Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report 30 September-6 October 2020

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From: "Kuhn, Sally" <KUHNS@xxxxxx>


Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

30 September-6 October 2020



Sally Kuhn Sennert - Weekly Report Editor (kuhns@xxxxxx)

URL: https://volcano.si.edu/reports_weekly.cfm





New Activity/Unrest: Klyuchevskoy, Central Kamchatka (Russia)



Ongoing Activity: Aira, Kyushu (Japan)  | Dukono, Halmahera (Indonesia)  |
Ebeko, Paramushir Island (Russia)  | Kadovar, Papua New Guinea  | Kikai,
Japan  | Langila, New Britain (Papua New Guinea)  | Raung, Eastern Java
(Indonesia)  | Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica  | Semeru, Eastern Java
(Indonesia)  | Sheveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia)  | Suwanosejima,
Ryukyu Islands (Japan)  | Villarrica, Chile





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





Klyuchevskoy  | Central Kamchatka (Russia)  | 56.056°N, 160.642°E  | Summit
elev. 4754 m



Strombolian activity at Klyuchevskoy began at 1003 on 2 October prompting
KVERT to raise the Aviation Color Code to Yellow (the second lowest level
on a four-color scale). Explosions ejected ash 300-400 m above the volcano
and produced gas-and-steam plumes with some ash that drifted down the E
flank.



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





Ongoing Activity





Aira  | Kyushu (Japan)  | 31.593°N, 130.657°E  | Summit elev. 1117 m



JMA reported that very small eruptive events at Minamidake Crater (at Aira
Calderaâ??s Sakurajima volcano) were occasionally recorded during 29
September-3 October. Crater incandescence was visible at night. An eruptive
event at 1635 on 3 October produced a plume that rose 1.7 km above the
crater rim. 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/





Dukono  | 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 reported that during 30 September-6 October ash plumes from
Dukono rose 1.8-2.4 km (6,000-8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted W N, NE, E, 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: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
http://www.bom.gov.au/aviation/volcanic-ash/darwin-va-advisory.shtml;

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





Ebeko  | 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 25-26 and 30 September and on 1 October
that sent ash plumes up to 3.5 km (11,500 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE and E.
The Aviation Color Code 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





Kadovar  | Papua New Guinea  | 3.608°S, 144.588°E  | Summit elev. 365 m



Based on satellite data, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 4 October
discrete ash puffs from Kadovar rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (7,000 ft)
a.s.l. and drifted NW.



Geologic Summary. The 2-km-wide island of Kadovar is the emergent summit of
a Bismarck Sea stratovolcano of Holocene age. It is part of the Schouten
Islands, and lies off the coast of New Guinea, about 25 km N of the mouth
of the Sepik River. Prior to an eruption that began in 2018, a lava dome
formed the high point of the andesitic volcano, filling an arcuate
landslide scarp open to the south; submarine debris-avalanche deposits
occur in that direction. Thick lava flows with columnar jointing forms low
cliffs along the coast. The youthful island lacks fringing or offshore
reefs. A period of heightened thermal phenomena took place in 1976. An
eruption began in January 2018 that included lava effusion from vents at
the summit and at the E coast.



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





Kikai  | Japan  | 30.793°N, 130.305°E  | Summit elev. 704 m



JMA reported that at 0757 on 6 October an eruption at Satsuma Iwo-jima, a
subaerial part of Kikaiâ??s NW caldera rim, generated a volcanic plume that
rose 200 m above the Iodake crater rim. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a
5-level scale).



Geologic Summary. Kikai is a mostly submerged, 19-km-wide caldera near the
northern end of the Ryukyu Islands south of Kyushu. It was the source of
one of the world's largest Holocene eruptions about 6,300 years ago when
rhyolitic pyroclastic flows traveled across the sea for a total distance of
100 km to southern Kyushu, and ashfall reached the northern Japanese island
of Hokkaido. The eruption devastated southern and central Kyushu, which
remained uninhabited for several centuries. Post-caldera eruptions formed
Iodake lava dome and Inamuradake scoria cone, as well as submarine lava
domes. Historical eruptions have occurred at or near Satsuma-Iojima (also
known as Tokara-Iojima), a small 3 x 6 km island forming part of the NW
caldera rim. Showa-Iojima lava dome (also known as Iojima-Shinto), a small
island 2 km E of Tokara-Iojima, was formed during submarine eruptions in
1934 and 1935. Mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions have occurred during
the past few decades from Iodake, a rhyolitic lava dome at the eastern end
of Tokara-Iojima.



