Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 65-10
December 10, 2010, 10:30 UTC (December 10, 21:30 KST)

KAMCHATKA

Real-time seismic data:
KIZIMEN, KLYUCHEVSKOY, SHEVELUCH and KARYMSKY: ORANGE
GORELY and BEZYMIANNY: YELLOW
TOLBACHIK PLOSKY, USHKOVSKY, KORYAKSKY, AVACHINSKY, MUTNOVSKY: GREEN

No seismic data: ICHINSKY, VYSOKY, GAMCHEN, KOMAROV, KRONOTSKY, KRASHENINNIKOV, KIKHPINYCH, TAUNSHITS, MALY SEMYACHIK, ZHUPANOVSKY, OPALA, KSUDACH, ZHELTOVSKY, ILIINSKY, KOSHELEV, KAMBALNY, DIKII GREBEN, KHODUTKA and KHANGAR: GREEN

NORTHERN KURILES

No seismic data: EBEKO, CHIKURACHKI, ALAID, TATARINOV, FUSS PEAK and KARPINSKY: GREEN


KIZIMEN VOLCANO (1000-23)
55°08'N, 160°19'E; Elevation 8,151 ft (2,485 m)
CURRENT AVIATION COLOR CODE IS
ORANGE
PREVIOUS AVIATION COLOR CODE IS YELLOW

Activity of the volcano increased. A danger of strong explosive eruption exists. Ash explosions up to 10 km (or 32,800 ft) ASL possible at any time. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft.

Several new fumaroles were formed at Kizimen volcano in middle of November 2010. Seismic activity of the volcano significant increased from December 09. A bright thermal anomaly with maximum temperature appeared over the volcano from 01:10 UTC on December 10.

History of Kizimen eruptions unknown. We have scanty data about only one eruption in 1928-1929. Probably moderate explosive (or explosive-effusive) eruption was in that time. Tephrachronological data point out several catastrophic eruptions in evolution of this volcano.

http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/kzm/index.html


http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/bibl/vulk/kiz/jvgr_kizimen.pdf

KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO (1000-26)
56°03'N, 160°39'E; Elevation 15,580 ft (4,750 m)
AVIATION COLOR CODE IS ORANGE

Explosive activity of the volcano continues. A danger of ash explosions > 7 km (or 23,000 ft) ASL exist. This activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft.

Seismicity of the volcano was slightly above background levels all week. According to visual data, gas-steam and sometimes ash emissions were observing on December 03-04 and 08-09. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of week. A weak thermal anomaly over the volcanic crater was registered on satellite images on December 03 and 06-08.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/klch/index.html

SHEVELUCH VOLCANO (1000-27)
56°38'N, 161°19'E; Elevation 3,283 m, the dome elevation ~8,200 ft (~2,500 m)
AVIATION COLOR CODE IS
ORANGE

Growth of the lava dome and ash emission constrained with this continues. Ash explosions up to 10 km (or 32,800 ft) ASL could occur at any time. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft.

Moderate seismic activity of the volcano continues. According to seismic data, possibly, ash plumes rose up to 5.0 km (16,400 ft) ASL on December 06. According to visual data, strong gas-steam activity of the volcano was observed on December 03, 06 and 08-09. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of week. According to satellite data, bright thermal anomaly over the lava dome was registered all week. Plumes (questionable: ash or gas-steam) extending about 322 km (200 mi) to the south-east from the volcano were observed on December 03.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/shv/index.html

KARYMSKY VOLCANO (1000-13)
54°03'N, 159°27'E; Elevation 4,874 ft (1,486 m)
AVIATION COLOR CODE IS ORANGE


Explosive activity of the volcano continues. Ash explosions up to 6.0 km (or 19,700 ft) ASL could occur at any time. Activity of the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft.

Seismicity of the volcano was above background levels during all week. Based on seismicity, it is possible that ash plumes rose up to 4.5 km (14,800 ft) ASL on December 04-07. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on December 03 and 06. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of week.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/krm/index.html


BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO (1000-25)
55°58'N, 160°36'E; Elevation 9,455 ft (2,882 m)
AVIATION COLOR CODE IS YELLOW

Growth of the lava dome of the volcano continues and aerosol plumes could affect low-flying aircraft.

Seismicity of the volcano did not exceed background levels all week. According to visual data, moderate gas-steam emissions were observed on December 03 and 07; on the other days volcano was obscured by clouds. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on December 03 and 07. According to analysis of air-photos from a helicopter on November 21, probably a new extrusion grows at a top of the lava dome - consequently, a new explosive eruption of the volcano is in the offing.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/bzm/index.html

GORELY VOLCANO (1000-07)
52°33'N, 158°02'E; Elevation 5,996 ft (1,828 m)
AVIATION COLOR CODE IS YELLOW


Seismic and thermal activity of the volcano remains high. This ongoing unrest may eventually lead to an explosive eruption. At present, aerosol plumes from the volcano could affect low-flying aircraft.

Seismicity of the volcano was above background levels all week, volcanic tremor continues to be recorded. According to visual and satellite data, the volcano was obscured by clouds all week.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/grl/index.html


BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 2010, KVERT WILL ASSIGN AN AVIATION COLOR CODE FOR 22 ADDITIONAL VOLCANOES OF KAMCHATKA AND THE NORTHERN KURILES. THESE VOLCANOES ARE NOT PRESENTLY MONITORED WITH SEISMIC INSTRUMENTS HOWEVER KVERT SCIENTISTS EXAMINED SATELLITE INFORMATION EACH DAY TO LOOK FOR EVIDENCE OF VOLCANIC UNREST SINCE 2002. NOT ALL OF THESE VOLCANOES HAD ERUPTIONS IN HISTORICAL TIME, HOWEVER THEY ARE POTENTIALLY ACTIVE AND THEREFORE ARE OF CONCERN TO AVIATION.

INFORMATION ABOUT VOLCANOES OF KAMCHATKA AND THE NORTHERN KURILES:
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/volcanoes/index_eng.html

WEB CAMERAS IN KAMCHATKA:

KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO:
http://data.emsd.iks.ru/videokry/kly.jpg , http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/video_camera/Klyu.html
SHEVELUCH VOLCANO:
http://data.emsd.ru/videokry/svl.jpg
BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO:
http://data.emsd.iks.ru/videokzy/videokzy.htm
KORYAKSKY VOLCANO:
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/video_camera/koryak/koryak.htm
AVACHINSKY VOLCANO:
http://data.emsd.iks.ru/videokry/capture.jpg


IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Dr. Olga Girina, KVERT Project, IVS FED RAS
E-mail: girina@kscnet.ru
Tel. (4152) 29-78-90

Sergey Senyukov, KVERT Project, KB GS RAS
E-mail: ssl@emsd.ru
Tel. (4152) 431-831

Dr. John Power, KVERT Project, USGS
E-mail: jpower@usgs.gov
Tel. (907) 786-7426


The KVERT Project 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