Recently Published Bulletin Reports
Sabancaya (Peru) Explosions, gas-and-ash plumes, and thermal activity persist during November 2022-April 2023
Sheveluch (Russia) Significant explosions destroyed part of the lava-dome complex during April 2023
Bezymianny (Russia) Explosions, ash plumes, lava flows, and avalanches during November 2022-April 2023
Chikurachki (Russia) New explosive eruption during late January-early February 2023
Marapi (Indonesia) New explosive eruption with ash emissions during January-March 2023
Kikai (Japan) Intermittent white gas-and-steam plumes, discolored water, and seismicity during May 2021-April 2023
Lewotolok (Indonesia) Strombolian eruption continues through April 2023 with intermittent ash plumes
Barren Island (India) Thermal activity during December 2022-March 2023
Villarrica (Chile) Nighttime crater incandescence, ash emissions, and seismicity during October 2022-March 2023
Fuego (Guatemala) Daily explosions, gas-and-ash plumes, avalanches, and ashfall during December 2022-March 2023
Santa Maria (Guatemala) Active lava flows, explosions, ash plumes, and ashfall during December 2022-March 2023
Reventador (Ecuador) Daily explosions, gas-and-ash emissions, crater incandescence, and block avalanches during December 2022-March 2023
Sabancaya
Peru
15.787°S, 71.857°W; summit elev. 5960 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Explosions, gas-and-ash plumes, and thermal activity persist during November 2022-April 2023
Sabancaya is located in Peru, NE of Ampato and SE of Hualca Hualca. Eruptions date back to 1750 and have been characterized by explosions, phreatic activity, ash plumes, and ashfall. The current eruption period began in November 2016 and has more recently consisted of daily explosions, gas-and-ash plumes, and thermal activity (BGVN 47:11). This report updates activity during November 2022 through April 2023 using information from Instituto Geophysico del Peru (IGP) that use weekly activity reports and various satellite data.
Intermittent low-to-moderate power thermal anomalies were reported by the MIROVA project during November 2022 through April 2023 (figure 119). There were few short gaps in thermal activity during mid-December 2022, late December-to-early January 2023, late January to mid-February, and late February. According to data recorded by the MODVOLC thermal algorithm, there were a total of eight thermal hotspots: three in November 2022, three in February 2023, one in March, and one in April. On clear weather days, some of this thermal anomaly was visible in infrared satellite imagery showing the active lava dome in the summit crater (figure 120). Almost daily moderate-to-strong sulfur dioxide plumes were recorded during the reporting period by the TROPOMI instrument on the Sentinel-5P satellite (figure 121). Many of these plumes exceeded 2 Dobson Units (DU) and drifted in multiple directions.
IGP reported that moderate activity during November and December 2022 continued; during November, an average number of explosions were reported each week: 30, 33, 36, and 35, and during December, it was 32, 40, 47, 52, and 67. Gas-and-ash plumes in November rose 3-3.5 km above the summit and drifted E, NE, SE, S, N, W, and SW. During December the gas-and-ash plumes rose 2-4 km above the summit and drifted in different directions. There were 1,259 volcanic earthquakes recorded during November and 1,693 during December. Seismicity also included volcano-tectonic-type events that indicate rock fracturing events. Slight inflation was observed in the N part of the volcano near Hualca Hualca (4 km N). Thermal activity was frequently reported in the crater at the active lava dome (figure 120).
Explosive activity continued during January and February 2023. The average number of explosions were reported each week during January (51, 50, 60, and 59) and February (43, 54, 51, and 50). Gas-and-ash plumes rose 1.6-2.9 km above the summit and drifted NW, SW, and W during January and rose 1.4-2.8 above the summit and drifted W, SW, E, SE, N, S, NW, and NE during February. IGP also detected 1,881 volcanic earthquakes during January and 1,661 during February. VT-type earthquakes were also reported. Minor inflation persisted near Hualca Hualca. Satellite imagery showed continuous thermal activity in the crater at the lava dome (figure 120).
