****************************************************************** SI/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report 8-14 October 2008 ****************************************************************** Sally Kuhn Sennert - Weekly Report Editor kuhns@xxxxxx URL: http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/ New Activity/Unrest: | Garbuna Group, New Britain (SW Pacific) | Kliuchevskoi, Central Kamchatka (Russia) Ongoing Activity: | Bagana, Bougainville Island (SW Pacific) | Chaitén, Southern Chile | Dukono, Halmahera (Indonesia) | Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka | Kilauea, Hawaii (USA) | Masaya, Nicaragua | Pacaya, Guatemala | Rabaul, New Britain (SW Pacific) | Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia) | Soufrière Hills, Montserrat | Suwanose-jima, Ryukyu Islands (Japan) | Ubinas, Perú The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program. Updated by 2300 UTC every Wednesday, notices of volcanic activity posted on these pages are preliminary and subject to change as events are studied in more detail. This is not a comprehensive list of all of Earth's volcanoes erupting during the week, but rather a summary of activity at volcanoes that meet criteria discussed in detail in the "Criteria and Disclaimers" section. Carefully reviewed, detailed reports on various volcanoes are published monthly in the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network. Note: Many news agencies do not archive the articles they post on the Internet, and therefore the links to some sources may not be active. To obtain information about the cited articles that are no longer available on the Internet contact the source. New Activity/Unrest GARBUNA GROUP New Britain (SW Pacific) 5.45°S, 150.03°E; summit elev. 564 m RVO reported that white plumes from Garbuna were emitted during 6-10 October. Deep booming noises were occasionally heard. On 7 October an explosion produced forceful emissions of dense white vapor. Geologic Summary. The basaltic-to-dacitic Garbuna volcano group consists of three volcanic peaks, Krummel, Garbuna, and Welcker. They are located along a 7-km N-S line above a shield-like foundation at the southern end of the Willaumez Peninsula. The central and lower peaks of the centrally located 564-m-high Garbuna volcano contain a large vegetation-free area that is probably the most extensive thermal field in Papua New Guinea. A prominent lava dome and blocky lava flow in the center of thermal area have resisted destruction by thermal activity, and may be of Holocene age. Krummel volcano at the S end of the group contains a summit crater, breached to the NW. The highest peak of the Garbuna group is 1,005-m-high Welcker volcano, which has fed blocky lava flows that extend to the eastern coast of the peninsula. Source: Herman Patia, Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO) KLIUCHEVSKOI Central Kamchatka (Russia) 56.057°N, 160.638°E; summit elev. 4835 m KVERT reported that fumarolic activity from Kliuchevskoi was seen during 2-6 and 8-9 October. During approximately 4-9 October analysis of satellite imagery revealed a thermal anomaly in the crater; seismic activity was above background levels. On 8 October after KVERT staff detected Strombolian activity in the summit crater the level of Concern Color Code was raised to Orange. Geologic Summary. Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 7,000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4,835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. More than 100 flank eruptions, mostly on the NE and SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3,600 m elevation, have occurred during the past 3,000 years. The morphology of its 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included major explosive and effusive events from flank craters. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php Ongoing Activity BAGANA Bougainville Island (SW Pacific) 6.140°S, 155.195°E; summit elev. 1750 m Based on analysis of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 8 October low-level ash plumes from Bagana rose to an altitude of 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted about 55-110 km WSW. Geologic Summary. Bagana volcano, occupying a remote portion of central Bougainville Island, is one of Melanesia's youngest and most active volcanoes. Bagana is a massive symmetrical lava cone largely constructed by an accumulation of viscous andesitic lava flows. The entire lava cone could have been constructed in about 300 years at its present rate of lava production. Eruptive activity at Bagana is characterized by non-explosive effusion of viscous lava that maintains a small lava dome in the summit crater, although explosive activity occasionally producing pyroclastic flows also occurs. Lava flows form dramatic, freshly preserved tongue-shaped lobes up to 50-m-thick with prominent levees that descend the volcano's flanks on all sides. