Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 40-08
Thursday, August 28, 2008, 22:00 UTC (Friday, August 29, 11:00 KDT)

SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:

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

NORTHERN KURILES:
CHIKURACHKI: YELLOW
EBEKO and ALAID: GREEN

CURRENT CHANGES IN COLOR CODE:
CHIKURACHKI  VOLCANO IS AT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW

CHIKURACHKI VOLCANO 50°19'N, 155°28'E; Elevation 1,816 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE WAS ORANGE

According to satellite data, significant ash plumes have not been observed since August 03. But ash explosions up to 6 km (or 19,700 ft.) ASL are still 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, clouds obscured the volcano most time of the week, ash plumes or clouds were not observed on the rest of the time.

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 slightly above background levels all week: volcanic earthquakes and a weak volcanic tremor were registered at the volcano all week. According to visual data, gas-steam activity with some amount of ash from avalanches was observed on August 22, 25-28, clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of the week. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome all week,  gas-steam and weak ash plumes extended 80 km (50 mi) to the southeast from volcano on August 26-27.

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 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 on August 24-27 and at background levels on August 21-23. According to seismic data, possible ash-gas explosions up to 3.2 km (10,500 ft) ASL occurred at the volcano, weak intermittent volcanic tremor was registered on August 21-22.  According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on August 24, 26-28, ash cloud extended to the southeast from volcano on August 27.

KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO; 56° 03'N, 160° 39'E; Elevation 4,750 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW

Seismic activity of the volcano has been gradually increasing since June. The activity of the volcano, possibly, could affect international and low-flying aircraft.

Seismic activity of the volcano was slightly above background levels all week: a lot of volcanic earthquakes and intermittent volcanic tremor were registered at the volcano all week. According to visual data, weak gas-steam activity was observed on August 25-27, clouds obscured the volcano on the other days. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano all 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. Sudden ash emission related to this activity could affect low-flying aircraft in the vicinity of the volcano.

Seismic activity of the volcano did not exceed background levels. According to visual data, moderate gas-steam activity was observed on August 25-28, clouds obscured the volcano on the other days.  According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome and over the deposits of pyroclastic flow.


IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Alexander Manevich, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail: mag@kscnet.ru
Tel. (41522) 58325

Sergey Senyukov, KVERT, KB GS RAS
E-mail: ssl@emsd.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