During March, the average number of explosions each week was 46, 48, 31, 35, and 22 and during April, it was 29, 41, 31, and 27. Accompanying gas-and-ash plumes rose 1.7-2.6 km above the summit crater and drifted W, SW, NW, S, and SE during March. According to a Buenos Aires Volcano Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) notice, on 22 March at 1800 through 23 March an ash plume rose to 7 km altitude and drifted NW. By 0430 an ash plume rose to 7.6 km altitude and drifted W. On 24 and 26 March continuous ash emissions rose to 7.3 km altitude and drifted SW and on 28 March ash emissions rose to 7.6 km altitude. During April, gas-and-ash plumes rose 1.6-2.5 km above the summit and drifted W, SW, S, NW, NE, and E. Frequent volcanic earthquakes were recorded, with 1,828 in March and 1,077 in April, in addition to VT-type events. Thermal activity continued to be reported in the summit crater at the lava dome (figure 120).
Geologic Background. 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.
Information Contacts: Instituto Geofisico del Peru (IGP), Centro Vulcanológico Nacional (CENVUL), Calle Badajoz N° 169 Urb. Mayorazgo IV Etapa, Ate, Lima 15012, Perú (URL: https://www.igp.gob.pe/servicios/centro-vulcanologico-nacional/inicio); Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Servicio Meteorológico Nacional-Fuerza Aérea Argentina, 25 de mayo 658, Buenos Aires, Argentina (URL: http://www.smn.gov.ar/vaac/buenosaires/inicio.php); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) - MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); NASA Global Sulfur Dioxide Monitoring Page, Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC), 8800 Greenbelt Road, Goddard MD 20771, USA (URL: https://so2.gsfc.nasa.gov/); Copernicus Browser, Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, European Space Agency (URL: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/browser/).
Sheveluch
Russia
56.653°N, 161.36°E; summit elev. 3283 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Significant explosions destroyed part of the lava-dome complex during April 2023
Sheveluch (also spelled Shiveluch) in Kamchatka, has had at least 60 large eruptions during the last 10,000 years. The summit is truncated by a broad 9-km-wide caldera that is breached to the S, and many lava domes occur on the outer flanks. The lava dome complex was constructed within the large open caldera. Frequent collapses of the dome complex have produced debris avalanches; the resulting deposits cover much of the caldera floor. A major south-flank collapse during a 1964 Plinian explosion produced a scarp in which a “Young Sheveluch” dome began to form in 1980. Repeated episodes of dome formation and destruction since then have produced major and minor ash plumes, pyroclastic flows, block-and-ash flows, and “whaleback domes” of spine-like extrusions in 1993 and 2020 (BGVN 45:11). The current eruption period began in August 1999 and has more recently consisted of lava dome growth, explosions, ash plumes, and avalanches (BGVN 48:01). This report covers a significant explosive eruption during early-to-mid-April 2023 that generated a 20 km altitude ash plume, produced a strong sulfur dioxide plume, and destroyed part of the lava-dome complex; activity described during January through April 2023 use information primarily from the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT) and various satellite data.
Satellite data. Activity during the majority of this reporting period was characterized by continued lava dome growth, strong fumarole activity, explosions, and hot avalanches. According to the MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, 140 hotspots were detected through the reporting period, with 33 recorded in January 2023, 29 in February, 44 in March, and 34 in April. Frequent strong thermal activity was recorded during January 2023 through April, according to the MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity) graph and resulted from the continuously growing lava dome (figure 94). A slightly stronger pulse in thermal activity was detected in early-to-mid-April, which represented the significant eruption that destroyed part of the lava-dome complex. Thermal anomalies were also visible in infrared satellite imagery at the summit crater (figure 95).
