Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 18 December-24 December 2019

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From: "Venzke, Ed" <VENZKEE@xxxxxx>


Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report
18 December-24 December 2019

Sally Kuhn Sennert - Weekly Report Editor (kuhns@xxxxxx)
URL: https://volcano.si.edu/reports_weekly.cfm

New Activity/Unrest: Bezymianny, Central Kamchatka (Russia)
 | Semisopochnoi, United States  | White Island, North Island (New Zealand)

Ongoing Activity: Aira, Kyushu (Japan)  | Dukono, Halmahera (Indonesia)
 | Ebeko, Paramushir Island (Russia)  | Fuego, Guatemala  | Karangetang,
Siau Island (Indonesia)  | Kirishimayama, Kyushu (Japan)  | Klyuchevskoy,
Central Kamchatka (Russia)  | Sangeang Api, Indonesia  | Sheveluch, Central
Kamchatka (Russia)  | Shishaldin, Fox Islands (USA)

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, these reports
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 about recent activity are published in
issues of the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network.

Note that 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*

*Bezymianny* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=300250>  | Central
Kamchatka (Russia)  | 55.972°N, 160.595°E  | Summit elev. 2882 m

Activity at Bezymianny remained elevated during 13-20 December; nighttime
crater incandescence, strong fumarolic
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/fumarole.html> emissions, and a
lava <https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/lava.html> flow on the W
flank of the lava dome <https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/dome.html> were
visible. The temperature of a thermal anomaly had continued to increase.
The Aviation Color Code
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html> remained
at Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale).

Geologic Summary. Prior to its noted 1955-56 eruption, Bezymianny had been
considered extinct. The modern volcano, much smaller in size than its
massive neighbors Kamen and Kliuchevskoi, was formed about 4700 years ago
over a late-Pleistocene lava-dome complex and an ancestral edifice built
about 11,000-7000 years ago. Three periods of intensified activity have
occurred during the past 3000 years. The latest period, which was preceded
by a 1000-year quiescence, began with the dramatic 1955-56 eruption. This
eruption, similar to that of St. Helens in 1980, produced a large
horseshoe-shaped crater that was formed by collapse of the summit and an
associated lateral blast. Subsequent episodic but ongoing lava-dome growth,
accompanied by intermittent explosive activity and pyroclastic flows, has
largely filled the 1956 crater.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
<http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php>
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php



*Semisopochnoi* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=311060>  | United
States  | 51.93°N, 179.58°E  | Summit elev. 1221 m

AVO <http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#AVO>
reported
that ash <https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/ash_volcanic.html> plumes
below 1.5 km (5,000 ft) a.s.l.
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#asl> from
Semisopochnoi were identified in satellite images on 14 and 17 December;
ash plumes on 17 December drifted about 15 km SE. During 17-20 December
seismicity was characterized by tremor bursts and small explosions, though
cloudy weather conditions prevented visual confirmation. Elevated
seismicity was recorded on 21 December. Nothing significant was detected
during 22-24 December. The Aviation Color Code
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html> remained at Orange and
the Volcano Alert Level
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html> remained
at Watch.

Geologic Summary. Semisopochnoi, the largest subaerial volcano of the
western Aleutians, is 20 km wide at sea level and contains an 8-km-wide
caldera. It formed as a result of collapse of a low-angle, dominantly
basaltic volcano following the eruption of a large volume of dacitic
pumice. The high point of the island is 1221-m-high Anvil Peak, a
double-peaked late-Pleistocene cone that forms much of the island's
northern part. The three-peaked 774-m-high Mount Cerberus volcano was
constructed during the Holocene within the caldera. Each of the peaks
contains a summit crater; lava flows on the northern flank of Cerberus
appear younger than those on the southern side. Other post-caldera
volcanoes include the symmetrical 855-m-high Sugarloaf Peak SSE of the
caldera and Lakeshore Cone, a small cinder cone at the edge of Fenner Lake
in the NE part of the caldera. Most documented historical eruptions have
originated from Cerberus, although Coats (1950) considered that both
Sugarloaf and Lakeshore Cone within the caldera could have been active
during historical time.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
<https://avo.alaska.edu/> https://avo.alaska.edu/



