Earth System Science News

A network of seismic instruments
has been placed around Panama’s
Baru Volcano to help detect an eruption and mitigate danger to surrounding
communities.

The Panamanian government funded
the instrumentation, completed by the University of Panama’s
Department of Geosciences, in swift response to a Joint Study of Panama’s Baru
Volcano, which revealed that it is a potentially active volcano that has the
possibility to erupt again.

No unusual activity has taken
place at Baru Volcano since 2006, when an earthquake swarm occurred beneath the
volcano, which had been slumbering for more than 400 years.

The report, released January 18,
2008, was a collective effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Panama
with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Panamanian
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the U.S. Embassy in Panama.

The report and accompanying maps were
designed to provide emergency managers in Panama with the tools necessary to
prepare and implement protective measures if new eruptive activity begins and
provide information to promote risk-wise and disaster resilient communities.
These new materials were incorporated into the ongoing disaster preparedness
and mitigation activities conducted by USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance with the GOP and non-governmental organizations.  In addition
to hazard mapping, these activities have included institutional strengthening
of SINAPROC (the Panamanian agency that responds to natural disasters), with
emphasis on emergency management procedures; support for adding risk reduction
subjects in the formal education system; strengthening of all first
responder agencies, especially in the areas of personnel development and
interagency coordination; and support of community-based organization and
preparedness initiatives.

There is no reliable way to predict
a future eruption of Baru, but seismic activity and ground deformation, lasting
for days to months, would precede any future eruption, scientists note. “Future
eruptions will likely be similar to past eruptions - explosive and dangerous to
those living on the volcano’s flanks,” said the scientists in a report which
can be accessed online at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1401. “Outlying
towns and cities could endure several years of disruption in the wake of
renewed volcanic activity.”

Panamanian officials recognized
they needed a volcano hazards assessment and tools to prepare the communities
for an eruption even though the volcano has been quiet since 2006. They turned
to the U.S. Mission in Panama
for help. Through the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, a joint venture
between the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a team of scientists was deployed onsite to work
with Panamanian scientists to evaluate Baru’s past, present, and future
eruption potential. 

The bi-national team uncovered the
explosive history of Baru Volcano by examining and dating the deposits on its
flanks, which show evidence of repeated violent eruptions. It has had four eruptive
episodes during the past 1,600 years, the most recent approximately 400 years
ago.

Earthquake activity beneath Panama’s Baru
Volcano in May 2006 served as a reminder that the slumbering volcano, long
thought to be dormant by local residents, might one day reawaken.

More than 10,000 people live in
areas adjacent to the volcano. Three towns are located within a 10-mile radius
of the mouth of the volcano - Boquete, Cerro Punta, and Volcan - and they are
attractive places to live.

USAID is an independent federal government agency
that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. Our work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign
policy objectives by supporting economic growth; agriculture and trade; global
health; and, democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance. For
more information on USAID worldwide, please visit: www.usaid.gov.
Information on USAID’s programs in Panama are located at: http://www.usaid.gov/pa/