December 3, 2014

On the international radar this week is Pico do Fogo volcano in Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa. Pico do Fogo is the highest peak of Cape Verde, rising to nearly 3000 metres above sea level.

The main cone of this active volcano on the island of Fogo last erupted in 1675, although an eruption causing several deaths occurred in 1847, and a subsidiary vent last erupted in November 1995 – until this week, early December 2014, nineteen years later.

During the week locals have been fleeing the area, carrying what they can and monitoring the situation closely; the Sentinel-1A satellite has been feeding back images to authorities also.

Presenter Zoe Palmer visited the region and actually climbed this volcano!

Main image: Caroline Granycome, Flickr creative commons.