Kamchatkan and Northern Kurile Volcanic Activity
INFORMATION RELEASE 01-05
Friday, January 07, 2005, 11:05 KST (23:05 UTC on January 06)
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) received the following release via
e-mail from KVERT (Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruptions Response Team).
Kamchatkan
Standard Time (KST) is 21 hours ahead of Alaska Standard Time. All time
and
dates are UTC, if not marked specifically.
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:
KAMCHATKA:
BEZYMIANNY, SHEVELUCH and KARYMSKY: ORANGE
KLYUCHEVSKOY, TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY,
MUTNOVSKY
and GORELY: GREEN
NORTHERN KURILE:
ALAID: GREEN
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55 58'N, 160 36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE.
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE WAS YELLOW.
Seismic activity at the volcano increased. The possibility of an
explosive
eruption is high for the next week.
Seismic activity was above background levels on December 29-31 and
January
01-05. About 12 shallow earthquakes of Ml>1.25-2.0 were registered in
the
area of the volcano on December 30-31 and January 01, 04-05. According
to
visual observations, gas-steam plumes up to the 100-500 m above the dome
(9,800 - 11,500 ft ASL) were observed on December 30-31 and January 01,
extending to the east on December 30, for 15 km (9.3 mi) to the west on
December 31, for 20 km (12.4 mi) to the north-east on January 01 . Weak
fumarolic activity was observed on December 29 and January 03. Clouds
obscured the volcano at other times. According to satellite data from
the
USA and Russia, a 1-3-pixel thermal anomaly was registered over the dome
on
December 29-31 and January 01-03 and 05.
SHEVELUCH VOLCANO: 56 38'N,
161 19'E; Elevation 3,283 m, the dome
elevation ~2,500 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE.
Unrest at the volcano continues. A lava dome is growing in the active
crater. At any time and with little warning, explosions could produce
ash
plumes that could rise as high as 8 km or 26,400 ft. ASL, as well
as localized ash fall.
Seismic activity was above background levels from December 29 till
January
05 but it slightly decreased. Only one earthquake of Ml>1.25 was recorded
on January 04. Weak shallow earthquakes at a depth 0-5 km beneath the
active dome and intermittent spasmodic volcanic tremor of 0.2-0.3 x10-6
mps
were registered all days. Possible weak ash-gas explosions and hot
avalanches occurred all week. According to visual and video data, an
ash-gas explosion up to 3000 m above the dome (or 9,800 ft ASL) was
observed on January 02. Gas-steam plumes up to 500-1000 m above the dome
(or 10,800 - 11,500 ft ASL) were noted on December 30-31 and January
01-02,
extending 5 km from the volcano (3.1 mi) to the south-west on December
30.
A gas-steam plume up to 100 m above the dome (or 8,500 ft ASL) was noted
on
January 03. Clouds obscured the volcano at other times. According to
satellite data from the USA and Russia, a 1-12-pixel thermal anomaly was
registered over the dome all week.
KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54 03'N, 159 27'E; Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE.
Volcanic activity probably continues. The danger of a sudden explosion
or
series of explosions up to 4 km (16,500 ft.) ASL remains. A local ash
fall
within a few tens of km around the volcano is also possible.
There are no seismic data from December 12 to present due to technical
problems. According to satellite data from the USA and Russia, a
2-8-pixel
thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on December 29-30 and
January 01-03 and 05-06. A gas-steam plume extending from the crater for
30
km (18.6 mi) to the south-east on January 01, and possible gas-steam
plume
to the north-northwest and later to the north-west on January 06, were
noted. Clouds obscured the volcano at other times.
PLEASE CONTACT AVO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
Olga Girina
Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruptions Response Team
IVS FED RAS, Piip Blvd, 9
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006 RUSSIA
E-mail: girina@kcs.iks.ru
Tel. (41522) 58627
Sergey Senyukov
Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruptions Response Team
KEMSD FED RAS, Piip Blvd, 9
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006 RUSSIA
E-mail: ssl@emsd.iks.ru
Tel. (41522) 59523
Tom Murray
Scientist-in-Charge, Alaska Volcano Observatory
4200 University Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508 USA
E-mail: tlmurray@usgs.gov
Tel. 907-786-7497
The Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team is a cooperative program
of
the Alaska Volcano Observatory (USA), the Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology FED RAS and the Kamchatkan Experimental and Methodical
Seismological Department GS RAS (Russia).