Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION  RELEASE 67-07
Thursday, December 27, 2007, 23:50 UTC (Friday, December 28,  11:50 KST)
 
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:
 
KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH: ORANGE
KARYMSKY, BEZYMIANNY, GORELY and MUTNOVSKY: YELLOW 
KLYUCHEVSKOY, TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY,  KORYAKSKY: GREEN
 
NORTHERN KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI,  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

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.
 
Seismic activity was slightly background levels last week. Many shallow volcanic earthquakes and an intermittent volcanic tremor (on December 19-22) were registered all week. Strong gas-steam plumes up to 3.5 km (11,500 ft) ASL were observed on December 23-24. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly was noting last week. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days.

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 two months. 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 at background levels on December  23-26. There was no seismic data in the other days of last week (technical reasons). According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly was noted on December 26. 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 22-23, and at the background levels on  December 20-21 and 26. According to visual and video data, a weak fumarolic  activity was observed at the lava dome on December 26-27. According to satellite  data, a weak thermal anomaly over the dome was observing on December 22, 24 and  25-26. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days of week.
 
GORELY VOLCANO: 52°33'N, 158°02'E,  Elevation 1,829 m and MUTNOVSKY VOLCANO: 52°27'N, 158°12'E Elevation  2,323 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW 

There is one seismic station at the area of Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes. Seismic activity of the volcanoes area increased. According to the last data of KB GS RAS, it is impossible to identify a sours of seismic activity.  An explosive eruption of Mutnovsky or Gorely volcano with ash plumes up to 5 km (or 16,400 ft.) ASL is possible.

Seismicity of the volcanoes area increased from December 22 and remained slightly above background levels from December 23 till present time.

Last strong explosive eruption of Gorely volcano occurred in 1986. Ash plumes rose up to ~ 5.0 km (16,400 ft)  ASL. Last explosive events of Mutnovsky volcano occurred in 2000, and on April 2007.
 

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