Kamchatkan
and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE
47-09
Monday, August 24, 2009, 01:20 UTC (14:20 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
KAMCHATKA:
KORYAKSKY VOLCANO; 53°19'N, 158°43'E; Elevation 3,456
m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS ORANGE
Activity of the volcano increased. Ash explosions > 5 km (>16,400 ft) ASL could occur at any time. Ash plumes could affect international and low-flying aircraft.
Seismicity of the volcano increased last day-night: > 100 volcanic earthquakes were registered near the volcano. About 30 volcanic earthquakes (4 in 30 have a magnitude 2.5) were recorded last two hours - from 22:00 till 24:00 UTC on August 23. According to visual data, the volcano obscured by clouds. According to satellite data (NOAA-17), probable an ash plume extending > 50 km (> 31 mi) to the ESE from the volcano was noted at 23:07 UTC on August 23.
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 all week. According to seismic data, possibly ash plumes rose up to 5.9 km (19,400 ft) ASL at the lava dome last week. According to volcanological data, seismic signals correspond to hot avalanches at the lava dome. Gas-steam plumes rose up to 4 km (13,100 ft) ASL on August 16. Clouds obscured the volcano on August 13-15 and 18-19. According to satellite data, a big thermal anomaly was registering over the lava dome all week. An ash plume about 50 km extending to the south from the volcano was registered on August 14.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/shv/index.html
KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO; 56° 03'N, 160° 39'E; Elevation 4,750
m
CURRENT LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW
Activity of the volcano continues. Explosive eruption with ash and gas-steam plumes could affect international and low-flying aircraft.
Seismicity was above background levels on August 18-20, and at background levels during other days. Gas-steam activity of the volcano was observing on August 13-17, and the volcano was obscured by clouds on August 18-20. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registering over the volcano on August 15 and 18-19.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/volcanoes/Klyuchevskoy/index_eng.html
KIZIMEN VOLCANO: 55°12'N, 160°32'E; Elevation 2,485 m
CURRENT
LEVEL OF CONCERN COLOR CODE IS YELLOW
Activity of the volcano continues. Strong explosive eruption possible in case of further seismicity increasing.
Seismicity was above background levels on August 15 and 17-20; and at background levels in the other days of this week. According satellite data, volcano was quiet.
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 14 and 19-20, and at background levels during other days. According to visual data from the area of the volcano on August 14, ash plumes rose up to 2.5 km (8,200 ft) ASL. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registering over the volcano on August 15, 17 and 19.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/krm/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.
Seismicity didn't exceeded background levels during this week. Moderate fumarolic activity of the volcano was observed on August 14-17. The volcano was obscured by clouds during other days. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly was registering over the volcano on August 15 and 17-18.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/bzm/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
Oksana Sobolevskaya, 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