The Colima Volcano rumbled mightily last weekend prompting Colima authorities to evacuate residents from the villages of Yerbabuena and La Becerrera.
Despite the increased activity, Jalisco authorities decided not to issue evacuation orders for its residents living in close proximity to the volcano.
Vulcanologists reported constant explosions from the volcano generating heavy steam and an ash plume rising at least two kilometers from the crater.
Aerial images show that a new lava dome has overspilled the southwestern crater rim with the lava flow extending half way down the steep cone.
One of the most active volcanos in Central America, the “Volcán de Fuego” has had more than 30 periods of eruptions since 1585, including several significant eruptions in the late 1990s. The most recent major explosive eruption was in 1913.
Although the Colima volcano is under permanent observation, Hugo Delgado Granados of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) has recommended boosting the surveillance, arguing that the chance of a major eruption is even greater than that of Popocatépetl, the active volcano that overlooks Mexico City.