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607:(Bellecombe Pass), where a parking lot and a snack bar are located. The Pas de Bellecombe is situated over the caldera rim cliffs and offers a view over the northeast part of the caldera. A stairway path descends from the pass to the caldera floor. This path is closed for safety reasons during seismic events that may precede eruptions and during eruptions. White paint marks over rocks delimit a number of footpaths ascending the lava shield inside the caldera.
458:
475:
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the eruption are signposted with the year of eruption after the road is rebuilt. In the early 2000s, the highway was destroyed one or more times a year; road engineering services then wait for the lava to cool off and build another stretch of road. For months after an eruption, the core of the lava flows can still be hot enough to steam in rainy weather.
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was evacuated in 1977 before it was inundated by a lava flow which destroyed several buildings. The lava flow crossed the highway and surrounded the local church, entered the front door, then stopped without destroying the building. The front entrance was later cleared out, and the church was brought
505:
Eruptions within the caldera do not cause much devastation, because the caldera is uninhabited, but little infrastructure exists apart from the highway. Lava flows are generally confined to the caldera. However, lava flows have been known to cross the N2 highway; areas where the road was destroyed by
466:
565:
and the
University of Réunion. The OVPF often publishes reports on Piton de la Fournaise's current activity via their website in French. RIGIC (the Réunion Island Geological Information Center) takes this information and translates it into English for distribution to the English-speaking scientific
328:
in French, form the caldera's rim. The caldera is breached to the southeast towards the sea. The eastern flank of the volcano is unstable and is in the initial stages of failure. It will eventually collapse into the Indian Ocean and if it is a cataclysmic debris avalanche, it will generate a
523:
In April 2007, the volcano erupted and produced an estimated 3,000,000 cubic metres (110 million cubic feet) of lava per day. During this eruption of 2007, an incremental caldera collapse of
Dolomieu occurred at the volcano over more than nine days. The collapse displaced 0.8 km
524:× 1.1 km (0.50 mi × 0.68 mi) of floor downward by 330 m (1,080 ft), with a volume of 120 million cubic metres (4.2 billion cubic feet). The caldera collapse accompanied one of the largest eruptions of lava at the volcano in the past 100 years.
293:. A previous eruption began in August 2006 and ended in January 2007. The volcano erupted again in February 2007, on 21 September 2008, on 9 December 2010, which lasted for two days, and on 1 August 2015. The most recent eruption began on 15 September 2022. The volcano is located within
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can be visited from the N2 highway. Lava flows that have crossed the road are indicated by signs. Completely free access during eruptions was permitted until 1998; access has been limited since that date, being virtually banned at present.
417:
is formed from solidified lava flows accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years; the most recent ones are often the darkest and most vegetation-free, while older ones can be covered by dense natural vegetation.
462:
433:, which is believed to have been active for the past 66 million years. There is evidence for explosive eruptions in the past. One explosive eruption about 4,700 years ago may have had a
509:
Eruptions outside of the caldera can pose serious hazards to the population, but are rare. Only six eruptions outside of the caldera have been recorded, most recently in 1986. The village of
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Level 1: An eruption will occur soon; the public may not access the caldera until specialists have examined the situation and set pathways for those willing to admire the eruption.
806:
Fontaine, F. R.; Roult, G.; Hejrani, B.; Michon, L.; Ferrazzini, V.; Barruol, G.; Tkalčić, H.; Di Muro, A.; Peltier, A.; Reymond, D.; Staudacher, T.; Massin, F. (30 May 2019).
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occasionally reach the sea. Piton de la
Fournaise is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, with more than 150 recorded eruptions since the 17th century.
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129:
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Inside the caldera is a 400 metres (1,300 ft) high lava shield named
Dolomieu. At the top of this lava shield are Bory Crater (
333:. There is evidence of earlier failures on the submerged flanks and surrounding abyssal plain. The lower slopes are known as the
586:
Level 3: An eruption is occurring or will occur soon outside of the caldera; some villages may have to be evacuated for safety.
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Island. There were three episodes of caldera collapses 250,000, 65,000 and 5,000 years ago. The volcano was formed by the
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are routinely ejected through these vents. By the trailhead of the summit path there lies a small noteworthy crater called
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684:(in French). Observatoire volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. Archived from
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Level 2: An eruption is occurring inside the caldera. Access to the caldera is restricted to authorized personnel only.
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Active
Volcanoes of the Southwest Indian Ocean: Piton de la Fournaise and Karthala, Patrick Bachelery, Springer, 2016
555:, northwest of the volcano. The observatory, founded in 1978 following the Piton-Sainte-Rose flow, is operated by the
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This volcano is over 530,000 years old, and for most of its history, its flows have intermingled with those from
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Pre-alert: Warnings about possible eruptions; hikers accessing the caldera are warned about possible developments.
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30:
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can be found inside the caldera and on the higher flanks of the volcano. Lavas with high concentrations of
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192:
808:"Very- and ultra-long-period seismic signals prior to and during caldera formation on La Réunion Island"
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A forestry road followed by a track connects the highway of the plains in Bourg-Murat to the
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in
January 1980, it received 6,433 millimetres (253.3 in) of rainfall in 15 days, the
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The erupting lava met the water of the Indian Ocean during the August 2004 eruption.
437:(Volcanic Explosivity Index) of 5, which is the same as the 18 May 1980 eruption of
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notable for receiving intense rainfall, particularly during tropical storms. During
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494:: fluid basaltic lava flowing out with fire fountaining at the vent. Occasionally,
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270:
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753:"Subject: E4) What are the largest rainfalls associated with tropical cyclones?"
