Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 32-09
Thursday, May 28, 2009, 23:40 UTC (Friday, May 29, 10:40 KDT)

SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODES:

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

NORTHERN KURILES:
EBEKO: YELLOW
CHIKURACHKI 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 continues: a new viscous lava flow effuses at the lava  dome. Ash  explosions  > 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 above background levels all week. According to seismic data, possibly weak ash plumes occurred at the volcano this week. According to video data, a gas-steam plumes containing small amount of ash rose up to 4.0 km (13,120 ft) ASL on May 22. Strong gas-steam activity of the volcano was observed on May 21-23. The volcano was obscured by clouds in the other days of week. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the lava dome all week.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/shv/index.html

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

Activity of the volcano continues and a possibility of ash explosions up to 6.0 km (or 19,700 ft) ASL remains. The explosive activity of the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft.

Seismicity was above background levels all week. According to seismic data, a weak spasmodic volcanic tremor was registered at the volcano this week. Possibly weak ash plumes occurred from the volcano. According to satellite data, there were noted: the thermal anomaly over the volcano on May 23 and 25, and ash deposits to the different directions from the volcano on May 29.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/krm/index.html

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

Moderate fumarolic activity of the volcano continues. Gas-steam and/or aerosol with ash plumes from the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft.

Seismic activity was at background levels all week. A weak volcanic tremor and shallow seismic events were registering in the area of the volcano all week. A fumarolic activity of the volcano was observing on May 22-23. The volcano was obscured by clouds in the other days of the week. According to satellite data, a strong gas-steam plume extended about 80-90 km (50-56 mi) to the east-north-east from the volcano on May 22-23.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/klch/index.html

KORYAKSKY VOLCANO; 53°19'N, 158°43'E; Elevation 3,456 m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW

A gas-steam activity of the volcano continues and aerosol plumes could affect low-flying aircraft.

Seismic activity of the volcano was above background levels on May 27 and at background levels in the other days of week. According to visual data, a strong and moderate fumarolic activity of the volcano was observed on May 22, 24 and 28. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days of week. According to satellite data, the volcano was quiet.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/krk/index.html

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 didn't exceeded background levels last week. A weak fumarolic activity of the volcano was observed on May 22 and 25-26. Volcano was obscured by clouds in the other days of this week. According to satellite data, the thermal anomaly was noted over the lava dome on May 25, the volcano was quiet in the other days of week or obscured by clouds.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/bzm/index.html

EBEKO VOLCANO, Paramushir Island, Northern Kurily: 50°41'N, 156°01'E; Elevation 1,156
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE: YELLOW

Activity of the volcano continues. Strong gas-steam emission sometimes with ash occur at Ebeko at present. The danger of sudden ash explosions up to 3.5 km (11,500 ft.) ASL exists. Activity of the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft.

Gas-steam plumes containing small amount of ash rose up to 3 km (9,840 ft) ASL and extended about 8 km (5 mi) on May 22-23 and 26. Clouds obscured the volcano in the other days of last week. According to satellite monitoring, there were not registered a thermal anomaly over the volcano and ash plumes.

Ebeko volcano is not monitored with seismic instruments. KVERT uses satellite monitoring and receives occasional visual observations from Paramushir Island.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/ebk/index.html


IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Dr. Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail: girina@kscnet.ru
Tel. (41522) 58627

Valentina Garbuzova, KVERT, KB GS RAS
E-mail: ssl@emsd.ru
Tel. (41522) 59523

Dr. Tom Murray, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS
E-mail: tlmurray@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