*White Island* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=241040>  | North
Island (New Zealand)  | 37.52°S, 177.18°E  | Summit elev. 294 m

GeoNet reported that during 18-23 December the level of volcanic tremor at
White Island remained low and gas-and-steam plumes were strongly emitted
from the new vent <https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/vent.html> area.
The highest-temperature emissions were more than 650 degrees Celsius
measured during an overflight on 19 December. Volcanologists also measured
about 1,300 tons/day of sulfur dioxide, slightly lower than 12 December
measurements of about 1,730 tons/day. A small part of the SW slope of the
1914 landslide (inside the crater rim and opposite the former viewing area)
had collapsed into the crater lake and active vent area, leaving a scarp 12
m high. The area had been unstable prior to the 9 December eruption.
According to the New Zealand Police the death toll from the 9 December
eruption had reached 17. Two people remained missing; the search was
suspended on 24 December.

Geologic Summary. The uninhabited White Island, also know as Whakaari in
the Maori language, is the 2 x 2.4 km emergent summit of a 16 x 18 km
submarine volcano in the Bay of Plenty about 50 km offshore of North
Island. The island consists of two overlapping andesitic-to-dacitic
stratovolcanoes. The summit crater appears to be breached to the SE,
because the shoreline corresponds to the level of several notches in the SE
crater wall. Volckner Rocks, sea stacks that are remnants of a lava dome,
lie 5 km NW. Descriptions of eruptions since 1826 have included
intermittent moderate phreatic, phreatomagmatic, and Strombolian eruptions;
activity there also forms a prominent part of Maori legends. Formation of
many new vents during the 19th and 20th centuries has produced rapid
changes in crater floor topography. Collapse of the crater wall in 1914
produced a debris avalanche that buried buildings and workers at a
sulfur-mining project. Explosive activity in December 2019 took place while
tourists were present, resulting in many fatalities.

Sources: GeoNet <http://www.geonet.org.nz/> http://www.geonet.org.nz/; New
Zealand Police <https://www.police.govt.nz/> https://www.police.govt.nz/



*Ongoing Activity*

*Aira* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=282080>  | Kyushu (Japan)
 | 31.593°N, 130.657°E  | Summit elev. 1117 m

JMA <http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#JMA>
reported
that incandescence from Minamidake Crater (at Aira Calderaâ??s Sakurajima
volcano) was visible at night during 16-23 December. There were 16
explosions and nine non-explosive eruptive events detected by the seismic
network. Ash plumes rose as high as 2.5 km above the crater rim and
material was ejected 0.5-1.3 km away from the crater. The Alert Level
remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).

Geologic Summary. The Aira caldera in the northern half of Kagoshima Bay
contains the post-caldera Sakurajima volcano, one of Japan's most active.
Eruption of the voluminous Ito pyroclastic flow accompanied formation of
the 17 x 23 km caldera about 22,000 years ago. The smaller Wakamiko caldera
was formed during the early Holocene in the NE corner of the Aira caldera,
along with several post-caldera cones. The construction of Sakurajima began
about 13,000 years ago on the southern rim of Aira caldera and built an
island that was finally joined to the Osumi Peninsula during the major
explosive and effusive eruption of 1914. Activity at the Kitadake summit
cone ended about 4850 years ago, after which eruptions took place at
Minamidake. Frequent historical eruptions, recorded since the 8th century,
have deposited ash on Kagoshima, one of Kyushu's largest cities, located
across Kagoshima Bay only 8 km from the summit. The largest historical
eruption took place during 1471-76.

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) <http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/>
http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/



*Dukono* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=268010>  | Halmahera
(Indonesia)  | 1.693°N, 127.894°E  | Summit elev. 1229 m

Based on satellite and wind model data, and information from PVMBG, the
Darwin VAAC
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#VAAC> reported
that during 18-24 December ash
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/ash_volcanic.html> plumes from
Dukono rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l.
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#asl> and
drifted E, ESE, and SE. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4),
and the public was warned to remain outside of the 2-km exclusion zone.