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





Langila  | New Britain (Papua New Guinea)  | 5.525°S, 148.42°E  | Summit
elev. 1330 m



Based on analyses of satellite imagery and wind-model data, the Darwin VAAC
reported that on 5 October an ash plume from Langila rose to an altitude of
1.8 km (6,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NW.



Geologic Summary. Langila, one of the most active volcanoes of New Britain,
consists of a group of four small overlapping composite basaltic-andesitic
cones on the lower E flank of the extinct Talawe volcano in the Cape
Gloucester area of NW New Britain. A rectangular, 2.5-km-long crater is
breached widely to the SE; Langila was constructed NE of the breached
crater of Talawe. An extensive lava field reaches the coast on the N and NE
sides of Langila. Frequent mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions, sometimes
accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded since the 19th century from
three active craters at the summit. The youngest and smallest crater (no. 3
crater) was formed in 1960 and has a diameter of 150 m.



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





Raung  | Eastern Java (Indonesia)  | 8.119°S, 114.056°E  | Summit elev.
3260 m



PVMBG reported that eruptive activity at Raung continued during 28
September-4 October with white-and-gray plumes rising 100-400 m above the
crater rim. 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. Raung, one of Java's most active volcanoes, is a massive
stratovolcano in easternmost Java that was constructed SW of the rim of
Ijen caldera. The unvegetated summit is truncated by a dramatic
steep-walled, 2-km-wide caldera that has been the site of frequent
historical eruptions. A prehistoric collapse of Gunung Gadung on the W
flank produced a large debris avalanche that traveled 79 km, reaching
nearly to the Indian Ocean. Raung contains several centers constructed
along a NE-SW line, with Gunung Suket and Gunung Gadung stratovolcanoes
being located to the NE and W, respectively.



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





Rincon de la Vieja  | Costa Rica  | 10.83°N, 85.324°W  | Summit elev. 1916 m



OVSICORI-UNA reported that small, frequent (1-2 events per day) eruptions
at Rincón de la Vieja continued to be recorded, though sometimes not
visually confirmed, during 30 September-6 October. Eruption plumes often
rose 500-800 m above the crater rim but on 1 and 6 October they rose 1 km.



Geologic Summary. Rincón de la Vieja, the largest volcano in NW Costa Rica,
is a remote volcanic complex in the Guanacaste Range. The volcano consists
of an elongated, arcuate NW-SE-trending ridge constructed within the
15-km-wide early Pleistocene Guachipelín caldera, whose rim is exposed on
the south side. Sometimes known as the "Colossus of Guanacaste," it has an
estimated volume of 130 km3 and contains at least nine major eruptive
centers. Activity has migrated to the SE, where the youngest-looking
craters are located. The twin cone of Santa María volcano, the highest peak
of the complex, is located at the eastern end of a smaller, 5-km-wide
caldera and has a 500-m-wide crater. A Plinian eruption producing the 0.25
km3 Río Blanca tephra about 3,500 years ago was the last major magmatic
eruption. All subsequent eruptions, including numerous historical eruptions
possibly dating back to the 16th century, have been from the prominent
active crater containing a 500-m-wide acid lake located ENE of Von Seebach
crater.



Source: Observatorio Vulcanologico y Sismologico de Costa Rica-Universidad
Nacional (OVSICORI-UNA) http://www.ovsicori.una.ac.cr/





Semeru  | Eastern Java (Indonesia)  | 8.108°S, 112.922°E  | Summit elev.
3657 m



According to PVMBG ground-based observers noted ash plumes rising 700 m
above Semeruâ??s summit and drifting SW on 30 September. An ash plume rose
600 m and drifted S at 0509 on 2 October. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on
a scale of 1-4).



