Kamchatkan
and Northern Kurile Volcanic Activity
INFORMATION
RELEASE 05-05
Sunday,
January 16, 2005, 12:20 KST (00:20 UTC)
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.
KLYUCHEVSKOY
VOLCANO: 56 03'N, 160 39'E; Elevation 4,750 m
CURRENT
LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE.
PREVIOUS
LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE WAS YELLOW.
Seismic
activity into the volcano's edifice increased significantly. A
bright
thermal anomaly is seen at the summit of the volcano. There is a
probability
of ash explosions from the terminal crater of the volcano.
Klyuchevskoy
volcano has 4,750 m (15,600 ft) elevation and even small ash
explosions
will be a danger for aviation.
Since
January 13, seismic activity at the volcano continues to increase.
About 15
shallow earthquakes of Ml>1.25 were registered on January 13-14.
The
amplitude of a volcanic tremor increased from 1.8x10-6 mps to 3.2x10-6
mps on
January 14. According to visual observations from Klyuchi, weak
gas-steam
plume was noted on January 14, extending to the north from the
volcano.
Clouds obscured the volcano on January 13 and 15-16. According to
satellite
data from the USA and Russia, a bright 1-3-pixel thermal anomaly
was
registered over the summit of the volcano on January 15.
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 GS
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).