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 north-flank cone
of Gunung Mamuya. This complex volcano presents a broad, low profile with
multiple summit peaks and overlapping craters. Malupang Wariang, 1 km SW of
the summit crater complex, contains a 700 x 570 m crater that has also been
active during historical time.

Sources: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known
as CVGHM) <http://vsi.esdm.go.id/> http://vsi.esdm.go.id/; Darwin Volcanic
Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
<http://www.bom.gov.au/aviation/volcanic-ash/darwin-va-advisory.shtml>
http://www.bom.gov.au/aviation/volcanic-ash/darwin-va-advisory.shtml



*Ebeko* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=290380>  | Paramushir Island
(Russia)  | 50.686°N, 156.014°E  | Summit elev. 1103 m

Volcanologists in Severo-Kurilsk (Paramushir Island), about 7 km E of
Ebeko, observed explosions during 15-17 December that sent ash
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/ash_volcanic.html> plumes up to 3
km (10,000 ft) a.s.l.
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#asl> Ash
plumes drifted E, causing ashfall in Severo-Kurilsk during 16-17 December.
The Aviation Color Code
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html> remained
at Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale).

Geologic Summary. The flat-topped summit of the central cone of Ebeko
volcano, one of the most active in the Kuril Islands, occupies the northern
end of Paramushir Island. Three summit craters located along a SSW-NNE line
form Ebeko volcano proper, at the northern end of a complex of five
volcanic cones. Blocky lava flows extend west from Ebeko and SE from the
neighboring Nezametnyi cone. The eastern part of the southern crater
contains strong solfataras and a large boiling spring. The central crater
is filled by a lake about 20 m deep whose shores are lined with steaming
solfataras; the northern crater lies across a narrow, low barrier from the
central crater and contains a small, cold crescentic lake. Historical
activity, recorded since the late-18th century, has been restricted to
small-to-moderate explosive eruptions from the summit craters. Intense
fumarolic activity occurs in the summit craters, on the outer flanks of the
cone, and in lateral explosion craters.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
<http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php>
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php



*Fuego* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=342090>  | Guatemala
 | 14.473°N, 90.88°W  | Summit elev. 3763 m

INSIVUMEH
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#INSIVUMEH>
reported
that there were 8-18 explosions per hour recorded at Fuego during 18-24
December, generating ash
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/ash_volcanic.html> plumes that
rose as high as 1 km above the crater rim and drifted 10-205 km S, SW, and
W. Ashfall was reported in several areas downwind including Santa Sofía (12
km SW), Morelia (9 km SW), Panimaché I and II (8 km SW), Finca Palo Verde,
San Pedro Yepocapa (8 km NW), Sangre de Cristo (8 km WSW), and El Porvenir
(8 km ENE). Explosions sometimes produced shock waves that rattled houses
in nearby communities. Incandescent material was ejected 100-300 m high and
caused avalanches of material that occasionally traveled long distances
(reaching vegetated areas) down the Seca (W), Taniluyá (SW), Ceniza (SSW),
Trinidad (S), and Las Lajas (SE) ravines. Incandescent material traveled
about 300 m down the Seca drainage during 23-24 December.

Geologic Summary. Volcán Fuego, one of Central America's most active
volcanoes, is also one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking
Guatemala's former capital, Antigua. The scarp of an older edifice, Meseta,
lies between Fuego and Acatenango to the north. Construction of Meseta
dates back to about 230,000 years and continued until the late Pleistocene
or early Holocene. Collapse of Meseta may have produced the massive
Escuintla debris-avalanche deposit, which extends about 50 km onto the
Pacific coastal plain. Growth of the modern Fuego volcano followed,
continuing the southward migration of volcanism that began at the mostly
andesitic Acatenango. Eruptions at Fuego have become more mafic with time,
and most historical activity has produced basaltic rocks. Frequent vigorous
historical eruptions have been recorded since the onset of the Spanish era
in 1524, and have produced major ashfalls, along with occasional
pyroclastic flows and lava flows.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e
Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH) <http://www.insivumeh.gob.gt/>
http://www.insivumeh.gob.gt/



