Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles
Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 53-07
Saturday,
October 25, 2007, 21:30 UTC (Friday, October 26, 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 all week. According to
seismic data, ash plumes up to 6.9 km (22,600 ft) ASL and small hot avalanches occurred at the volcano all week. According to video data, gas-steam plumes
rose up to 3.3 km (10,800 ft) ASL were noted on October 21 and 25. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days. According to satellite data, a big
thermal anomaly was noted all week. Ash plumes extended 30 km (19 mi) to the south-east from the volcano on October 19.
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 3.5 km (11,500 ft) ASL all week. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly
at the volcano was noted on October 19-20 and 22-24. Clouds obscured the volcano on October 21. Ash plumes extended > 20-330 km (> 12-205 mi) mainly to
the south-east and south from the volcano on October 19-20 and 24.
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 > 50 km (> 31 mi) from the volcano to the north-west on October 20, 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: YELLOW
Growth of the volcano continues. A viscous lava flow 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.
Seismic activity was slightly above background levels on October 21-23 and at background levels on the other days. Volcanic earthquakes registered into
the volcanic edifice that indicate probably a movement of small hot avalanches from new lava flow. According to satellite data, an intensive thermal
anomaly over the volcano was observed on October 18-21, that indicate an effusing of a viscose lava flow at the dome. A moderate fumarolic activity was
observed on October 20-21, clouds obscured the volcano in the other days this week.
According to data by volcanologist who flew with helicopter near the volcano, a new lava flow into a channel was observed at the south-south-eastern flank
of the dome. It length was ~ 400 m (0.2 mi). A velocity of lava flow was ~ 3 m/hour from October 15-16 till 21. The run-out of the pyroclastic flow
deposits was about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) from the dome: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/bzm/index.html
IF YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:
Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail: girina@kscnet.ruTel. (41522) 58627
Svetlana Toloknova, 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.html
Archive 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