Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE  52-07
Saturday, October 20, 2007, 03:15 UTC (16:15 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

BEZYMIANNY  VOLCANO: 55°58'N, 160°36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF  CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW 
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF  CONCERN COLOR CODE : ORANGE

Activity of the volcano gradually decreases. No ash emissions or explosive activity has been noted on October 18-20. Seismicity at the volcano is at background levels from 00:01 UTC on October 19 till now. Clouds obscured the volcano on October 18-20. An intense thermal anomaly over the volcano was observed at satellite images on October 18-20. It is likely that viscous lava is effusing from the summit dome at Bezymianny. Sudden ash emission related to this activity could affect low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of the volcano.

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.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 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