Kamchatkan and Northern Kurile Volcanic Activity

INFORMATION RELEASE 07-05

Friday, January 28, 2005, 11:40 KST (23:40 UTC on January 27)

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

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. Gas-steam

explosions containing small amount of ash occur at the terminal

volcanic crater. Klyuchevskoy volcano is dangerous for aviation now.

KEMSD GS RAS doesn't have a correct method for Klyuchevskoy volcano to

detect ash plumes using seismic data.

Seismic activity was above background levels all week. A great number

of shallow earthquakes were registered every day. The 27 shallow

earthquakes of Ml=1.9-2.5 were fixed on January 20-22. A continuous

spasmodic volcanic tremor A/Tmax=14.5-27.5 x10-6 mps was registered on

January 20-21 and one decreased to 24.6-20.8 x10-6 mps on January

22-23 and to 10.7-11.3x10-6 mps on January 24-26. According to visual

and video observations from Klyuchi and Kozyrevsk, Strombolian

activity of the volcano occurred on January 20-23 and 27. Explosions

of volcanic bombs up to 50 and 300 m above the crater were observed at

nights of January 21, 22 and 27. Gas-steam plumes rose up to 800-1,500

m above the crater (18,200 - 20,500 ft ASL) on January 21-23, 27, and

extended about 30 km (or 18.6 mi) to the north-east on January 21, to

east on January 22, and to the north on January 23, for 30 km (or 18.6

mi) to the west-northwest on January 27. Clouds obscured the volcano

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

1-15-pixel thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on January

20-26. Gas-steam clouds containing small amount of ash with length for

30-70 km (or 18.6-43.5 mi)locating for distances 40-23 km to the

north-east from the volcano were noted on January 21. Possible a

gas-steam plume with ash near the crater extending of 43 km (or 23.7

mi) to the north-northeast from the volcano was observed on January

23.

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. Intermittent

spasmodic volcanic tremor of 0.2-0.5 x10-6 mps was registered on

January 20-24. From 00:40 till 02:40 UTC on January 25, tremor

increased up to 2.2 x10-6 mps. A possible pyroclastic flow or hot

avalanche moved at the dome that time. Similar signal was registered

at 01:02 till 01:32 UTC on January 27. According to seismic data,

probable ash explosions up to 4.6,5.5 and 6.3 km (or 15,100; 18,050

and 20,700 ft) ASL occurred at 06:08 UTC on January 22, at 10:20 UTC

on January 26 and 10:39 UTC on January 20, respectively. Possible weak

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

visual data, gas-steam plumes rose up to 500 m above the dome (or

9,850 ft ASL) on January 20 and 23. Strong fumarolic activity was

observed on the whole eastern flank of the dome on January 23. A

gas-steam plume extending >10 km to the east from the volcano this

day. 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 on January 20-23 and 26. Ash-steam plumes

extending about 52 km (or 31 mi) to the east on January 22, for 35 km

(or 21.7 mi) to the north-northeast on January 23 were observed.

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 stable seismic data all week. The number of local shallow

events was about 25-100 for the working period (from 5 till 19 hours)

per day on January 20-25. 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,

gas-steam plumes up to the 300 m above the dome (10,500 ft ASL) were

observed on January 22,23 and 27, extending to the south-east from the

volcano. Clouds obscured the volcano at other times. According to

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

was registered over the dome on January 20-23.

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

Tina Neal

Acting 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).