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/OTH/AU/messages.html CHAITEN Southern Chile 42.833°S, 72.646°W; summit elev. 1122 m SERNAGEOMIN reported that during 7-13 October a gas-and-ash plume from Chaitén rose to an altitude of 3.1 km (10,200 ft) a.s.l. The Volcanic Alert level remained at Red. Based on web camera views, Puerto Montt Flight Information Region (FIR) notices, analysis of satellite imagery, and SIGMET reports, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that during 12-14 October, continuous ash plumes from Chaitén rose to altitudes of 2.4-4 km (8,000-13,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N and E. Geologic Summary. Chaitén is a small, glacier-free caldera with a Holocene lava dome located 10 km NE of the town of Chaitén on the Gulf of Corcovado. A pyroclastic-surge and pumice deposit considered to originate from the eruption that formed the elliptical 2.5 x 4 km wide summit caldera was dated at about 9400 years ago. A rhyolitic, 962-m-high obsidian lava dome occupies much of the caldera floor. Obsidian cobbles from this dome found in the Blanco River are the source of prehistorical artifacts from archaeological sites along the Pacific coast as far as 400 km away from the volcano to the north and south. The caldera is breached on the SW side by a river that drains to the bay of Chaitén, and the high point on its southern rim reaches 1122 m. Sources: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN) http://www.sernageomin.cl/index.php, Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/OTH/AG/messages.html DUKONO Halmahera (Indonesia) 1.68°N, 127.88°E; summit elev. 1335 m Based on analysis of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 11 October an ash plume from Dukono rose to an altitude of 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted about 110 km WNW. Geologic Summary. Reports from this remote volcano in northernmost Halmahera are rare, but Dukono has been one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes. More-or-less continuous explosive eruptions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, occurred from 1933 until at least the mid-1990s, when routine observations were curtailed. During a major eruption in 1550, a lava flow filled in the strait between Halmahera and the N-flank cone of Gunung Mamuya. Dukono is a complex volcano presenting a broad, low profile with multiple summit peaks and overlapping craters. Malupang Wariang, 1 km SW of Dukono's summit crater complex, contains a 700 x 570 m crater that has also been active during historical time. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/OTH/AU/messages.html KARYMSKY Eastern Kamchatka 54.05°N, 159.45°E; summit elev. 1536 m KVERT reported that seismic activity at Karymsky was above background levels during 3-10 October. Possible explosions during 4-9 October may have generated ash plumes to an altitude of 4 km (13,100 ft) a.s.l. Analysis of satellite imagery revealed a thermal anomaly in the crater during 3-4 and 8-9 October and cloudy conditions on the other days. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange. Based on analysis of satellite imagery and information from KEMSD, the Tokyo VAAC reported that an eruption generated a plume to an altitude of 3.4 km (11,000 ft) a.s.l. on 11 October. Geologic Summary. Karymsky, the most active volcano of Kamchatka's eastern volcanic zone, is a symmetrical stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera that formed about 7,600-7,700 radiocarbon years ago. Construction of the Karymsky stratovolcano began about 2,000 years later. The latest eruptive period began about 500 years ago, following a 2,300-year quiescence. Much of the cone is mantled by lava flows less than 200 years old. Historical eruptions have been Vulcanian or Vulcanian-Strombolian with moderate explosive activity and occasional lava flows from the summit crater. Most seismicity preceding Karymsky eruptions has originated beneath Akademia Nauk caldera, which is located immediately S of Karymsky volcano and erupted simultaneously with Karymsky in 