Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic
Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 34-08
Thursday, July 31, 2008, 21:30
UTC (Friday, August 01, 10:30 KDT)
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR
CODES:
KAMCHATKA:
KARYMSKY and SHEVELUCH: ORANGE
BEZYMIANNY: YELLOW
KLYUCHEVSKOY, TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, KIZIMEN,
AVACHINSKY, KORYAKSKY, MUTNOVSKY and GORELY: GREEN
NORTHERN KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI: ORANGE
EBEKO and ALAID: GREEN
CURRENT CHANGES IN COLOR
CODE:
CHIKURACHKI VOLCANO NOW IS AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: ORANGE
CHIKURACHKI VOLCANO 50œ19'N,
155œ28'E; Elevation 1,816 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR
CODE IS YELLOW
Eruptive activity of the volcano continues. Ash
explosions up to 6 km (or 19,700 ft.) ASL are possible. The activity of the
volcano could affect low-flying aircraft.
Chikurachki volcano is not monitored with seismic
instruments. KVERT has satellite monitoring and receives occasional visual
observations of this volcano.
According to satellite data, an eruptive activity
of the volcano is observing from July 29 till present. Ash plumes extended >
40 km (25 mi) to the west-south-west from the volcano on July 29, and to the
south on July 30-31. The Tokyo VAAC reported that on 29 July, an eruption plume
rose to an altitude of 6.1 km (20,000 ft) ASL.
KARYMSKY VOLCANO: 54œ03'N, 159œ27'E;
Elevation 1,486 m.
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE
Explosive activity of the volcano continues and 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 of the volcano was above
background levels all week. According to seismic data, possible ash-gas
explosions up to 3.7 km (12,100 ft) ASL occurred at the volcano all days of last
week. According to visual data by volcanologists from the area of the volcano
and the pilots of local air routes, ash plumes rose up to 5-6 km (16,400-19,700
ft) ASL on July 25. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was noted
over the volcano all week. Ash plumes and ash clouds were observed in the
northern directions from the volcano.
SHEVELUCH VOLCANO: 56œ38'N, 161œ19'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 data, sometimes small hot avalanches occurred at the lava
dome last week: moderate fumarolic activity of the volcano was observed on July
29-31, clouds obscured the volcano in the other days. According to satellite
data, a bright thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome all
week.
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO: 55œ58'N,
160œ36'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 of the volcano was slightly above
background levels on July 27 and 29, and did not exceed background levels during
other days. According to visual data, weak and moderate fumarolic activity of
the volcano was observed on July 24-25 and 28. According to satellite data, a
very weak thermal anomaly was noted over the dome all week.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE
CONTACT:
Tatiana Kozhevnikova, KVERT, KB
GS RAS
E-mail: ssl@emsd.iks.ru
Tel. (41522) 59523
John Power, Scientist-in-Charge,
AVO
E-mail: jpower@usgs.govTel. 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.phpArchive of daily information KB GS RAS: ftp://emsd.iks.ru/pub/DATA/RTS/VolcanoesKVERT Information Releases at the web-page of AVO (Alaska Volcano
Observatory): http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/avoreport.php?view=kaminfo