Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report 18-24 November 2020

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


Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

18-24 November 2020



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

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





New Activity/Unrest: Merapi, Central Java (Indonesia)  | Sabancaya, Peru  |
Whakaari/White Island, North Island (New Zealand)



Ongoing Activity: Aira, Kyushu (Japan)  | Copahue, Central Chile-Argentina
border  | Dukono, Halmahera (Indonesia)  | Ebeko, Paramushir Island
(Russia)  | Ibu, Halmahera (Indonesia)  | Kadovar, Papua New Guinea  |
Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia)  | Klyuchevskoy, Central Kamchatka
(Russia)  | Reventador, Ecuador  | Sangay, Ecuador  | Santa Maria,
Guatemala  | Semeru, Eastern Java (Indonesia)  | Semisopochnoi, United
States  | Sheveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia)  | Sinabung, Indonesia  |
Suwanosejima, Ryukyu Islands (Japan)





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





Merapi  | Central Java (Indonesia)  | 7.54°S, 110.446°E  | Summit elev.
2910 m



BPPTKG reported that during 13-23 November sometimes dense white emissions
from Merapi rose as high as 200 m above the summit. Avalanches of material
traveled down the flanks, as far as 2 km in the Lamat drainage (W flank) at
0615 on 14 November. A comparison of photos taken on 11 and 19 November
showed morphology changes in the summit area from a collapse of part of the
2018 dome and rockfalls from parts of the crater rim. Seismicity was higher
than the previous week. A notable rockfall from the inner N crater rim was
recorded by the webcam at 0650 on 22 November. Electronic Distance
Measurement (EDM) data continued to measure a distance shortening between
points in the NW at a deformation rate of 9 cm per day during 13-19
November, though on 23 November the rate was 11 cm per day. The Alert Level
remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4).



Geologic Summary. Merapi, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, lies in
one of the world's most densely populated areas and dominates the landscape
immediately north of the major city of Yogyakarta. It is the youngest and
southernmost of a volcanic chain extending NNW to Ungaran volcano. Growth
of Old Merapi during the Pleistocene ended with major edifice collapse
perhaps about 2,000 years ago, leaving a large arcuate scarp cutting the
eroded older Batulawang volcano. Subsequent growth of the steep-sided Young
Merapi edifice, its upper part unvegetated due to frequent activity, began
SW of the earlier collapse scarp. Pyroclastic flows and lahars accompanying
growth and collapse of the steep-sided active summit lava dome have
devastated cultivated lands on the western-to-southern flanks and caused
many fatalities.



Sources: Balai Penyelidikan dan Pengembangan Teknologi Kebencanaan Geologi
(BPPTKG) http://www.merapi.bgl.esdm.go.id/;

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





Sabancaya  | Peru  | 15.787°S, 71.857°W  | Summit elev. 5960 m



Instituto Geofísico del Perú (IGP) and Instituto Geológico Minero y
Metalúrgico (INGEMMET) reported that seismicity at Sabancaya had increased
on 11 November. During the following week, the number and magnitude of
explosions increased, and crater incandescence was visible in satellite and
webcam data. The increased activity likely signified lava effusion, and a
new lava dome in the NE part of the summit crater was confirmed in
satellite images on 16 November. The dome, named Iskay, was 110 x 130 m in
dimension and about 12,000 square meters in area. An IGP scientist noted
that the dome was 78% smaller than the dome that had formed at the end of
2019.



A daily average of 49 explosions was recorded during 16-22 November.
Gas-and-ash plumes rose as high as 3.5 km above the summit and drifted in
multiple directions; ashfall was reported in the Huanca district on 22
November. Thirteen thermal anomalies over the crater were identified in
satellite data. Minor inflation continued to be detected in areas N of
Hualca Hualca (4 km N) and on the SE flank. The Alert Level remained at
Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale) and the public were
warned to stay outside of a 12-km radius.



Geologic Summary. Sabancaya, located in the saddle NE of Ampato and SE of
Hualca Hualca volcanoes, is the youngest of these volcanic centers and the
only one to have erupted in historical time. The oldest of the three,
Nevado Hualca Hualca, is of probable late-Pliocene to early Pleistocene
age. The name Sabancaya (meaning "tongue of fire" in the Quechua language)
first appeared in records in 1595 CE, suggesting activity prior to that
date. Holocene activity has consisted of Plinian eruptions followed by
emission of voluminous andesitic and dacitic lava flows, which form an
extensive apron around the volcano on all sides but the south. Records of
historical eruptions date back to 1750.



