben. It is rather misnamed since it is not a Graben really; it is a large caldera with a Graben inside. The caldera floor of the Tombel volcano has been filled in by lava floods. The Tombel volcano has not erupted during historical times, but there was one eruption at Le Djungo about 200 years ago. Tombel has two large strato-volcanoes, Mount Fako at the coast, and Mount Manengouba with its large calderas. There is a young crater row at Mount Manengouba that is believed to have erupted during the last 1 000 years. The Tombel Graben has one of the largest lava reservoirs that have been mapped.
Mount Fako erupting, aerial photograph from the distance.
Cameroon Volcanic Line
The Tombel volcano is situated on the Cameroon Volcanic Line. A distinction shared with Oku Volcanic Field, mostly famous for the Lake Nyos disaster. In the other end sits the active volcanic Island of Bioko. The volcanic line is trending from north-east to south-west. It is most likely a fault line that is a remnant from the separation of the continents that trended from the MAR as the Tombel Graben moved away from the centerline of the Atlantic Ridge. It is now cut off from the MAR completely.
Photograph by Tom Humphrey 1982 (Gulf Oil). Lava flow taken during the 1982 eruption.
Mount Fako today
On Tuesday an earthquake swarm started with epicenters ranging from Mount Fako to the magma reservoirs under the mountain. There is also a trending line of quakes going from the magma reservoirs of the mountain towards the center of the Tombel Graben. At the same time low frequency harmonic tremor started at Tombel Graben, and normal magmatic harmonic tremoring at Mount Fako. The earthquake swarms at Mount Fako before an eruption are normally strong to very strong for being at a volcano, with almost continuous quakes ranging from 2M to 5M before and during an eruption
Before onset of current activities an episode of rapid GPS movement started less than 70 days ago in the Tombel Graben caldera and GPS-movement consistent with inflation at Mount Fako.
On the Friday a set of smaller explosions happened on the flank of the volcano known close to the Hut 2 tourist lodge. The explosions where small and most likely caused by hydrothermal vents blowing out, as pressure increased inside the volcano. Two tourists where lightly injured during one of the explosions.
This has lead to increased surveillance of the volcano. It is the best monitored of the African volcanoes, with permanent local staff, additional French experts, and also equipment from a Power Production Company in place.
If an eruption occurs, it will most likely be on the south west flank. It would be a rather explosive affair ranging from VEI1 to VEI3. After and during the explosive phase there will be a lava flow moving towards the coast.
Picture by Cameroon Post. The greatest danger for the population is houses falling apart due to strong earthquakes.
The authorities in the area are used to the volcano, and the same goes for the residents. If needs be there will be an evacuation of threatened villages, but not much more.
The biggest danger of the volcano is that the earthquakes before and during the eruptions will make houses collapse on top of people. Otherwise the volcano is generally harmless.
CARL
VolcanoCafé 
This one I do not like…
http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/hekla/oroi_mjo.html
Harmonic tremor spike in Hekla caused by the quakes, and those quakes are flippin’ far away. I hope this one falls down back to background levels fast.
Thanks, now I am going to bed….must control compulsion to keep refreshing tabs…..Arg, darn this volcano addiction. Ha Ha Ha..Night night again all.
Shleep well!
So you think what we’re seeing is triggered local harmonics and not just the far away quakes (like in Santorini)?
I think it triggered local Harmonics, they are much higher at Mjoaskard then at the other adjacent SILs.
But now it has stopped.
And this, I guess it the same:
http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/hekluvoktun/oroi_hau.html
http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/hekluvoktun/oroi_sau.html
@Ursula:
That is just the quakes, Mjoaskerd showed something different. That event lasted for an hour, the spikes at Hau and Sau showed as distinct quakes.
And this was weather. We had hurricane force winds last night.
Yes, but this was a couple of hours ago, and very distinctly showing on only Mjoaskerd, none of the others. So I do not think it is weather. It started and ramped up in five seconds, stayed high for an hour, then died out in a minute.
Rather nice little quake swarm running at Reykjanes Ridge out at Eldeyjarbodi. It is normal for that part of the MAR to have large quake swarms. I guess that Jamie (wherever he went) is feeling this one rather nicely in his kitchen.
http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/reykjanesridge/
Tectonic I assume out there ?
nope. got to sleep in this morning, so the rocking must have helped me sleep. I’m thinking of slapping together a MacGuyver style seisometer.
Ah, there you where!
Started almost to get worried, have not seen you for a while 🙂
4.1M at Eldeyjarbodi.
Correction, that one was far south of Eldyarbodi.
Its a low quality quake. It seems to show in SIL stations but I think is not correctly located, probably its not a 4 but a 3 or 2.5 at much less distance.
However, tremor at GOD also. And the 11min median shows a rather-big spike: http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/Katla/god_trem.gif
That is the spike from the quakes. Look at the new post and you will see a bell curve of released energy from Reykjanes Ridge, on the Hekla Strain plot 🙂
It is probably correct, and most likely on the low side.
Quakes that far normally get a low quality due to the distance, and are normally stronger than they appear. This one showed on the north coast SILs…
New post is up.