1996. Sources: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php, Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/OTH/JP/messages.html KILAUEA Hawaii (USA) 19.421°N, 155.287°W; summit elev. 1222 m HVO reported that during 8-14 October lava flowed SE through a tube system from underneath Kilauea's Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) and rootless shield complex, reaching the Waikupanaha ocean entry. Multiple lava breakouts, including a small 'a'a flow E of the Royal Gardens subdivision, and points of incandescence on the pali were noted. The sulfur dioxide emission rate at Pu'u 'O'o was 1,400 tonnes per day on 12 October, below the background rate since early 2005. Explosions at the ocean entry were reported on 13 October. During the reporting period, Kilauea earthquakes were variously located beneath and to the S of the caldera, and along the S-flank faults. Beneath Halema'uma'u crater earthquakes ranged from 40 per day to more than 80 (background is about 40), but were too small to be located more precisely. The vent in Halema'uma'u crater continued to produce a predominantly white plume, which was occasionally tinged brown in association with small local earthquakes, that drifted mainly SW and S. Night-time incandescence was intermittently seen at the base of the plume. An explosion on 12 October produced pulsating ash-rich clouds with pulses of incandescent gas and tephra. Significant tephra deposits included frothy ejecta up to fist and grapefruit sizes. In a video of the eruption, incandescence in the plume appears to be well above the level of the crater rim (about 70 m above the vent). The sulfur dioxide emission rate was 1,200 tonnes per day on 10 October. The 2003-2007 rate average was 140 tonnes per day. Geologic Summary. Kilauea, one of five coalescing volcanoes that comprise the island of Hawaii, is one of the world's most active volcanoes. Eruptions at Kilauea originate primarily from the summit caldera or along one of the lengthy E and SW rift zones that extend from the caldera to the sea. About 90% of the surface of Kilauea is formed of lava flows less than about 1,100 years old; 70% of the volcano's surface is younger than 600 years. A long-term eruption from the East rift zone that began in 1983 has produced lava flows covering more than 100 sq km, destroying nearly 200 houses and adding new coastline to the island. Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/ MASAYA Nicaragua 11.984°N, 86.161°W; summit elev. 635 m Based on pilot observations, the Washington VAAC reported that on 9 October an ash plume from Masaya rose to an altitude of 4.6 km (15,000 ft) and drifted NNE. Geologic Summary. Masaya is one of Nicaragua's most unusual and most active volcanoes. It is a broad, 6 x 11 km basaltic caldera with steep-sided walls up to 300 m high that is filled on its NW end by more than a dozen vents erupted along a circular, 4-km-wide fracture system. The twin volcanoes of Nindiri and Masaya, the source of historical eruptions, were constructed at the southern end of the fracture system and contain multiple summit craters. A major basaltic Plinian tephra was erupted from Masaya about 6,500 years ago. Historical lava flows cover much of the caldera floor and have confined a lake to the far eastern end of the caldera. A lava flow from the 1670 eruption overtopped the N caldera rim. Masaya has been frequently active since the time of the Spanish Conquistadors, when an active lava lake prompted several attempts to extract the volcano's molten "gold." Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/messages.html PACAYA Guatemala 14.381°N, 90.601°W; summit elev. 2552 m INSIVUMEH reported that, during 8-14 October, multiple lava flows on the W and SW flanks of Pacaya's MacKenney cone traveled a maximum distance of 250 m and continued to fill in the area between the cone and Cerro Chino crater to the N. Avalanches occurred from the lava-flow fronts on 8 October. Fumarolic plumes drifted SW. Geologic Summary. Eruptions from Pacaya, one of Guatemala's most active volcanoes, are frequently visible from Guatemala City, the nation's capital. Pacaya is a complex volcano constructed on the southern rim of the 14 x 16 km Pleistocene Amatitlan caldera. A cluster of dacitic lava domes occupies the caldera floor. The Pacaya massif includes the Cerro Grande lava dome and a younger volcano to the SW. Collapse of Pacaya volcano about 1,100 years ago produced a debris-avalanche deposit that extends 25 km onto the Pacific coastal plain and left an arcuate somma rim inside which the modern Pacaya volcano (MacKenney cone) grew. During the past several decades, activity at Pacaya has consisted of frequent Strombolian eruptions with intermittent lava flow extrusion on the flanks of MacKenney cone, punctuated by occasional larger explosive eruptions. Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH) http://www.insivumeh.gob.gt/ RABAUL New Britain (SW Pacific) 4.271°S, 152.203°E; summit elev. 688 m RVO reported that during 7-12 October steam and ash plumes from Rabaul caldera's Tavurvur cone rose to an altitude of 2.7 km (8,900 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N, NW, and W. During 11-12 October, ash emissions increased in frequency; ashfall was reported in areas downwind, including Namanula Hill (3 km W). Continuous incandescence from the vent was observed. Loud roaring noises were reported on 9 October. Based on analysis of satellite imagery and information from RVO, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 13-14 October ash plumes rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NW and WNW. Geologic Summary. The low-lying Rabaul caldera on the tip of the Gazelle Peninsula at the NE end of New Britain forms a broad sheltered harbor. The outer flanks of the 688-m-high asymmetrical pyroclastic shield volcano are formed by thick pyroclastic-flow deposits. The 8 x 14 km caldera is widely breached on the E, where its floor is flooded by Blanche Bay.Two major Holocene caldera-forming eruptions at Rabaul took place as recently as 3,500 and 1,400 years ago. Three small stratovolcanoes lie outside the northern and NE caldera rims. Post-caldera eruptions built basaltic-to-dacitic pyroclastic cones on the caldera floor near the NE and western caldera walls. Several of these, including Vulcan cone, which was formed during a large eruption in 1878, have produced major explosive activity during historical time. A powerful explosive eruption in 1994 occurred simultaneously from Vulcan and Tavurvur volcanoes and forced the temporary abandonment of Rabaul city. Sources: Herman Patia, Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO), Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/OTH/AU/messages.html SHIVELUCH Central Kamchatka (Russia) 56.653°N, 161.360°E; summit elev. 3283 m KVERT reported that seismic activity at Shiveluch was above background levels during 3-10 October. Based on interpretations of seismic data, a large number of hot avalanches descended the lava dome and produced ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 4 km (13,100 ft) a.s.l. Fumarolic activity and gas-and-steam plumes that rose to an approximate altitude of 4.5 km (14,800 ft) a.s.l. were visible on the web camera during 2-5 and 7-9 October. Analysis of satellite imagery revealed a daily thermal anomaly on the lava dome and steam-and-ash plumes that drifted 30 km N and E on 6 and 7 October. Geologic Summary. The high, isolated massif of Shiveluch volcano (also spelled Sheveluch) rises above the lowlands NNE of the Kliuchevskaya volcano group and forms one of Kamchatka's largest and most active volcanoes. The currently active Molodoy Shiveluch lava-dome complex was constructed during the Holocene within a large breached caldera formed by collapse of the massive late-Pleistocene Strary Shiveluch volcano. At least 60 large eruptions of Shiveluch have occurred during the Holocene, making it the most vigorous andesitic volcano of the Kuril-Kamchatka arc. Frequent collapses of lava-dome complexes, most recently in 1964, have produced large debris avalanches whose deposits cover much of the floor of the breached caldera. During the 1990s, intermittent explosive eruptions took place from a new lava dome that began growing in 1980. The largest historical eruptions from Shiveluch occurred in 1854 and 1964. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php SOUFRIERE HILLS Montserrat 16.72°N, 62.18°W; summit elev. 915 m MVO reported that during 3-10 October, the activity level at the Soufrière Hills lava dome was slightly higher than the previous week and consisted mainly of rockfalls and mudflows. As a result of slow and continuous erosion of the lower part of the dome, rockfalls occurred on both the W side in the gully over Gages Wall and on the E side in the Tar River Valley. The rate of lava extrusion had declined significantly. Thermal imagery captured during an overflight on 8 October revealed that a major E-W oriented fracture in the dome, aligned with the Gages Valley and extending vertically over a few tens of meters, was associated with very