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 44-05
Friday, August 12, 2005, 10:50 KDT (21:50 UTC on August 11)
 
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:
 
KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH and KARYMSKY:
ORANGE
BEZYMIANNY: YELLOW
KLYUCHEVSKOY, TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY, MUTNOVSKY and GORELY: GREEN
 
NORTHERN KURILE:
EBEKO, CHIKURACHKI and ALAID: GREEN
 
CURRENT CHANGES IN COLOR CODE:
KLYUCHEVSKOY IS NOW AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE GREEN
EBEKO IS NOW AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE GREEN
 
KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO: 56o03'N, 160o39'E; Elevation 4,750 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: GREEN.
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW.
 
Seismic activity decreased to background levels. A weak fumarolic activity only was
observing at the volcano. An eruption of Klyuchevskoy is not expecting next week.
 
EBEKO VOLCANO, Paramushir Island, Northern Kurile: 50o41'N, 156o01'E Elevation 1,156 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: GREEN.
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW.
 
Ebeko volcano is not monitored with seismic instruments. KVERT has satellite monitoring
and occasional visual messages about this volcano. A weak fumarolic activity of the
volcano was observed this week. According to satellite data, the volcano was quiet.
 
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 lava dome continues. At any time explosions could produce ash plumes that
rise as high as 8 km (or 25,000 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 all week, a fumarolic activity and incandescence at the
lava dome on August 06, were registered this week.
 
KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54o03'N, 159o27'E; Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: ORANGE.
 
Seismic activity is above background levels. The danger of a sudden explosion or series
of explosions of ash up to 4 km (or 16,500 ft.) ASL, as well as localized ash fall and
hot avalanches, exists.
 
According to seismic data, possible ash-gas plumes up to 4 km (or 13,100 ft.) ASL were
registered this week. According to visual data by volcanologists, ash plumes rose up to 2
km (or 6,600 ft.) ASL on August 10-11. A thermal anomaly was registered on August 08-11.
 
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55o58'N, 160o36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW.
 
The volcanological field research and development on July 2005 showed that unrest at the
volcano continues.
 
A gas-steam activity and a thermal anomaly at the lava dome on August 04-05, 08 and 11,
were registered this week.
 
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:
 
Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail:
girina@kscnet.ru
Tel. (41522) 58627
 
Irina Nuzhdina, KVERT, KB 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 Branch of Geophysical Service(KB 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.