Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION  RELEASE 20-07
Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 05:30 UTC (16:30 KDT)

KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO;  56°03'N, 160°39'E; Elevation 4,750 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS RED

Explosive-effusive eruption of the volcano continues. Ash explosions up to 9 km (32,800 ft.) ASL could occur at any time. The activity of the  volcano could affect international and low-flying aircraft.

Seismicity was above background levels last week: volcanic earthquakes and a strong  volcanic tremor were registered. According to video data and visual observations, clouds obscured the volcano last week. Probably lava flows continue to move downslope. According to satellite data, a large thermal anomaly over the volcanic crater continues to note. Ash plumes rose up to 8.5 km (27,900 ft) ASL and extended > 350 km (217 mi) to the north, north-west, north-east and east from the volcano on May 18-22.

Strong terminal paroxysmal eruptions of the volcano occurred in 1945 (duration is 1 month), 1984-1985 (18 months), 1987 (2), 1990 (7), 1994 (< 1), 1998 (8) and 2005 (3). Ash plumes during these eruptions rose up to 7.0-8.0 km (23,000-26,200 ft) ASL but for short time - up to 10.0-13.0 km (33,000-42,600 ft) ASL .

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 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 Kuriles 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

KVERT  Information Releases at the web-page of AVO (Alaska Volcano Observatory): http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/avoreport.php?view=kaminfo