Kamchatkan and Northern Kurile Volcanic
Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 04-07
Friday, January 26, 2007, 10:15
KST (22:15 UTC on January 25)
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR
CODES:
KAMCHATKA:
KARYMSKY and SHEVELUCH: ORANGE
KLYUCHEVSKOY and BEZYMIANNY:
YELLOW
TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY,
MUTNOVSKY and GORELY: GREEN
NORTHERN KURILE:
EBEKO, CHIKURACHKI and
ALAID: GREEN
SHEVELUCH VOLCANO: 56œ38'N,
161œ19'E; Elevation 3,283 m, the dome elevation ~2,500 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF
CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE.
Activity of the volcano continues. Ash explosions
up to 10 km (32,800 ft.) ASL could occur at any time. The activity of the
volcano could affect international and local aircraft.
Seismic activity was above
background levels last week, over 120 volcanic earthquakes and volcanic tremor
were registered. According to seismic data, probably ash plumes up to 5.5 km
(18,040 ft) ASL and hot avalanches occurred at the volcano all week. According
to visual and video data, gas-steam plumes containing ash rose up to 5.5 km
(18,040 ft) on January 21-25. The volcano was obscured by clouds in the other
days. According to ground observations, ash fall was noted about 20 km (12 mi)
to the west from the volcano. An intensification of Karan extrusion fumarolic
activity (at the south-western flank of Sheveluch volcano) was observed on
January 24-25, 2007. According to satellite data, gas-steam plumes containing
ash extended for about 180 km (112 mi) to the north-west from the volcano last
weak. A big thermal anomaly was noting all week. A hot lava extrudes at the top
of the dome.
KARYMSKY
VOLCANO: 54œ03'N, 159œ27'E; Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR
CODE IS ORANGE.
An eruption of the
volcano continues. Ash explosions up to 6 km (or 19,700 ft.) ASL are possible.
The activity of the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of
the volcano.
Seismic activity was above background levels last week.
According to seismic data, a number of weak local shallow earthquakes was
100-450 per day, intermittent spasmodic volcanic tremor was registered on
January 14-16. Possibly, weak ash explosions occurred on January 14-16. Possibly
a lava flow effuses at a flank of the volcano.
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55œ58'N,
160œ36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW
Growth of the lava dome continues.
The activity of the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of
the volcano.
Seismic activity was at
background levels on January 20-21 and 23, and did not exceed background levels
in the other days. Two shallow earthquakes were registered last week. According
to visual and video data, gas-steam plumes up to 4.5 km (14,800) ASL on January
22 and up to 3.6 km (11,800 ft) ASL on January 19-20 and 23-25 were observed.
The volcano was obscured by clouds in the other days. A thermal anomaly was
noted on January 20-21 and 23.
KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO; 56œ03'N, 160œ39'E;
Elevation 4,750 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW
Seismic activity of the volcano
continues. The activity of the summit volcanic crater, possibly, could affect
international and low-flying aircraft.
Seismicity was at background
levels during the week. About 170 weak seismic events into the volcanic edifice
and volcanic tremor were registered all weak. According to visual observations,
gas-steam plumes up to 5.8 km (19,000) ASL on January 21 and 23 and up to 5.3 km
(17,400 ft) ASL on January 20, 22 and 24 were observed. The volcano was obscured
by clouds in the other days. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly
was registering over the volcano on January 20-21.
IF YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:
Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail:
girina@kscnet.ruTel. (41522) 58627
Sergey Senyukov,
KVERT, KB GS RAS
E-mail: ssl@emsd.iks.ruTel. (41522) 59523
Tom Murray,
Scientist-in-Charge, AVO
E-mail: tlmurray@usgs.govTel. 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 Survey (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.htmlArchive of daily information KB GS RAS: ftp://emsd.iks.ru/pub/DATA/RTS/VolcanoesKVERT Information Releases at the web-page of AVO
(Alaska Volcano Observatory): http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/avoreport.php?view=kaminfo