Kamchatkan and  Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE  43-07
Friday, September 06, 2007, 21:30 UTC (September 07, 10:30 KDT)

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 KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI: ORANGE
EBEKO and ALAID:  GREEN

SHEVELUCH  VOLCANO: 56°38'N, 161°19'E; Elevation 3,283 m, the dome elevation ~2,500 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE

Growth of the lava dome 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 low-flying aircraft.

Seismic activity was above background levels. Many shallow volcanic earthquakes and an intermittent volcanic tremor were registered. According to seismic data, ash plumes up to 5.7 km (18,700 ft) ASL and avalanches occurred at the volcano last week. According to visual and video data, some ash plumes up to 4.5 km (14,760 ft) ASL extending ~ 80 km (50 mi) to the south-east from the dome were observed on September 01. Gas-steam activity of the volcano was registered on the other days. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly was noted all week.

KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54°03'N, 159°27'E; Elevation  1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE

The eruption of the volcano continues. Ash explosions up to 6 km (or 19,700 ft.) ASL are possible at any time. The activity of the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of the volcano.

Seismic activity was above background levels all week, many shallow volcanic earthquakes and a spasmodic volcanic tremor were registered at the volcano all days. According to seismic data, possibly ash explosions rose up to 5.7-6.0 km (18,700-19,700 ft) ASL on August 30 and September 02, and up to 5.5 km (18,040 ft) ASL on the other days this week. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was noted all week. Ash plumes and clouds extended ~ 120 km (74 mi) from the volcano to the north-east on August 31, and to the south-east on September 01-03, and to north-west on September 02. The volcano was obscured by clouds on September 05-07.

CHIKURACHKI VOLCANO 50°19'N, 155°28'E; Elevation 1,816 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: ORANGE

The 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.

According to visual data by pilots of a helicopter and observers in the area of Ebeko volcano, ash explosions rose up to 3.2 km (9,800 ft) ASL. According to satellite data, ash plumes extended from 30 to 160 km (19-99 mi) from the volcano to the north-east on August 31 and September 01, and to the south and south-east on September 03, clouds obscured the volcano on the other days.

Chikurachki volcano is not monitored with seismic instruments. KVERT has satellite monitoring and receives occasional visual observations of this volcano.

BEZYMIANNY  VOLCANO: 55°58'N, 160°36'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 and slightly above this levels on September 01 (one shallow volcanic earthquake was registered in this day). According to visual data, a weak fumarolic activity was noted at the dome on September 02-04, clouds obscured the volcano on the other days. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was noted on September 01-03 and 06.


IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE  CONTACT:

Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail: girina@kscnet.ru
Tel. (41522) 58627
       9622826547

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