Volcanoes emit sulfur dioxide — a pungent gas that reacts with oxygen and moisture in the air to produce a haze called vog.
More than a month after Cumbre Vieja began erupting, the volcano in the Canary Islands shows no signs of calming. In the past week, increasingly intense earthquakes, lava fountains, and emissions of ash and volcanic gases have rocked La Palma.
One new breakout lava flow has been advancing through a developed area on the island’s western flank, consuming buildings and fields in its path. Nearly 2,000 homes and hundreds of hectares of farmland have been destroyed by lava flows since the eruption began in September 2021.
Among the substances pouring from the volcano is sulfur dioxide (SO2), a pungent gas that reacts with oxygen and moisture to form a gray volcanic haze called vog. Vog is made up of sulfuric acid and sulfate aerosols.
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Image via NASA Earth Observatory