Sources: Instituto Geofísico del Perú (IGP) http://www.igp.gob.pe/;

Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico (INGEMMET)
http://www.ingemmet.gob.pe/





Whakaari/White Island  | North Island (New Zealand)  | 37.52°S, 177.18°E  |
Summit elev. 294 m



The Wellington VAAC reported that during 20-24 November steam emissions
from Whakaari/White Island contained minor amounts of ash. The plumes rose
as high as 1.2 km (4,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted in multiple directions,
based on webcam and satellite images and information from GeoNet.



Geologic Summary. The uninhabited Whakaari/White Island 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 SE side of the crater
is open at sea level, with the recent activity centered about 1 km from the
shore close to the rear crater wall. Volckner Rocks, sea stacks that are
remnants of a lava dome, lie 5 km NW. Descriptions of volcanism since 1826
have included intermittent moderate phreatic, phreatomagmatic, and
Strombolian eruptions; activity there also forms a prominent part of Maori
legends. The formation of many new vents during the 19th and 20th centuries
caused 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. The official
government name Whakaari/White Island is a combination of the full Maori
name of Te Puia o Whakaari ("The Dramatic Volcano") and White Island
(referencing the constant steam plume) given by Captain James Cook in 1769.



Source: Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
http://vaac.metservice.com/





Ongoing Activity





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



JMA reported that during 16-23 November incandescence from Minamidake
Crater (at Aira Calderaâ??s Sakurajima volcano) was visible nightly. One
explosion and two eruptive events produced plumes that rose 1.4-1.6 km
above the crater rim. The daily sulfur dioxide emission rate was high at
2,000 tons per day on 18 November. 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/





Copahue  | Central Chile-Argentina border  | 37.856°S, 71.183°W  | Summit
elev. 2953 m



SERNAGEOMIN reported that during 1-15 November activity at Copahue
decreased to low levels. Passive gas emissions generally rose 200-300 m
above the vent, though on 15 November they rose 760 m. The report also
noted no changes to deformation, low levels of sulfur dioxide emissions,
low seismicity, partial restoration of the crater lake, and the absence of
nighttime crater incandescence since late October. The Alert Level was
lowered to Green (the lowest level on a four-color scale) on 15 November.
ONEMI cancelled the Yellow Alert for the Alto Biobío municipality, but
declared a â??Preventive Early Warningâ?? ensuring continued surveillance of
the area and coordination within the Civil Protection System.



Geologic Summary. Volcán Copahue is an elongated composite cone constructed
along the Chile-Argentina border within the 6.5 x 8.5 km wide Trapa-Trapa
caldera that formed between 0.6 and 0.4 million years ago near the NW
margin of the 20 x 15 km Pliocene Caviahue (Del Agrio) caldera. The eastern
summit crater, part of a 2-km-long, ENE-WSW line of nine craters, contains
a briny, acidic 300-m-wide crater lake (also referred to as El Agrio or Del
Agrio) and displays intense fumarolic activity. Acidic hot springs occur
below the eastern outlet of the crater lake, contributing to the acidity of
the Río Agrio, and another geothermal zone is located within Caviahue
caldera about 7 km NE of the summit. Infrequent mild-to-moderate explosive
eruptions have been recorded since the 18th century. Twentieth-century
eruptions from the crater lake have ejected pyroclastic rocks and chilled
liquid sulfur fragments.



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





Dukono  | Halmahera (Indonesia)  | 1.693°N, 127.894°E  | Summit elev. 1229 m



Based on satellite and wind model data, the Darwin VAAC reported that
during 18-24 November ash plumes from Dukono rose to 1.8-2.1 km
(6,000-7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted in multiple directions. 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/;

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





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 13 and 15-17 November that sent ash
plumes up to 3.5 km (11,500 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NE, E, and SE. Ashfall
was reported in Severo-Kurilsk during 16-17 November. 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





Ibu  | Halmahera (Indonesia)  | 1.488°N, 127.63°E  | Summit elev. 1325 m



PVMBG and the Darwin VAAC reported that on 19 and 22 November ash plumes
from Ibu were identified in satellite images rising to 2.1 km (7,000 ft)
a.s.l. and drifting SW and W. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of
1-4), and the public was warned to stay at least 2 km away from the active
crater, and 3.5 km away on the N side.



