SO2 emission of the 1974 eruption of Volcán Fuego,Guatemala

Volcán Fuego in the Central American Republic of Guatemala erupted violently in October, 1974. A remote sensing correlation spectrometer. COSPEC IV, which utilizes the characteristic molecular absorption of SO₂ in the ultraviolet was used to monitor the SO₂ content of the volcanic plume. Over a 60-day period measurements were made on 37 days between and following major eruptive phases. SO₂ emission rates corrected for atmospheric scattering of the spectral signal average 423 metric tons/day with a standard deviation of 252 metric tons/days. Late stage peaks in SO₂ emission at Fuego are consistent with the presence of anomalously high contents of soluble materials on the stratigraphically highest ashes from other Central American eruptions. Indications are that the SO₂ concentration within the volcanic plume increased as activity waned. These features imply that remote spectroscopic sensing of SO₂ and perhaps other gases in a volcanic plume may provide a relatively easy and inexpensive means of determining the cessation of violent eruptive activity.