Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic
Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 51-07
Thursday, October 18, 2007, 22:15 UTC (Friday, October 19, 11:15 KDT)
SUMMARY OF LEVEL
OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:
KAMCHATKA:
BEZYMIANNY, SHEVELUCH
and KARYMSKY: ORANGE
KLYUCHEVSKOY,
TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY, MUTNOVSKY and
GORELY: GREEN
NORTHERN
KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI: ORANGE
EBEKO
and ALAID: GREEN
BEZYMIANNY
VOLCANO: 55°58'N, 160°36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN
COLOR CODE IS ORANGE
Activity of the volcano continues. Ash explosions up to 10 km (32,800 ft.) ASL are possible at any time. The activity of the volcano could affect
international and low-flying aircraft.
Seismic activity was slightly above background levels on October 16-18. Volcanic earthquakes continue to register into the volcanic edifice. Based on the
satellite data from Tokyo VAAC, AVO and KVERT, there were not ash plumes at the area of the volcano on October 16-18. There was not video data on October
16-18 - clouds obscured the volcano. A stripe of ash deposits from the volcano till the ocean to the east-south-eastern direction are noting at TERRA MODIS
and NOAA satellite images on October 18. Intensive thermal anomaly over the volcano was observed on October 16-18, probably that indicates an effusing of a
viscose lava flow at the dome and pyroclastic deposits on the volcanic slope.
First data about ash plumes from Bezymianny volcano was registered of Tokyo VAAC at 14:59 UTC on October 14. According to seismic data from KB GS RAS, the
eruption of Bezymianny volcano began at 14:27 UTC on October 14 and finished at 14:00 UTC on October 15. Seismicity decreased to slightly above background
levels at 00:01 UTC on October 16. Volcanic tremor has not been registered from 14:00 UTC on October 15. According to satellite data from Tokyo VAAC, AVO
and KVERT, ash plumes extended > 1000 km (620 mi) mainly to the eastern direction from the volcano on the maximal height about 10.0 km (32,800 ft) ASL on
October 14, and 6.0-7.0 km (19,700-23,000 ft) ASL on October 15.
According to volcanologist experience by KVERT IVS-staff, this eruption is like 1984, 12-13 October, Bezymianny's eruption. Then series separate (the time
between them was very small) moderate explosions continued two twenty-four hours. Sometimes the explosive activity increased, sometimes decreased. A height
of ash explosions was about 10.0 km (32,800 ft) ASL in the first day, and about 4.0-5.0 km (13,100-16,400 ft) ASL in the second day.
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 all week. According to
seismic data, ash plumes up to 6.5 km (21,300 ft) ASL and small hot avalanches occurred at the volcano all week. According to video data, ash plumes
raising up to 5.5 km (18,040 ft) ASL were noted on October 14-15. Gas-steam plumes containing small amount of ash rose up to 5.0 km (16,400 ft) ASL on
October 11-12 and 14-15. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly was noted all week. Ash plumes
extended 30-120 km (155 mi) mainly to the eastern directions from the volcano on October 12, 14 and 16.
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 4.3 km (14,100 ft) ASL all week. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly
at the volcano was noted on October 14-18. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days. Ash plumes extended > 190 km (> 353 mi) mainly to the eastern
directions from the volcano on October 15-18.
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 satellite data, ash plumes extended > 180 km (> 110 mi) from the volcano to the north-east on October 17-18, 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.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE
CONTACT:
Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS
FED RAS
E-mail: girina@kscnet.ruTel. (41522) 58627
Tatiana Kozhevnikova, 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 Kuriles
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