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 49-05
Friday, September 16, 2005, 11:40 KDT (22:40 UTC on September 15)
 
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:
 
KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH and KARYMSKY: ORANGE
BEZYMIANNY and KLYUCHEVSKOY: YELLOW
 
TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY, MUTNOVSKY and GORELY: GREEN
 
NORTHERN KURILE:
EBEKO: YELLOW
CHIKURACHKI and ALAID: GREEN
 
CURRENT CHANGES IN COLOR CODE:
KLYUCHEVSKOY IS NOW AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE YELLOW
 
KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO: 56o03'N, 160o39'E; Elevation 4,750 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW.
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: GREEN.
 
Seismic activity of the volcano increased. Possibility of ash explosions up to 5 km
(16,500 ft.) ASL exists.
 
An amplitude of a volcanic tremor grew. Weak gas-steam activity and thermal anomaly were
registered this 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 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 new seismic station KB GS RAS began to work on the eastern flank of the
volcano on September 12, 2005.
 
An effusion of viscous lava flow at the lava dome continues. An incandescence at the lava
dome was noted on September 13. Gas-steam plumes up to 3.5 km (or 11,500 ft.) ASL and a
large thermal anomaly were registered all week.
 
KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54o03'N, 159o27'E; Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: ORANGE.
 
Seismic activity of the volcano continues. The danger of a sudden explosion or series of
explosions of ash up to 6 km (or 19,700 ft.) ASL, as well as localized ash fall and hot
avalanches, exists.
 
According to seismic data, possible small ash-gas plumes were registered all week. A
thermal anomaly was noted on September 15.
 
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55o58'N, 160o36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW.
 
The volcanological field research on July-September 2005 showed than unrest of the
volcano continues.
 
A gas-steam activity and a thermal anomaly at the lava dome were registered all week.
 
EBEKO VOLCANO, Paramushir Island, Northern Kurile: 50o41'N, 156o01'E Elevation 1,156 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW.
 
Activity of the volcano continues. Ebeko volcano is not monitored with seismic
instruments. KVERT has satellite monitoring and occasional visual observations about this
volcano. The danger of sudden ash explosions up to 3 km (9,840 ft.) ASL as well as ash
falls at Severo-Kurilsk exists.
 
According to visual data, high fumarolic activity of the volcanic crater continues.
 
 
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:
 
Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail:
girina@kscnet.ru
Tel. (41522) 58627
 
Tatiana Kozhevnikova, 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.
 
The official web-page of KVERT (the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FED RAS):
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index.html Archive of daily information KB GS RAS:
ftp://emsd.iks.ru/pub/DATA/RTS/Volcanoes .