Geologic Summary. The truncated summit of Gunung Ibu stratovolcano along
the NW coast of Halmahera Island has large nested summit craters. The inner
crater, 1 km wide and 400 m deep, contained several small crater lakes
through much of historical time. The outer crater, 1.2 km wide, is breached
on the north side, creating a steep-walled valley. A large parasitic cone
is located ENE of the summit. A smaller one to the WSW has fed a lava flow
down the W flank. A group of maars is located below the N and W flanks.
Only a few eruptions have been recorded in historical time, the first a
small explosive eruption from the summit crater in 1911. An eruption
producing a lava dome that eventually covered much of the floor of the
inner summit crater began in December 1998.



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

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





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



Based on satellite and wind model data, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 18
November ash plumes from Kadovar rose to an altitude of 0.9 km (3,000 ft)
a.s.l. and drifted W and 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





Karymsky  | Eastern Kamchatka (Russia)  | 54.049°N, 159.443°E  | Summit
elev. 1513 m



KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Karymsky was identified in
satellite images on 15 and 19 November. The Aviation Color Code remained at
Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale).



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 during the early Holocene. The caldera cuts
the south side of the Pleistocene Dvor volcano and is located outside the
north margin of the large mid-Pleistocene Polovinka caldera, which contains
the smaller Akademia Nauk and Odnoboky calderas. Most seismicity preceding
Karymsky eruptions originated beneath Akademia Nauk caldera, located
immediately south. The caldera enclosing Karymsky formed about 7600-7700
radiocarbon years ago; construction of the stratovolcano began about 2000
years later. The latest eruptive period began about 500 years ago,
following a 2300-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.



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





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



KVERT reported that Strombolian activity at Klyuchevskoy continued during
13-20 November and lava advanced down the Apakhonchich drainage on the SE
flank. A large, bright thermal anomaly was identified daily in satellite
images. During 16-18 November explosions recorded in satellite and video
data produced ash plumes that rose as high as 7.5 km (24,600 ft) a.s.l. and
drifted 104 km E, SE, and S. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Orange
(the second highest level on a four-color scale) on 8 October.



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





Reventador  | Ecuador  | 0.077°S, 77.656°W  | Summit elev. 3562 m



IG reported that a high level of activity continued to be recorded at
Reventador during 17-24 November. Seismicity was characterized by
explosions, volcano-tectonic and harmonic tremor events, and long-period
earthquakes as well as signals indicating emissions. Gas, steam, and ash
plumes, observed sometimes multiple times a day with the webcam or reported
by the Washington VAAC, rose as high as 1.3 km above the summit crater and
drifted mainly NW, W, and SW. Crater incandescence and incandescent blocks
rolling 600 m down the NE and S flanks were observed during 17-21 and 23-24
November. The 450-m-long lava flow on the NE flank remained active but did
not advance.



Geologic Summary. Reventador is the most frequently active of a chain of
Ecuadorian volcanoes in the Cordillera Real, well east of the principal
volcanic axis. The forested, dominantly andesitic Volcán El Reventador
stratovolcano rises to 3562 m above the jungles of the western Amazon
basin. A 4-km-wide caldera widely breached to the east was formed by
edifice collapse and is partially filled by a young, unvegetated
stratovolcano that rises about 1300 m above the caldera floor to a height
comparable to the caldera rim. It has been the source of numerous lava
flows as well as explosive eruptions that were visible from Quito in
historical time. Frequent lahars in this region of heavy rainfall have
constructed a debris plain on the eastern floor of the caldera. The largest
historical eruption took place in 2002, producing a 17-km-high eruption
column, pyroclastic flows that traveled up to 8 km, and lava flows from
summit and flank vents.



Source: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG)
http://www.igepn.edu.ec/





Sangay  | Ecuador  | 2.005°S, 78.341°W  | Summit elev. 5286 m



IG reported a high level of activity at Sangay during 17-24 November.
Seismicity was characterized by explosions, harmonic tremor, long-period
earthquakes, and signals indicating emissions. Weather clouds sometimes
prevented visual observations of the volcano, but the Washington VAAC and
IG webcams recorded daily ash plumes that rose 900-2,100 m above the summit
and drifted mainly W and SW.



Geologic Summary. The isolated Sangay volcano, located east of the Andean
crest, is the southernmost of Ecuador's volcanoes and its most active. The
steep-sided, glacier-covered, dominantly andesitic volcano grew within
horseshoe-shaped calderas of two previous edifices, which were destroyed by
collapse to the east, producing large debris avalanches that reached the
Amazonian lowlands. The modern edifice dates back to at least 14,000 years
ago. It towers above the tropical jungle on the east side; on the other
sides flat plains of ash have been sculpted by heavy rains into
steep-walled canyons up to 600 m deep. The earliest report of a historical
eruption was in 1628. More or less continuous eruptions were reported from
1728 until 1916, and again from 1934 to the present. The almost constant
activity has caused frequent changes to the morphology of the summit crater
complex.



