Kamchatkan
and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE
45-09
Monday, August 17, 2009, 01:10 UTC (14:10
KDT)
SUMMARY OF LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR
CODES:
KAMCHATKA:
SHEVELUCH, KORYAKSKY: ORANGE
KIZIMEN, KLYUCHEVSKOY,
BEZYMIANNY and KARYMSKY: YELLOW
TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, AVACHINSKY, GORELY and MUTNOVSKY: GREEN
NORTHERN KURILES:
EBEKO,
CHIKURACHKI and ALAID: GREEN
KORYAKSKY VOLCANO; 53°19'N, 158°43'E; Elevation 3,456
m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE
PREVIOUS LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE WAS YELLOW
Activity of the
volcano continues and ash plumes could affect low-flying
aircraft.
Seismicity of the volcano increased since 03:00 UTC on August 15 - began to registering a spasmodic volcanic tremor. From 18:30 UTC on August 16, a tremor a little increased again. From 09:50 till 11:00 on August 16, about 20 weak shallow events occurred in the area of the volcano, and at 10:12 UTC - one relatively strong event. According to visual data, an ash column of the height about 4 km (13,120 ft) ASL observed from on August 16 (18:00 UTC) till August 17. A weak ash fall occurred in the SW-sector of the volcano: a layer of an ash at the dachas was about 1 mm. According to satellite data, an ash plume extending > 180 km (> 112 mi) to the ESE from the volcano was registered on August 12; weak aerosol plume with small amount of ash was extending for ~ 80 km (50 mi) to the WNW from the volcano on August 16. Tokyo VAAC reported about ash plumes from Koryaksky volcano according to satellite data on August 16.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/krk/index.html
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. According to seismic data, possibly ash plumes rose up to 5 km (16,400 ft) ASL at the lava dome last week. The volcano was obscured by clouds all week. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly was registering over the lava dome all week.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/shv/index.html
KIZIMEN VOLCANO: 55°12'N, 160°32'E; Elevation 2,485 m
CURRENT
LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW
Seismic activity of the volcano continues to increase since July 11. Strong explosive eruption possible in case of further seismicity increasing.
Seismicity was above background levels on August 07 and 09-11; and at background levels in the other days of this week. According satellite data, volcano was obscured by clouds last week, a thermal anomaly was not registered this week.
Kizimen is a conical stratovolcano with a small lava dome at the
summit. Last explosive eruption was on 1928-1929 (VEI 2). Volcano is located on
the western slope of the southern part of Tumrok ridge in 265 km (166 mi) to the
north-east from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/volcanoes/Kizimen/index_eng.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 slightly above background levels on August 10, and at background levels during other days. According to satellite data, the volcano was obscured by clouds all week.
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
Seismic activity of the volcano increased since July 30. Explosive activity with ash and gas-steam plumes is possible.
Seismicity was above background levels on August 09-10 and 12, and didn't exceeded background levels during other days. The volcano was obscured by clouds all week.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/volcanoes/Klyuchevskoy/index_eng.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.
Seismicity didn't exceeded background levels during this week. The volcano was obscured by clouds all week.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/bzm/index.html
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE
CONTACT:
Olga Girina, KVERT, IVS FED RAS
E-mail: girina@kscnet.ru
Tel. (41522)
58627
Tatiana Kozhevnikova, 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