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Geyser-Like Eruption Creates 4-Meter Crater in Michoacán Home Patio

Scientists from UNAM and CENAPRED are conducting temperature, pressure and chemical tests to determine whether the event is a true geyser and to assess ongoing risk.

Overview

  • The eruption occurred in the patio/corral of a house in El Salitre and opened an approximately four-meter diameter hole that threw hot water, mud and steam several meters into the air during the night of May 25–26.
  • Local and state Protección Civil sealed off a roughly 30-meter safety perimeter, evacuated the household, removed nearby gas tanks and livestock, and suspended classes at a nearby preschool to protect residents.
  • Authorities report no human injuries but confirmed that some farm animals died and that the visible activity has diminished since the initial burst.
  • UNAM geologists and CENAPRED specialists have been mobilized to run continuous monitoring and tests of temperature, pressure, gas and water chemistry plus geologic and geophysical surveys to classify the phenomenon.
  • Ixtlán de los Hervores sits in a known geothermal belt that hosts tourist geysers, so officials say the site will stay under watch while scientists determine whether this was a short-lived surface vent or a true, sustained geyser.