Kamchatkan and Northern Kuriles Volcanic Activity
KVERT INFORMATION RELEASE 05-11
January 15, 2011, 04:45 UTC (15:45 KST)

KAMCHATKA
Real-time seismic data:

KIZIMEN, SHEVELUCH and KARYMSKY: ORANGE
KLYUCHEVSKOY, 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

CURRENT CHANGES IN AVIATION COLOR CODE:
AVIATION COLOR CODE OF KIZIMEN: ORANGE

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 RED

Strong seismic activity of the volcano continues. Stronger 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.

Strong seismic activity of the volcano continues but based on seismicity, it is possible that ash plumes rose not above 4-5 km (13,120-16,400 ft) ASL on January 14-15. There was not seismic data from 10:37 till 21:48 UTC on January 14, 2011, by technical reasons. According to the satellite data, a bright thermal anomaly over the volcano continues to registering. Ash plumes extended >180 km (112 mi) to the west from the volcano on January 15.

*****
History of Kizimen eruptions is unknown. We have incomplete data about only one eruption in 1928-1929 which were likely moderate explosive (or explosive-effusive) events. Tephrachronological data point out several catastrophic eruptions in evolution of this volcano.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/kzm/index.html
Melekestsev et. al. J Volc. Geoth. Res. 1995. 65: 205-226.: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/bibl/vulk/kiz/jvgr_kizimen.pdf

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 visual data, moderate gas-steam activity of the volcano was observed on January 07-09 and 13. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of week. According to satellite data, bright thermal anomaly over the lava dome was registered on January 07-11. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of week.
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.

Moderate seismic activity of the volcano continues. Based on seismicity, it is possible that ash plumes rose up to 4.2 km (13,800 ft) ASL on January 10-12. According to satellite data, a thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on January 09. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of week.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/krm/index.html

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

Activity of the volcano decreased: gas-steam emissions were observing last week. Aerosol plumes could affect low-flying aircraft.

Seismicity of the volcano was at background levels all week but weak volcanic tremor continues to registering at the volcano. According to visual data, strong gas-steam emissions from the volcano were observing on January 06-09. Clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of week. According to satellite data, a very weak thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on January 07-09.
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/current/klch/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 January 07-09; clouds obscured the volcano on the other days of week. According to satellite data, a weak thermal anomaly was registered over the volcano on January 07, 09 and 11.
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.

Moderate seismic activity of the volcano continues. According to visual data, gas-steam plume rose up to 3.2 km (10,500 ft) ASL and extended to the west from the volcano on January 12, on the other days the volcano was obscured by clouds.
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

Sergy 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