*Karangetang* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=267020>  | Siau Island
(Indonesia)  | 2.781°N, 125.407°E  | Summit elev. 1797 m

PVMBG reported that during 16-22 December lava
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/lava.html> continued to effuse
from Karangetangâ??s Main Crater (S), traveling as far as 1.8 km down the
Nanitu, Pangi, and Sense drainages on the SW and W flanks. Sometimes dense
white plumes rose to 150 m above the summit. Incandescence from both summit
craters was visible at night. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of
1-4).

Geologic Summary. Karangetang (Api Siau) volcano lies at the northern end
of the island of Siau, about 125 km NNE of the NE-most point of Sulawesi
island. The stratovolcano contains five summit craters along a N-S line. It
is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, with more than 40 eruptions
recorded since 1675 and many additional small eruptions that were not
documented in the historical record (Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the
World: Neumann van Padang, 1951). Twentieth-century eruptions have included
frequent explosive activity sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows and
lahars. Lava dome growth has occurred in the summit craters; collapse of
lava flow fronts have produced pyroclastic flows.

Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known
as CVGHM) <http://vsi.esdm.go.id/> http://vsi.esdm.go.id/



*Kirishimayama* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=282090>  | Kyushu
(Japan)  | 31.934°N, 130.862°E  | Summit elev. 1700 m

JMA <http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#JMA>
reported
that the increase in the number of volcanic earthquakes with hypocenters
just below Shinmoedake (Shinmoe peak), a stratovolcano
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/stratovolcano.html> of the
Kirishimayama volcano group, only lasted during 17-18 November. The number
of volcanic earthquakes was low after that and no other data indicated
increased activity. Scientists noted no changes to geothermal areas on the
crater floor and below cracks on the W flank during a field survey on 12
December. The Alert Level was lowered to 1 (on a scale of 1-5) on 20
December.

Geologic Summary. Kirishimayama is a large group of more than 20 Quaternary
volcanoes located north of Kagoshima Bay. The late-Pleistocene to Holocene
dominantly andesitic group consists of stratovolcanoes, pyroclastic cones,
maars, and underlying shield volcanoes located over an area of 20 x 30 km.
The larger stratovolcanoes are scattered throughout the field, with the
centrally located Karakunidake being the highest. Onamiike and Miike, the
two largest maars, are located SW of Karakunidake and at its far eastern
end, respectively. Holocene eruptions have been concentrated along an E-W
line of vents from Miike to Ohachi, and at Shinmoedake to the NE. Frequent
small-to-moderate explosive eruptions have been recorded since the 8th
century.

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) <http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/>
http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/



*Klyuchevskoy* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=300260>  | Central
Kamchatka (Russia)  | 56.056°N, 160.642°E  | Summit elev. 4754 m

KVERT
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#KVERT>
reported
that a weak thermal anomaly over Klyuchevskoy was identified in satellite
images during 12-15 and 17 December, and Strombolian activity was visible
during 13-15 and 17 December. Gas-and-steam plumes rose to 5-5.5 km
(16,400-18,000 ft) a.s.l.
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#asl> and
drifted 45 km NE on 14 and 19 December. The Aviation Color Code
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html> remained at Orange.

Geologic Summary. Klyuchevskoy (also spelled Kliuchevskoi) is Kamchatka's
highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the
beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced
frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major
periods of inactivity. It rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen
volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank
eruptions have occurred during the past roughly 3000 years, with most
lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the
unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m
elevation. The morphology of the 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 numerous major explosive and
effusive eruptions from flank craters.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
<http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php>
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php



*Sangeang Api* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=264050>  | Indonesia
 | 8.2°S, 119.07°E  | Summit elev. 1912 m

The Darwin VAAC
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#VAAC> reported
that during 18-19 December discrete minor ash
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/ash_volcanic.html> emissions from
Sangeang Api rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l.
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#asl> and
drifted W. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).

