Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 18-08
Friday, May 02, 2008, 00:30 UTC (11:30 KDT)

SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:

KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH and KARYMSKY: ORANGE
BEZYMIANNY: YELLOW
KLYUCHEVSKOY, TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN, AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY, GORELY and MUTNOVSKY: GREEN

NORTHERN KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI, EBEKO and ALAID: GREEN

KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54°03'N, 159°27'E; Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE

Activity of the volcano continues and ash explosions up to 6 km (or 19,700 ft.) ASL could occur at any time. The explosive activity of the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of the volcano.

Seismic activity was at the background levels all week. According to seismic data, possible weak ash-gas explosions occurred at the volcano on April 26. Possibly an activity of the volcano now is the same with previous ten-day: gas-steam with different amount of ash columns up to 2.0-2.5 km (6,500-8,200 ft) ASL (visual observations by volcanologists of Institute Volcanology and Seismology FED RAS on April 16-23). According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registering over the volcano on April 25 and 27-28.

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.

Seismicity was at the background levels all week. According to seismic data, possible weak ash-gas explosions up to 3.2 km (10,200 ft) ASL occurred at the volcano on April 28. Clouds obscured the volcano all week. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome on April 27-28 and 30, and May 01. Ash deposits extending about 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north-west from the volcano were noted at satellite image ASTER on April 28.

Last strong explosive activity of the lava dome was observed on December 19, 2007 (ash column up to 9.0 km ASL) and January 03, 2008 (ash column up to 6.5 km ASL). Continuous effusion of the viscous lava flow at the lava dome was registered on January - April 15, 2008. Now an activity of the volcano decreased but it do not stand for that the volcano pass on to one's eternal rest. Any strong ash explosions at the lava dome possible at any time without notice because the volcano accumulate an energy at present.

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

Growth of the lava dome continues. 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.

Seismic activity was at the background levels on April 26, 28-29, and didn`t exceed background levels in the other days. Clouds obscured the volcano all week. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome on May 01.

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

Christina Neal, Scientist-in-Charge, AVO
E-mail: tneal@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_eng.php
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