Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 26-08
Thursday, June 19, 2008, 21:50 UTC (Friday, June 20, 10:50  KDT)

SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR  CODES:

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

NORTHERN KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI, EBEKO and ALAID: GREEN

CURRENT CHANGES IN COLOR CODE:
MUTNOVSKY AND GORELY VOLCANOES NOW ARE AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: GREEN

MUTNOVSKY VOLCANO: 52°27'N, 158°12'E Elevation  2,323 m  and GORELY VOLCANO: 52°33'N, 158°02'E, Elevation 1,829 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS GREEN
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE WAS YELLOW

Seismic activity of the volcanoes decreased, a weak volcanic tremor is registering at present. KVERT continue to look after Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes.

There is one seismic station at the area of Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes. According to seismic data, a magnitude of volcanic tremor decreased from 1.9 mcm/s on June 15 till 1.0 mcm/s on June 18. An earthquake with magnitude Ml=3.1 was registered at a depth of 5 km under Gorely volcano on June 15. According to visual data, a moderate fumarolic activity of the volcanoes was observed on June 17. The volcanoes were quiet or obscured by clouds in the other days of week.

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 (new portions of viscous lava extrudes at the dome) 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 all week: volcanic earthquakes and a weak volcanic tremor were registered at the volcano all week. According to visual and video data, moderate fumarolic activity of the volcano was observed on June 13. According to satellite data, a bright thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome on June 12-13. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days of week.

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 at the background levels all week. According to seismic data, possible weak ash-gas explosions occurred at the volcano all days of week. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on June 12. 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 lava dome 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.

Seismic activity was slightly above background levels on June 13-14 and 17, and at background levels in the other days of week. Clouds obscured the volcano all 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

Svetlana Droznina, 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