World · Africa · 1 hr ago
Piton de la Fournaise seismic episode ends without an eruption
A seismic episode at Piton de la Fournaise ended on Saturday, 24 October, without an eruption.
The volcano is on Réunion island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean.
Instruments recorded 146 earthquakes near the summit and changes in the ground, showing magma had moved upward but stopped underground.
The magma did not reach the surface, but volcanologists say the reservoir remains under pressure and an eruption is still possible.
The prefecture raised the alert to level 1, and public access to the volcano’s enclosure remains banned until further notice.
The volcano last erupted in February 2026, and lava reached the ocean in March; a similar magma movement can precede an eruption by days or weeks.
A seismic episode at Piton de la Fournaise on Réunion ended at 17:03 local time on 24 October without magma reaching the surface.
The episode lasted nearly an hour and included 146 summit earthquakes and deformation.
Authorities had initially warned that an eruption was probable within minutes or hours, but the magma’s progress stopped underground.
The volcanological observatory said the reservoir remains under pressure and that an eruption has not been ruled out.
The public is still barred from the volcano’s enclosure, and the prefect activated the level 1 ORSEC Volcan alert.
- Who
- The Piton de la Fournaise volcanological observatory (OVPF) monitored the episode; the prefect activated the alert.
- What
- A seismic episode ended without an eruption. The magma did not reach the surface.
- When
- 24 October 2026, from 16:09 to 17:03 local time.
- Where
- Piton de la Fournaise, on Réunion island.
- Why
- The episode reflected a magmatic intrusion moving towards the surface.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Instruments recorded the start of the seismic episode at Piton de la Fournaise.
The prefect activated the level 1 ORSEC Volcan alert.
The seismic episode ended without magma reaching the surface.
- Duration
- Nearly one hour
- Seismic activity
- 146 summit earthquakes
- End time
- 17:03 local time, 24 October 2026
- Alert
- Level 1 ORSEC Volcan
- Access
- Public access to the enclosure remains prohibited
3 sources
Une "crise sismique" relevée au Piton de la Fournaire à la Réunion, une "probable" éruption volcanique attendue
Fin de la crise sismique au Piton de la Fournaise : le volcan se calme mais reste sous pression
Une "probable" éruption du Piton de la fournaise, sur l'île de La Réunion, attendue, alerte la préfecture
What people are saying
the magma did not reach the surface: its progress stopped underground
the reservoir remains under pressure and no hypothesis is ruled out for what comes next
Posts on X
#volcan | 🌋🚨Patrice Latron, préfet de La Réunion a déclenché le dispositif FR-Alert afin d’informer la population dans un contexte d’une éruption probable ou imminente du volcan. ⚠️ L’accès à l’Enclos est interdit, à l’exception de la RN2.