Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION  RELEASE 01-08
Thursday, January 03, 2008, 23:00 UTC (Friday, January 04,  11:00 KST)

SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:

KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH: ORANGE
KARYMSKY, BEZYMIANNY and  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 above background levels last week. Many shallow volcanic earthquakes were registered all week. According to seismic data, ash plumes up to 5.8 km (19,000 ft) ASL occurred at the volcano on December 28-31 and January 01 and 03. A moderate fumarolic activity was observed on December 30 and January 02. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly was noting all week.

KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54°03'N, 159°27'E; Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT  LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS 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 of the volcano was at background levels on December  28-31. There was no seismic data in the other days of last week (by technical reasons). According to satellite data, the volcano was quiet.

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. Possibly a viscous lava flow is effusing at the 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 January 02, and at background levels on  December 28-31 and January 01. According to visual and video data, a moderate fumarolic  activity was observed at the lava dome on December 28-30. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly over the dome was observing on December 28 and  30. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days last 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 continues. 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. According to visual data, gas-steam plumes up to 2.6 km (8,500 ft) ASL were noted at Mutnovsky volcano on December 30 and January 02; and up to 2.1 km (6,900 ft) ASL at Gorely volcano on December 28.

Last strong explosive eruption of Gorely volcano occurred in 1986. Ash plumes rose up to ~ 5.0 km (16,400 ft)  ASL.
Last solitary instances of explosive events at 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

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