Geologic Summary. Sangeang Api volcano, one of the most active in the
Lesser Sunda Islands, forms a small 13-km-wide island off the NE coast of
Sumbawa Island. Two large trachybasaltic-to-tranchyandesitic volcanic
cones, Doro Api and Doro Mantoi, were constructed in the center and on the
eastern rim, respectively, of an older, largely obscured caldera. Flank
vents occur on the south side of Doro Mantoi and near the northern coast.
Intermittent historical eruptions have been recorded since 1512, most of
them during in the 20th century.

Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
<http://www.bom.gov.au/aviation/volcanic-ash/darwin-va-advisory.shtml>
http://www.bom.gov.au/aviation/volcanic-ash/darwin-va-advisory.shtml



*Sheveluch* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=300270>  | Central
Kamchatka (Russia)  | 56.653°N, 161.36°E  | Summit elev. 3283 m

KVERT
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#KVERT>
reported
that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch was identified in satellite images
during 13-20 December. The Aviation Color Code
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html> remained at Orange (the
second highest level on a four-color scale).

Geologic Summary. The high, isolated massif of Sheveluch volcano (also
spelled Shiveluch) rises above the lowlands NNE of the Kliuchevskaya
volcano group. The 1300 km3 volcano is one of Kamchatka's largest and most
active volcanic structures. The summit of roughly 65,000-year-old Stary
Shiveluch is truncated by a broad 9-km-wide late-Pleistocene caldera
breached to the south. Many lava domes dot its outer flanks. The Molodoy
Shiveluch lava dome complex was constructed during the Holocene within the
large horseshoe-shaped caldera; Holocene lava dome extrusion also took
place on the flanks of Stary Shiveluch. At least 60 large eruptions have
occurred during the Holocene, making it the most vigorous andesitic volcano
of the Kuril-Kamchatka arc. Widespread tephra layers from these eruptions
have provided valuable time markers for dating volcanic events in
Kamchatka. Frequent collapses of dome complexes, most recently in 1964,
have produced debris avalanches whose deposits cover much of the floor of
the breached caldera.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
<http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php>
http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/index_eng.php



*Shishaldin* <https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=311360>  | Fox Islands
(USA)  | 54.756°N, 163.97°W  | Summit elev. 2857 m

AVO <http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#AVO>
reported
that the eruption at Shishaldin continued during 18-24 December. Elevated
surface temperatures were identified in satellite images, though clouds
sometimes prevented views. Seismicity remained elevated and was
characterized by ongoing tremor and periodic weak explosions. Satellite
imagery indicated that the active summit cone had grown after collapsing
the week before. Minor ash
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/ash_volcanic.html> emissions
drifted S on 19 December and E at 4.6 km (15,000 ft) a.s.l.
<http://nmnh-web04.us.sinet.si.edu:8022/reports_weekly.cfm?tab=5#asl> on 21
December. The Aviation Color Code
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html> remained at Orange and
the Volcano Alert Level
<https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html> remained
at Watch.

Geologic Summary. The beautifully symmetrical volcano of Shishaldin is the
highest and one of the most active volcanoes of the Aleutian Islands. The
2857-m-high, glacier-covered volcano is the westernmost of three large
stratovolcanoes along an E-W line in the eastern half of Unimak Island. The
Aleuts named the volcano Sisquk, meaning "mountain which points the way
when I am lost." A steady steam plume rises from its small summit crater.
Constructed atop an older glacially dissected volcano, it is Holocene in
age and largely basaltic in composition. Remnants of an older ancestral
volcano are exposed on the west and NE sides at 1500-1800 m elevation.
There are over two dozen pyroclastic cones on its NW flank, which is
blanketed by massive aa lava flows. Frequent explosive activity, primarily
consisting of strombolian ash eruptions from the small summit crater, but
sometimes producing lava flows, has been recorded since the 18th century.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
<https://avo.alaska.edu/> https://avo.alaska.edu/





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