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Some beaches in the proximity of the volcano are greenish in color, due to
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Residents of Réunion sometimes refer to Piton de la
Fournaise simply as
498:(groundwater steam-generated eruptions) occur. Lava flows crossing the
348:), which is by far the wider of the two and named for French geologist
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426:
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most precipitation produced by a tropical cyclone in a single location
247:
149:
751:
Landsea, Christopher W; Hurricane
Research Division (12 March 2007).
682:"Le Piton de la Fournaise en direct (9 December 2010 – 9 April 2011)"
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Procedures specify several levels of alert, which are decided by the
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receivers, etc.). The data from those various sensors is sent to the
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337:("Great Burn"). Most volcanic eruptions are confined to the caldera.
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Volcanic activity is constantly monitored by geophysical sensors (
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561:(Global Geophysics Institute of Paris), in association with
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Topographic map showing the volcano and surrounding terrain
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An eruption began on 2 July 2023 at 8:30 a.m. local time.
701:"New Eruption at Piton de la Fournaise on Reunion Island"
544:
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The uppermost section of the volcano is occupied by the
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The gate for the visitors who want to climb the volcano
379:, named for its resemblance to the sand pit trap of an
324:
8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide. High cliffs, known as
875:
RIGIC (Réunion Island
Geological Information Center)
490:Most eruptions of Piton de la Fournaise are of the
308:("the Volcano"). It is a major tourist attraction.
726:"Première éruption 2023 du piton de la Fournaise"
16:Shield volcano in southeast Réunion, Indian Ocean
894:
486:Animated map of eruptions between 1972 and 2000.
573:of Réunion on the basis of scientific reports:
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136:
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757:Tropical Cyclone Frequently Asked Questions
622:A panoramic view on the top of the volcano
883:. Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris.
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643:Eruption history of Piton de la Fournaise
549:Piton de la Fournaise Volcano Observatory
261:. It is currently one of the most active
35:Piton de la Fournaise is a shield volcano
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386:Located outside of the main caldera is
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763:from the original on 3 December 2013
514:back into service under the name of
470:Video of a lava flow in August 2019
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711:from the original on 22 June 2014.
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888:Reunion Island – anglophone site
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255:overseas department and region
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938:Pleistocene shield volcanoes
933:Polygenetic shield volcanoes
633:List of volcanoes in Réunion
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51:2,632 m (8,635 ft)
7:
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520:("Our Lady of the Lavas").
10:
959:
903:Shield volcanoes of France
881:"Le Piton de la Fournaise"
832:10.1038/s41598-019-44439-1
730:Île de la Réunion Tourisme
311:
943:Holocene shield volcanoes
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350:Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu
265:in the world, along with
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235:[pitɔ̃dəlafuʁnɛz]
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788:Global Volcanism Program
732:(in French). 3 July 2023
793:Smithsonian Institution
783:"Piton de la Fournaise"
699:Klemetti, Erik (2014).
610:The lower parts of the
344:) and Dolomieu Crater (
246:on the eastern side of
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638:Mamelon (volcanology)
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295:Réunion National Park
240:"Peak of the Furnace"
227:Piton de la Fournaise
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143:Piton de la Fournaise
79:21.24250°S 55.70889°E
24:Piton de la Fournaise
923:Mountains of Réunion
918:Volcanoes of Réunion
517:Notre-Dame des Laves
824:2019NatSR...9.8068F
299:World Heritage Site
103:Peak of the Furnace
100:English translation
84:-21.24250; 55.70889
75: /
812:Scientific Reports
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496:phreatic eruptions
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409:sand derived from
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212:21 September 1751
41:Highest point
908:Hotspot volcanoes
688:on 27 April 2011.
605:Pas de Bellecombe
511:Piton-Sainte-Rose
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396:Cyclone Hyacinthe
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913:Active volcanoes
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423:Piton des Neiges
388:Commerson Crater
346:Cratère Dolomieu
271:Hawaiian Islands
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108:Language of name
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765:. Retrieved
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686:the original
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287:Mount Erebus
259:Indian Ocean
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222:Orthoimagery
208:First ascent
175:530,000 year
154:Indian Ocean
18:
818:(1): 8068.
646:(in French)
612:Grand Brûlé
566:community.
553:Bourg-Murat
500:Grand Brûlé
415:Grand Brûlé
413:lavas. The
377:Formica Leo
335:Grand Brûlé
331:megatsunami
238:; English:
197:August 2023
171:Age of rock
82: /
57:Coordinates
897:Categories
652:References
537:tiltmeters
531:Monitoring
291:Antarctica
250:island, a
70:55°42′32″E
67:21°14′33″S
840:2045-2322
670:928762285
445:Eruptions
306:le Volcan
275:Stromboli
263:volcanoes
257:, in the
118:Geography
47:Elevation
858:31147579
767:12 April
761:Archived
709:Archived
627:See also
326:remparts
202:Climbing
849:6543087
820:Bibcode
736:13 July
571:prefect
427:Réunion
407:olivine
392:caldera
381:antlion
373:iridium
365:craters
322:caldera
312:Geology
269:in the
267:Kīlauea
248:Réunion
242:) is a
231:French:
165:Geology
150:Réunion
856:
846:
838:
668:
591:Access
252:French
112:French
95:Naming
705:Wired
363:Many
283:Italy
854:PMID
836:ISSN
769:2013
738:2023
666:OCLC
563:CNRS
367:and
320:, a
297:, a
285:and
279:Etna
277:and
844:PMC
828:doi
545:GPS
435:VEI
289:in
281:in
899::
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842:.
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810:.
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728:.
717:^
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301:.
273:,
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830::
822::
816:9
795:.
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229:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.