SPECIAL NOTICE:
 
From May 06, AVO will no longer relay email information releases from
KVERT.  Information regarding Kamchatkan volcano activity is sent
directly from KVERT staff in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
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Kamchatkan and Northern Kurile Volcanic Activity
INFORMATION RELEASE 34-05
Friday, June 17, 2005, 10:30 KDT (21:30 UTC on June 16)
 
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:
 
KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH: ORANGE
KLYUCHEVSKOY, BEZYMIANNY and KARYMSKY: YELLOW.
TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY, MUTNOVSKY and GORELY: GREEN
 
NORTHERN KURILE:
CHIKURACHKI, 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 IS ORANGE.
 
Growth of the Sheveluch lava dome continues. At any time 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.
 
A persistent thermal anomaly at the dome and gas and steam plumes were observed.
 
KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO: 56o03'N, 160o39'E; Elevation 4,750 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW.
 
Based on the weak volcanic tremor and several shallow earthquakes at the volcano we suggest that possibility of ash explosions as high as 6 km (or 19,700 ft ) ASL  remains with little or no warning.
 
This week gas-steam plumes rose up to 300 m above the crater (or 16,600 ft ASL) on June 9.
 
KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54o03'N, 159o27'E; Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW..
 
Seismic activity remains slightly above background levels. Unrest at the volcano continues.
 
According to seismic data, there were no ash-gas explosions last week.
 
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55o58'N, 160o36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW.
 
Based on the persistent thermal anomaly at the dome during previous weeks and gas and steam plumes, we suggest that unrest at the volcano continues.
 
Clouds obscured the volcano last week.
 
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:
 
Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail:
girina@kscnet.ru
Tel. (41522) 58627
 
Sergey Senyukov, KVERT, KEMSD GS RAS
E-mail:
ssl@emsd.iks.ru
Tel. (41522) 59523
 
Tom Murray, Scientist-in-Charge, AVO
E-mail:
tlmurray@usgs.gov
Tel. 907-786-7497
 
The Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) is a non-commercial
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). KVERT staff is available in the office from 8:30 AM till 6:00 PM
(KST or KDT) and by phone during the evenings. KVERT uses daily satellite
imagery, information from remote scientific observation stations, real-time
seismic data for 10 volcanoes, and other information to monitor activity at
Kamchatkan and Northern Kurile Volcanoes.