Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic  Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 20-08
Thursday, May 15, 2008, 21:30 UTC (Friday, May 16, 10:30 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

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 increased 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 slightly above background levels on May 08 and 12, 14, at the background levels in the other days. According to seismic data, possible ash-gas explosions up to 3.6 km (11,800 ft) ASL occurred at the volcano on May 14. According to visual and video data, an ash plume rose up to 5.8 km (19,000 ft) ASL on May 14. There were hot avalanches at the lava dome and moderate fumarolic activity of the volcano on May 08-09 and 11-15. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days. According to satellite data, a bright thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome all week. An ash plume extending from the volcano
for about 12 km (or 7.4 mi) to the south-west, and gas-steam plumes for about 24 km (or 15 mi) to the north-west and south-east were noted on May 11; 12 and 13, respectively.

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 6.0 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 above background levels on May 08, 11-12, and at the background levels in the other days. According to seismic data, possible ash-gas explosions up to 3.1 km (10,200 ft) ASL occurred at the volcano on May 08 and 11-12. According to visual data, a weak ash-plume extending on an height about 2.0 km (6,500 ft) ASL to the east was observed at 23:00 UTC on May 14. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome on May 13; a small gas-steam plume extended ~ 7.0 km (4.3) to the east-south-east from the volcano.

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 didn`t exceed background levels all week. According to visual and video data, a weak and moderate fumarolic activity was noted on May 08, 11and 13-15. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome on May 11 and 13-14.

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