elevated temperatures. Several other very hot areas were also detected. These areas were visible using binoculars from MVO later that night. The Hazard Level remained at 3. Geologic Summary. The complex dominantly andesitic Soufrière Hills volcano occupies the southern half of the island of Montserrat. The summit area consists primarily of a series of lava domes emplaced along an ESE-trending zone. English's Crater, a 1-km-wide crater breached widely to the E, was formed during an eruption about 4,000 years ago in which the summit collapsed, producing a large submarine debris avalanche. Block-and-ash flow and surge deposits associated with dome growth predominate in flank deposits at Soufrière Hills. Non-eruptive seismic swarms occurred at 30-year intervals in the 20th century, but with the exception of a 17th-century eruption that produced the Castle Peak lava dome, no historical eruptions were recorded on Montserrat until 1995. Long-term small-to-moderate ash eruptions beginning in that year were later accompanied by lava-dome growth and pyroclastic flows that forced evacuation of the southern half of the island and ultimately destroyed the capital city of Plymouth, causing major social and economic disruption. Source: Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) http://www.mvo.ms SUWANOSE-JIMA Ryukyu Islands (Japan) 29.635°N, 129.716°E; summit elev. 799 m Based on reports from JMA, the Tokyo VAAC reported explosions from Suwanose-jima on 9 and 11 October. The altitude and direction of a possible resultant plume were not reported. Geologic Summary. The 8-km-long, spindle-shaped island of Suwanose-jima in the northern Ryukyu Islands consists of an andesitic stratovolcano with two historically active summit craters. Only about 50 persons live on the sparsely populated island. The summit of the volcano is truncated by a large breached crater extending to the sea on the east flank that was formed by edifice collapse. Suwanose-jima, one of Japan's most frequently active volcanoes, was in a state of intermittent Strombolian activity from On-take, the NE summit crater, that began in 1949 and lasted nearly a half century. The largest historical eruption took place in 1813-14, when thick scoria deposits blanketed residential areas, after which the island was uninhabited for about 70 years. The SW crater produced lava flows that reached the western coast in 1813, and lava flows reached the eastern coast of the island in 1884. Source: Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/OTH/JP/messages.html UBINAS Perú 16.355°S, 70.903°W; summit elev. 5672 m Based on SIGMET notices, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that during 11-13 October ash plumes were continuously emitted from Ubinas and rose to altitudes of 5.5-7 km (18,000-23,000 ft) a.s.l. The plumes drifted SE and W. Geologic Summary. A small, 1.2-km-wide caldera that cuts the top of Ubinas, Peru's most active volcano, gives it a truncated appearance. Ubinas is the northernmost of three young volcanoes located along a regional structural lineament about 50 km behind the main volcanic front of Peru. The upper slopes of the stratovolcano, composed primarily of Pleistocene andesitic lava flows, steepen to nearly 45 degrees. The steep-walled, 150-m-deep summit caldera contains an ash cone with a 500-m-wide funnel-shaped vent that is 200 m deep. Debris-avalanche deposits from the collapse of the SE flank of Ubinas extend 10 km from the volcano. Widespread Plinian pumice-fall deposits from Ubinas include some of Holocene age. Holocene lava flows are visible on the volcano's flanks, but historical activity, documented since the 16th century, has consisted of intermittent minor explosive eruptions. Source: Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/OTH/AG/messages.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sally Kuhn Sennert SI/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report Editor Global Volcanism Program http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/ Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History Department of Mineral Sciences, MRC-119 Washington, D.C., 20560 Phone: 202.633.1805 Fax: 202.357.2476 ============================================================== To unsubscribe from the volcano list, send the message: signoff volcano to: listserv@xxxxxxx, or write to: volcano-request@xxxxxxxx To contribute to the volcano list, send your message to: volcano@xxxxxxxx Please do not send attachments. ==============================================================
