Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 31-08
Thursday, July 17, 2008, 22:00 UTC (Friday, July 18, 11:00 KDT)

SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR  CODES:

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

NORTHERN KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI, EBEKO and ALAID: GREEN

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

Seismic activity of the volcano increased. An explosive eruption with ash plumes up to 10 km (or 32,800 ft.) ASL is possible.

Seismic activity of the volcano was above background levels on July 11-16. Intermittent volcanic tremor was registered from 06:00 to 11:30 UTC on July 11. Shallow volcanic earthquakes is registering till present time. According to data of volcanologists from the region of Bezymianny hot avalanche was observed on July 15. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly was noted over the dome on July 11 and 15.

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 seismic data, possibly ash explosions up to 4.5 km (14,760 ft) ASL occurred on July 17. According to visual data, moderate fumarolic activity of the volcano was observed on July 13 and 15. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome on July 10-11 and 13-17.

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

Activity of the volcano decreased but ash explosions up to 6.0 km (or 19,700 ft.) ASL are possible. 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, possibly ash explosions up to 1.5 km (4,900 ft) ASL occurred on July 17. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly was noted over the volcano on July 15 and 16.


IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE  CONTACT:

Dmitry Melnikov, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail: dvm@kscnet.ru
Tel. (41522)  58325

Tat`yana Kozhevnikova, KVERT, KB GS RAS
E-mail: ssl@emsd.iks.ru
Tel. (41522) 59523

John Power, Scientist-in-Charge, AVO
E-mail: jpower@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