Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 59-07
Thursday, November 22, 2007, 22:50 UTC (Friday, November 23, 10:50 KST)

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, EBEKO and ALAID: GREEN

CURRENT CHANGES IN  COLOR CODE:
BEZYMIANNY NOW AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS  YELLOW
CHIKURACHKI NOW AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS GREEN

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

Now is not evident reasons for ORANGE color code for Bezymianny volcano. There were not bright plumes or a bright thermal anomaly last week but some danger of an eruption remains.

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 above background levels on November 19-20 and at background levels on the other days. According to visual and video data, weak gas-steam plumes from the volcano were noted on November 17-18. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly over the volcano was observed on November 16-17 and 21. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days.

CHIKURACHKI VOLCANO 50°19'N, 155°28'E; Elevation 1,816 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS GREEN
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF  CONCERN COLOR CODE WAS YELLOW

KVERT havn`t an information about any ash plumes from the volcano last weeks. According to satellite data, clouds obscured the volcano this week.

Chikurachki volcano is not monitored with seismic instruments. KVERT has satellite monitoring and receives occasional visual observations of this 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 8.0 km (26,200 ft) ASL and hot avalanches occurred at the volcano all week. According to visual and video data, ash plumes rose up to 4.0 km (13,100 ft) ASL on November 17-18 and 22. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly was noted all week. Ash plumes extended 6-70 km (5-43 mi) to the south-east and west from the volcano on November 21-22. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days.

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 on November 18 and at background levels all other days. Shallow volcanic earthquakes were registered at the volcano. According to seismic data, possibly weak ash explosions occurred on November 17. According to satellite data, the volcano was quiet.


IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:

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

Svetlana Toloknova, 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