Kamchatkan and Northern Kurile Volcanic Activity

INFORMATION RELEASE 06-05

Friday, January 21, 2005, 11:00 KST (23:00 UTC on January 20)

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:

KLYUCHEVSKOY, SHEVELUCH and KARYMSKY: ORANGE

BEZYMIANNY: YELLOW

TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY, MUTNOVSKY

and GORELY: GREEN

NORTHERN KURILE:

ALAID: GREEN

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. 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 this week. Weak shallow

earthquakes at a depth 0-5 km beneath the active dome and intermittent

spasmodic volcanic tremor of 0.3-0.6 x10-6 mps were registered on all days.

According to seismic data, probable ash explosions up to 5.5 km (or 18,050

ft) ASL occurred at 02:17 UTC on January 17. Ash explosions up to 4-4.5 km

(or 13,100 - 14,800 ft) ASL were noted on January 14-17. Possible weak

ash-gas explosions and hot avalanches occurred all week. According to

visual and video data, ash-gas explosions up to 2-3 km above the dome

(14,800 - 18,050 ft ASL) were noted at 2:20 and 4:25 UTC on January 17.

Gas-steam plumes up to 1,000 m above the dome (or 11,500 ft ASL) were

observed on January 17, as were weak gas-steam plumes extending for 10 km

(or 6.2 mi) to the east on January 19 and 20. Clouds obscured the volcano

at other times.

According to satellite data from the USA and Russia, a 1-10-pixel thermal

anomaly was registered over the dome all week. Gas-steam plumes extending

about 10 km (or 6.2 mi) to the east and about 90 km

(or 56 mi) to the south-east were observed on January 17 and January 19-20,

respectively.

KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO: 56 03'N, 160 39'E; Elevation 4,750 m

CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE.

High seismic activity into the volcano's edifice continues. 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.

Seismic activity was above background levels all week. The total numbers of

shallow earthquakes and shallow earthquakes of Ml=1.2-2.5 continue to

increase. A character of volcanic tremor changed from intermittent to

continuous on January 14. On January 17, 18 and 19, volcanic tremor of

A/Tmax=9.17; 7.0; and 12.2 x10-6 mps, was registered respectively.

According to visual observations from Klyuchi and Kozyrevsk, gas-steam

plumes up to 200-800 m above the dome (16,200 - 18,200 ft ASL) were noted

on January 16-20, extending to the north from volcano on January 14-15, to

the north-west on January 17 and to the east-southeast on January 19, for 5

km (or 3.1 mi) to the east-southeast on January 20.

Weak fumarolic activity was observed on January 14 and 15. A luminescence

into the crater of the volcano was observed during the nights of January

16, 17 and 19. Clouds obscured the volcano at other

times. According to satellite data from the USA and Russia, a 1-6-pixel

thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on January 13-19.

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 (or 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 till January 18. There are no

stable seismic data from January 18. The number of local shallow events was

about 60 from 0:00 till 13:00 UTC on January 18 and 19. According to

satellite data from the USA and Russia, a 1-4-pixel thermal anomaly was

registered over the volcano on January 15-18. Possible ash deposits on the

snow to the south-east direction from the volcano were noted on January

17-20. Clouds obscured the volcano at other times.

BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55 58'N, 160 36'E; Elevation 2,895 m

CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW.

Strong volcanic tremor at Klyuchevskoy volcano obscures seismic data for

Bezymianny. According to volcanologists’ experience, a lava flow is

probably now effusing at the dome of the volcano.

Strong volcanic tremor at Klyuchevskoy volcano currently obscures seismic

data for Bezymianny. According to visual observations, weak gas-steam

plumes up to the 20-50 m above the dome (9,600 - 9,700 ft ASL) were

observed on January 15 and 19, extending 20 km (or 12 mi) to the west on

January 15 and to the south-east on January 19. Clouds obscured the volcano

at other times. According to satellite data from the USA and Russia, a

1-6-pixel thermal anomaly was registered over the dome on January 15-19.

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).