Kamchatkan and Northern Kurile
Volcanic Activity
INFORMATION RELEASE 27-05
Friday, April 29, 2005, 12:50
KDT (23:50 UTC on April 28)
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
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.
Collapsing of a hot avalanche on the dome's
western part produced an ash plume
rising up to 2,000 above the dome (14,800
ft. ASL) on April 25. Gas-steam plumes
rose up to 1,000 m above the dome
(11,500 ft ASL) and extended to the east from the
volcano on April 24, and
one rose up to 300 m above the dome (9,200 ft ASL) on April
22 and 25-27.
Clouds obscured the volcano at other times. According to satellite
data from
the USA and Russia, a big thermal anomaly at the dome was registered
all
week.
KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54o03'N, 159o27'E;
Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE
A high seismic activity continues. The danger
of ash explosions 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 300-650 per day during the
week. Possible ash-gas explosions up to the
1,000 m above the crater (or
8,200 ft ASL) occurred on April 24. According to data
by IVS FED RAS
volcanologists who work near the volcano from April 20, strombolian
activity
from two craters of the volcano was observed at night on April 26 and
27.
Volcanic bombs rose up to 50-100 m and 300 m above the crater
(5,050-5,300 ft. and
5,900 ft. ASL) on April 26 and 27, respectively. Ash-gas
explosions rose up to
200-600 m above the crater (5,600-6,900 ft ASL) on
April 22-27 and up to 700-1,000 m
above the crater (7,200-8,200 ft. ASL) on
April 24. Ash-gas plumes extended to the
south on April 22 and 24-25, to
south-east on April 23 and 28, and to north on April
26-27. Ash falls were
noted in the south-eastern direction on April 22-23. Deposits
of pyroclastic
flow were noted on north-northwestern flank of the volcano. These
deposits extended to about the caldera flank
of Dvor volcano. According to
satellite data from the USA and Russia, a
thermal anomaly was registered at the
volcano on April 22-27. An ash plume
extended from the volcano more 25 km or 15.5 mi
to the south-east and to east
on April 25 and 26, respectively. 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 decreased but
remained above background level. 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.
Seismic activity was above background levels
all week. A great number of shallow
earthquakes and 55 earthquakes of
Ml=1.1-1.9 were recorded. According to visual and
video data, gas-steam
plumes rising up to 200 m above the crater (or 16,300 ft ASL)
and extending
to the south-east (on April 22 and 27), were observed on April 22 and
24-27.
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
all weak. A gas-steam plume extended about 30 km or 18.6 mi to the
north from the
volcano on April 27.
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55o58'N,
160o36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW
Based on an existence of the persistent
thermal anomaly at the dome we infer that
unrest at the volcano
continues.
According to visual and video data, gas-steam
plumes rising up to 200 m above the
dome (or 10,200 ft ASL) and extending to
the north and north-east on April 25-27,
were observed. Clouds obscured the
volcano at the other days. According to satellite
data from the USA and
Russia, a thermal anomaly was registered at the dome all week.
CHIKURACHKI VOLCANO, Paramushir
Island, Northern Kurile: 50o19'N, 155o28'E
Elevation 1,816 m
CURRENT LEVEL
OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW
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 or ash
plumes at the
volcano during last week. KVERT staff reported about a weak
fumarolic
activity of Chikurachki and a white snow on its
slopes.
PLEASE CONTACT AVO IF YOU HAVE
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
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).