The volcano has been quiet overnight. Another small swarm of volcano-tectonic earthquakes occurred between 9:20 pm and 10:27 pm, when 20 earthquakes were recorded. This swarm was followed by a few rockfalls from the dome.
The volcano is cloudy, and so no observations have been possible this morning. Observations from the helicopter yesterday showed that there is fresh dome growth within the scar caused by the dome collapse on Monday evening. This new growth is proceeding quickly, and thus it is expected that further collapses will occur in the next few days.
If a major dome collapse happens, it would probably build up over a period of several hours, and could produce large pyroclastic flows in the Tar River valley and heavy ash fall downwind of the volcano. Should the collapse be very large, then an explosive eruption is possible, in the same way that it followed a major dome collapse on September 17/18. At the moment the scientists are confident that zone E, which includes Corkhill and the airport, remains safe. The Tar River area is extremely dangerous, and should not be entered in any circumstances.