Sudden geothermal activity draws researchers to site in central Mexico

Xinhua News Agency | Mon,2017-07-10 MEXICO CITY, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Researchers and authorities in Mexico are investigating a site in central Mexico's Michoacan state that is registering sudden signs of geothermal activity, the state government said on Monday.
Local residents in the northwestern town of Venustiano Carranza notified the authorities Sunday afternoon after noticing steam and incandescent material being emitted through cracks in the ground at a football field.
Researchers have measured temperatures as high as 250 degrees centigrade at the field in the community of Pueblo Viejo, located 227 kilometers from the state capital Morelia.
Video footage posted by local media showed steam rising from the ground, which easily gave way underfoot.
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apdnews.com...

First to all, I want to point out that my choice to use Xinhua as the source is because so far the sources from Mexico, even the ones in English, are claiming this is the beginning of a volcano which is not true.

For example:

Burned goats trigger volcano questions

Residents in Mexico town fear volcanic eruption

One Mexican news source even claims that "magma was seen at the site".

Brote de lava en Michoacán; podría anunciar el nacimiento de un nuevo volcán

The above would translate into English as: "Magma rises in Michoacan; it could announce the birth of a new volcano".

But so far I haven't seen any evidence supporting either claim that lava rose up, or that this activity announces the formation of a new volcano.

However, this is still an important find.

The activity seen so far is apparently being caused by an increase in geothermal activity in Central Mexico. Apparently there is a lot of wood and other carbon based material trapped underground around the soccer field, which was set on fire by the increase geothermal activity. This underground burned material has caused smoke to rise from the ground around the soccer field in the community of Pueblo Viejo.

The increased geothermal activity in this area was first noticed on July 9th when two goats were found burned to death in the soccer field. Apparently the goats were eating in the field when suddenly the ground gave in under them and both goats were burned to death.

In the following video you can see how residents of the town filmed how easily the ground gives in and smoke rises from those areas they step into.



The news sources all state that temperatures recorded in the soil is 250 degree celsius, but after watching another video from a Mexican news agency showing firefighters reading the temperature data, they show that temperatures recorded were 260 degree celsius. Also, when this was first reported in the 10th of July the area affected was 15 meters wide. on July 11th the area that has given in is about 40-45 meters wide.



Also of note, which also verifies that geothermal activity is increasing in central Mexico, on the 4th of July a geiser which has been dormant for 8 years, and was formed 100 years ago, came back to life with more strength than before.

The geiser has erupted in a well dug up 60 years ago by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) "to determine the feasibility of installing an electrical generation plant on the site."

60-meter geyser erupts in Michoacán
The eruption occurred in Ixtlán on the site of a well the CFE had drilled years ago.
Mexico News Daily | Thursday, July 6, 2017

A geyser reappeared in the municipality of Ixtlán, Michoacán, shooting a column of hot water as high as 60 meters, according to one estimate.
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It was the second time in six years that the phenomenon was recorded near the municipal sports facility at the site of a well drilled by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). Last time a geyser blew it continued for 24 hours.
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60-meter geyser erupts in Michoacán

Both of these locations are found in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.


The above image can be found in the video below.

hisz.rsoe.hu...

a reply to: whywhynot

Thanks for that link. Although there is no evidence that this is the birth of a volcano, it does show that there is an increase in geothermal activity in central Mexico.

In order for a volcano to form there would be constant seismic events, as well as magma coming up to the surface.

The last time a volcano started forming in Mexico was on February 20th, 1943. The volcano was named "Paricutin", and it formed in the "municipio de San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro, Michoacán". Seismic and magma activity occurred for 9 years. That volcano is the youngest in the world.

Well, now......

That's how Poco started......when I was but a boy, in a friggin cornfieldlookout

I'm surprised they didn't go straight to el Diablo as the culprit.

El double post

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Sounds like they have a volcano in the making!! Feels serious.

I'd be relocating, if I was there.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse
The same thing happened in my neighborhood 55 years ago. It was a coal seam close to the surface. I don't know how it got started but for about 8 years in would set fire to the surrounding vegetation in late summer when the vegetation was starting to dry out. Then it suddenly stopped.
With the information like wood and other carbon material trapped underground sounds like an old rubbish pit that's been covered over, These are known to self combust and the ground giving way is a symptom of this burning of material that leaves a void.

originally posted by: crayzeed
a reply to: ElectricUniverse
The same thing happened in my neighborhood 55 years ago. It was a coal seam close to the surface. I don't know how it got started but for about 8 years in would set fire to the surrounding vegetation in late summer when the vegetation was starting to dry out. Then it suddenly stopped.
With the information like wood and other carbon material trapped underground sounds like an old rubbish pit that's been covered over, These are known to self combust and the ground giving way is a symptom of this burning of material that leaves a void.

Thats what it sounds like to me too

Not saying there isnt volcanic activity, but as noted above, we would expect a big increase in seismic activity were that the case