Geologic Summary. Semeru, the highest volcano on Java, and one of its most
active, lies at the southern end of a volcanic massif extending north to
the Tengger caldera. The steep-sided volcano, also referred to as Mahameru
(Great Mountain), rises above coastal plains to the south. Gunung Semeru
was constructed south of the overlapping Ajek-ajek and Jambangan calderas.
A line of lake-filled maars was constructed along a N-S trend cutting
through the summit, and cinder cones and lava domes occupy the eastern and
NE flanks. Summit topography is complicated by the shifting of craters from
NW to SE. Frequent 19th and 20th century eruptions were dominated by
small-to-moderate explosions from the summit crater, with occasional lava
flows and larger explosive eruptions accompanied by pyroclastic flows that
have reached the lower flanks of the volcano.



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





Sheveluch  | Central Kamchatka (Russia)  | 56.653°N, 161.36°E  | Summit
elev. 3283 m



KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch was identified in
satellite images during 25 September-2 October. A new lava block (named
â??Dolphinâ??) that extruded from the E part of the lava dome was first visible
on 28 September. The Aviation Color Code 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





Suwanosejima  | Ryukyu Islands (Japan)  | 29.638°N, 129.714°E  | Summit
elev. 796 m



JMA reported nighttime incandescence at Suwanosejimaâ??s Ontake Crater during
25 September-2 October. Eruptive activity was intermittently recorded along
with nine explosions. Ashfall was periodically reported in Toshima village,
4 km SSW. An explosion at 0822 on 26 September generated a gray-white ash
plume that rose 2 km above the crater rim. At 2028 on 27 September an
explosion ejected blocks 400 m from the crater. The Alert Level remained at
2 (on a 5-level scale).



Geologic Summary. The 8-km-long, spindle-shaped island of Suwanosejima in
the northern Ryukyu Islands consists of an andesitic stratovolcano with two
historically active summit craters. The summit is truncated by a large
breached crater extending to the sea on the east flank that was formed by
edifice collapse. Suwanosejima, one of Japan's most frequently active
volcanoes, was in a state of intermittent strombolian activity from Otake,
the NE summit crater, that began in 1949 and lasted until 1996, after which
periods of inactivity lengthened. The largest historical eruption took
place in 1813-14, when thick scoria deposits blanketed residential areas,
and the SW crater produced two lava flows that reached the western coast.
At the end of the eruption the summit of Otake collapsed forming a large
debris avalanche and creating the horseshoe-shaped Sakuchi caldera, which
extends to the eastern coast. The island remained uninhabited for about 70
years after the 1813-1814 eruption. Lava flows reached the eastern coast of
the island in 1884. Only about 50 people live on the island.



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





Villarrica  | Chile  | 39.42°S, 71.93°W  | Summit elev. 2847 m



SERNAGEOMIN reported that a long-period (LP) event and associated explosion
were recorded by Villarricaâ??s seismic network at 1130 on 4 October. A
grayish plume was visible rising above the crater rim. At 1343 and 1347 on
5 October there were two LP events and associated explosions; each
generated ash plumes that rose as high as 400 m. The Alert Level remained
at Yellow, the second lowest level on a four-color scale. ONEMI maintained
an Alert Level Yellow (the middle level on a three-color scale) for the
municipalities of Villarrica, Pucón (16 km N), Curarrehue, and the commune
of Panguipulli, and the exclusion zone for the public of 500 m around the
crater.



Geologic Summary. Glacier-clad Villarrica, one of Chile's most active
volcanoes, rises above the lake and town of the same name. It is the
westernmost of three large stratovolcanoes that trend perpendicular to the
Andean chain. A 6-km-wide caldera formed during the late Pleistocene. A
2-km-wide caldera that formed about 3500 years ago is located at the base
of the presently active, dominantly basaltic to basaltic-andesitic cone at
the NW margin of the Pleistocene caldera. More than 30 scoria cones and
fissure vents dot the flanks. Plinian eruptions and pyroclastic flows that
have extended up to 20 km from the volcano were produced during the
Holocene. Lava flows up to 18 km long have issued from summit and flank
vents. Historical eruptions, documented since 1558, have consisted largely
of mild-to-moderate explosive activity with occasional lava effusion.
Glaciers cover 40 km2 of the volcano, and lahars have damaged towns on its
flanks.



Sources: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN)
http://www.sernageomin.cl/;

Oficina Nacional de Emergencia-Ministerio del Interior (ONEMI)
http://www.onemi.cl/



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