Source: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG)
http://www.igepn.edu.ec/





Santa Maria  | Guatemala  | 14.757°N, 91.552°W  | Summit elev. 3745 m



INSIVUMEH reported that explosions at Santa María's Santiaguito lava-dome
complex generated ash plumes that rose 1.1 km above the complex and caused
ashfall in areas SW and E, based on El Observatorio Vulcanológico del
Complejo Volcánico Santa María-Santiaguito (OVSAN) observations. Weak
pyroclastic flows descended the W flank of Caliente cone.



Geologic Summary. Symmetrical, forest-covered Santa María volcano is part
of a chain of large stratovolcanoes that rise above the Pacific coastal
plain of Guatemala. The sharp-topped, conical profile is cut on the SW
flank by a 1.5-km-wide crater. The oval-shaped crater extends from just
below the summit to the lower flank, and was formed during a catastrophic
eruption in 1902. The renowned Plinian eruption of 1902 that devastated
much of SW Guatemala followed a long repose period after construction of
the large basaltic-andesite stratovolcano. The massive dacitic Santiaguito
lava-dome complex has been growing at the base of the 1902 crater since
1922. Compound dome growth at Santiaguito has occurred episodically from
four vents, with activity progressing W towards the most recent, Caliente.
Dome growth has been accompanied by almost continuous minor explosions,
with periodic lava extrusion, larger explosions, pyroclastic flows, and
lahars.



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





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



PVMBG reported that the eruption at Semeru continued during 17-24 November,
though weather conditions sometimes prevented visual confirmation. Dense
white-to-gray plumes rose up to 300 m above the summit. Crater
incandescence was visible at night during 19-20 November and 11
incandescent avalanches traveled 500-1,500 m down the Kembar and Kobokan
drainages on the S flank. Two eruptive events produced gray ash plumes that
rose 100-200 m above the summit and drifted SW during 23-24 November. The
Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4), with a general exclusion
zone of 1 km and extensions to 4 km in the SSE sector.



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/





Semisopochnoi  | United States  | 51.93°N, 179.58°E  | Summit elev. 1221 m



AVO reported that no signs of eruptive activity at Semisopochnoi had been
recorded since mid-June. Seismicity had been elevated above background
levels but declined to very low levels before 11 November, when the
satellite the link to transmit the data failed. Both the Aviation Color
Code and the Volcano Alert Level were lowered to Unassigned, reflecting the
lack of available seismic data to detect unrest.



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 Anvil Peak, a double-peaked
late-Pleistocene cone that forms much of the island's northern part. The
three-peaked 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 south
side. Other post-caldera volcanoes include the symmetrical 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/





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 13-20 November. 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





Sinabung  | Indonesia  | 3.17°N, 98.392°E  | Summit elev. 2460 m



PVMBG reported that at 1344 on 18 November an eruptive event at Sinabung
generated an ash plume that rose 1 km above the crater rim and drifted SW.
At 2137 on 21 November seismic data indicated an emission, though weather
conditions prevented visual confirmation. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on
a scale of 1-4), with a general exclusion zone of 3 km and extensions to 5
km in the SE sector and 4 km in the NE sector.



Geologic Summary. Gunung Sinabung is a Pleistocene-to-Holocene
stratovolcano with many lava flows on its flanks. The migration of summit
vents along a N-S line gives the summit crater complex an elongated form.
The youngest crater of this conical andesitic-to-dacitic edifice is at the
southern end of the four overlapping summit craters. The youngest deposit
is a SE-flank pyroclastic flow 14C dated by Hendrasto et al. (2012) at
740-880 CE. An unconfirmed eruption was noted in 1881, and solfataric
activity was seen at the summit and upper flanks in 1912. No confirmed
historical eruptions were recorded prior to explosive eruptions during
August-September 2010 that produced ash plumes to 5 km above the summit.



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





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



JMA reported nighttime incandescence and intermittent eruptive activity at
Suwanosejimaâ??s Ontake Crater during 13-20 November. A total of 18
explosions were recorded, ejecting bombs as far as 400 m from the crater
and producing gray-and-white plumes that rose 1.5 km above the crater rim.
Ashfall was reported in Toshima village (4 km SSW) on 13 November. 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/



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End of Volcano Digest - 23 Nov 2020 to 25 Nov 2020 (#2020-115)
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