Kamchatkan and Northern Kurile Volcanic
Activity
INFORMATION RELEASE 26-05
Friday, April 22, 2005, 12:20 KDT
(23:20 UTC on April 21)
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) received the
following release via
e-mail from KVERT (Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruptions
Response Team). Kamchatkan
Daylight Saving Time (KDT) is 21 hours ahead of
Alaska Daylight Savings Time.
All time and dates are UTC, if not marked
specifically.
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR
CODES:
KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH and KARYMSKY: ORANGE.
KLYUCHEVSKOY and BEZYMIANNY: YELLOW
TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY,
KORYAKSKY, MUTNOVSKY and GORELY:
GREEN
NORTHERN KURILE:
CHIKURACHKI: YELLOW
ALAID, EBEKO: GREEN
CHIKURACHKI VOLCANO, Paramushir
Island, Northern Kurile: 50o19'N, 155o28'E
Elevation 1,816 m
CURRENT LEVEL
OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW.
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN
COLOR CODE: ORANGE.
Chikurachki volcano is not monitored with seismic
instruments. KVERT has
satellite monitoring and receives occasional visual
observations of this
volcano. According to satellite data there was not
observed eruptive
activity, a thermal anomaly and ash plumes at the volcano
during last week.
SHEVELUCH VOLCANO: 56o38'N, 161o19'E;
Elevation 3,283 m, the dome elevation
~2,500 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN
COLOR CODE: ORANGE.
Growth of the Sheveluch lava dome continues. A new
extrusion grows at the
dome's western part. At any time and with little
warning, explosions could
produce ash plumes that rise as high as 6 km or
20,000 ft. ASL, as well as
localized ash fall and hot avalanches. The nearest
seismic station from the
volcano was destroyed by the eruption of February
28, 2005.
Gas-steam plumes rose up to 1,200 m above the dome
(12,200 ft ASL) and
extended to the east from the volcano on April 20-21.
Clouds obscured the
volcano at other times. According to satellite data from
the USA and
Russia, a big thermal anomaly at the dome on April 16 and 18-21
and small
one at pyroclastic flow on April 19 were noted. A gas-steam plume
extended
about for 50 km or 30 mi to the north-east from the
volcano.
KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54o03'N, 159o27'E;
Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: ORANGE.
A high seismic activity continues. The danger of a
sudden explosion or
series of explosions of ash up to 4 km (or 16,500 ft.)
ASL exists. An ash
fall within a few tens of km around the volcano is also
possible.
Seismic activity was above background levels all week.
The number of local
shallow events was 250-500 per day during the week.
Possible ash-gas
explosions up to the 1,500 m above the crater (or 9,800 ft
ASL) occurred on
April 14-15. According to data by IVS FED RAS volcanologist
who work near
the volcano from April 20, strombolian activity of the volcano
was observed
at night time on April 20. Volcanic bombs rose up to 50 m above
the crater
(5,050 ft ASL). Ash-gas bursts up to 300-400 m above the
crater
(5,900-6,200 ft ASL) occurred continuously on April 21-22. Ash-gas
plumes
extended to the south and south-east. Ash fall was noted in
the
south-eastern direction on April 21. According to satellite data
from
Russia, a small thermal anomaly was registered at the volcano on April
15
and 19-20. Gas-steam plume extending 17 km or 10.5 mi to the
south-east
from the volcano and ash deposits about 5 km to the west-southwest
and 6 km
to the south-east were noted on April 21. Clouds obscured the
volcano at
other times.
KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO: 56o03'N,
160o39'E; Elevation 4,750 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE:
YELLOW
Seismic activity of the volcano continues. Ash
explosions from the summit
crater are still possible and may extend up to 6-7
km or 19,700 - 23,000 ft
above sea level and many tens or hundreds of
kilometers downwind.
Seismic activity was above background levels all week.
A great number of
shallow earthquakes and 130 earthquakes of Ml=1.1-2.0 were
recorded.
According to visual and video data, gas-steam plumes rising up to
1,500 m
above the crater (or 20,400 ft ASL) and extending to the north-east,
were
observed on April 20-21. Clouds obscured the volcano at other
times.
According to satellite data from the USA and Russia, a weak thermal
anomaly
was registered at the volcano on April 14-16 and 19-21.
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55o58'N, 160o36'E;
Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW
Unrest at the volcano continues. Based on the
persistent thermal anomaly,
visual observations from Kozyrevsk, and
volcanologists' experience at this
volcano, we infer that lava dome growth
continues.
According to visual and video data, gas-steam plumes
rising up to 500 m
above the dome (or 11,200 ft ASL) and extending to the
east and south-east
on April 20-21, were observed. Clouds obscured the
volcano all week.
According to satellite data from Russia, a thermal anomaly
was registered
at the dome on April 15-16 and 19-21.
PLEASE CONTACT AVO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS
Tel. (41522) 58627
Sergey Senyukov, KVERT, KEMSD GS RAS
E-mail:
ssl@emsd.iks.ruTel. (41522) 59523
The Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
is a cooperative
program of the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO, USA), the
Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology (IVS) FED RAS and the Kamchatkan
Experimental
and Methodical Seismological Department(KEMSD) GS RAS
(Russia).