Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 65-07
Thursday, December 20, 2007, 23:50 UTC (Friday, December 21, 11:50 KST)
 
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:
 
KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH: ORANGE
KARYMSKY and BEZYMIANNY :  YELLOW 
KLYUCHEVSKOY, TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY, MUTNOVSKY and GORELY: GREEN 
 
NORTHERN KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI, EBEKO and ALAID: GREEN
CURRENT CHANGES IN  COLOR CODE:
SHEVELUCH NOW AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE

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 PREVIOUS LEVEL OF  CONCERN COLOR CODE IS RED
Activity of the volcano continues and 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.
 
According to seismic data, two periods of strong ash explosions occurred over the past few days. From 06:23 to 14:45 UTC on December 18, and from 08:00 to 11:00 UTC on December 19, a series of ash explosions up to 6.5 km (21,300 ft) ASL and up to 8.7 km (28,500 ft) ASL, respectively, occurred at the lava dome. According to satellite data, ash plumes extended about 130 km to the west from the volcano on December 18, and about 300 km at first to the north-west and later to the south-west from the volcano on December 19. Based on atmospheric temperature profiles, a height of ash plumes was about 6.0 km (19,700 ft) ASL on December 18 and about 4.4 km (14,400 ft) ASL on December 19. According to visual observation, big pyroclastic flow deposits were noted on the southern flank of the volcano. The run-out of the front of this deposits was about 8-9 km from the lava dome. Ash fall from Sheveluch volcano was observed at Klyuchi, 30 km south of Sheveluch, on December 19.

Seismic activity was above background levels last week. Many shallow volcanic earthquakes and a continuous volcanic tremor were registered all week. Strong gas-steam plumes up to 3.5 km (11,500 ft) ASL were registered on December 13-14. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly was noting on December 13-14 and 18-19. Clouds obscured the volcano on December 15-19.

Strong culmination explosive eruption of the lava dome of Young Sheveluch volcano occurred in 1993, 2001, 2004 and two in 2005.
 
KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54°03'N, 159°27'E; Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE:  YELLOW  
 
According to seismic and satellite data, an ash activity of the volcano was not registered last seven weeks. However, activity of Karymsky can resume at any time and ash explosions up to 6 km (or 19,700 ft.) ASL could occur. The explosive activity of the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of the volcano.
 
Seismic activity was slightly above background levels on December 13-15. Weak local shallow earthquakes occurred at the area of the volcano. There was no seismic data in the other days of last week (technical reasons). According to the data by volcanologist from a slope of the volcano, a weak gas-steam activity of the volcano was observed on December 14-15 and 20-21. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days of week.
 
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55°58'N, 160°36'E; Elevation 2,895 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS  YELLOW   
Growth of the volcano continues. A viscous lava flow is effusing from the summit lava dome. Sudden ash emission related to this activity could affect low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of the volcano.
 
Seismicity of the volcano was above background levels on December 16 and 18-19, and at background levels in the other days of week. According to visual and video data, a weak fumarolic activity was observed at the lava dome on December 13-14. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly over the dome was observing on December 13-14. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days of week.
 
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