During January 2023 KVERT reported continued growth of the lava dome, accompanied by strong fumarolic activity, incandescence from the lava dome, explosions, ash plumes, and avalanches. Satellite data showed a daily thermal anomaly over the volcano. Video data showed ash plumes associated with collapses at the dome that generated avalanches that in turn produced ash plumes rising to 3.5 km altitude and drifting 40 km W on 4 January and rising to 7-7.5 km altitude and drifting 15 km SW on 5 January. A gas-and-steam plume containing some ash that was associated with avalanches rose to 5-6 km altitude and extended 52-92 km W on 7 January. Explosions that same day produced ash plumes that rose to 7-7.5 km altitude and drifted 10 km W. According to a Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) issued at 1344 on 19 January, explosions produced an ash cloud that was 15 x 25 km in size and rose to 9.6-10 km altitude, drifting 21-25 km W; as a result, the Aviation Color Code (ACC) was raised to Red (the highest level on a four-color scale). Another VONA issued at 1635 reported that no more ash plumes were observed, and the ACC was lowered to Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale). On 22 January an ash plume from collapses and avalanches rose to 5 km altitude and drifted 25 km NE and SW; ash plumes associated with collapses extended 70 km NE on 27 and 31 January.
Lava dome growth, fumarolic activity, dome incandescence, and occasional explosions and avalanches continued during February and March. A daily thermal anomaly was visible in satellite data. Explosions on 1 February generated ash plumes that rose to 6.3-6.5 km altitude and extended 15 km NE. Video data showed an ash cloud from avalanches rising to 5.5 km altitude and drifting 5 km SE on 2 February. Satellite data showed gas-and-steam plumes containing some ash rose to 5-5.5 km altitude and drifted 68-110 km ENE and NE on 6 February, to 4.5-5 km altitude and drifted 35 km WNW on 22 February, and to 3.7-4 km altitude and drifted 47 km NE on 28 February. Scientists from the Kamchatka Volcanological Station (KVS) went on a field excursion on 25 February to document the growing lava dome, and although it was cloudy most of the day, nighttime incandescence was visible. Satellite data showed an ash plume extending up to 118 km E during 4-5 March. Video data from 1150 showed an ash cloud from avalanches rose to 3.7-5.5 km altitude and drifted 5-10 km ENE and E on 5 March. On 11 March an ash plume drifted 62 km E. On 27 March ash plumes rose to 3.5 km altitude and drifted 100 km E. Avalanches and constant incandescence at the lava dome was focused on the E and NE slopes on 28 March. A gas-and-steam plume containing some ash rose to 3.5 km altitude and moved 40 km E on 29 March. Ash plumes on 30 March rose to 3.5-3.7 km altitude and drifted 70 km NE.
Similar activity continued during April, with lava dome growth, strong fumarolic activity, incandescence in the dome, occasional explosions, and avalanches. A thermal anomaly persisted throughout the month. During 1-4 April weak ash plumes rose to 2.5-3 km altitude and extended 13-65 km SE and E.
Activity during 11 April 2023. The Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (IVS FEB RAS) reported a significant increase in seismicity around 0054 on 11 April, as reported by strong explosions detected on 11 April beginning at 0110 that sent ash plumes up to 7-10 km altitude and extended 100-435 km W, WNW, NNW, WSW, and SW. According to a Tokyo VAAC report the ash plume rose to 15.8 km altitude. By 0158 the plume extended over a 75 x 100 km area. According to an IVS FEB RAS report, the eruptive column was not vertical: the initial plume at 0120 on 11 April deviated to the NNE, at 0000 on 12 April, it drifted NW, and by 1900 it drifted SW. KVS reported that significant pulses of activity occurred at around 0200, 0320, and then a stronger phase around 0600. Levin Dmitry took a video from near Békés (3 km away) at around 0600 showing a rising plume; he also reported that a pyroclastic flow traveled across the road behind him as he left the area. According to IVS FEB RAS, the pyroclastic flow traveled several kilometers SSE, stopping a few hundred meters from a bridge on the road between Klyuchi and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Ashfall was first observed in Klyuchi (45 km SW) at 0630, and a large, black ash plume blocked light by 0700. At 0729 KVERT issued a Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) raising the Aviation Color Code to Red (the highest level on a four-color scale). It also stated that a large ash plume had risen to 10 km altitude and drifted 100 km W. Near-constant lightning strikes were reported in the plume and sounds like thunderclaps were heard until about 1000. According to IVS FEB RAS the cloud was 200 km long and 76 km wide by 0830, and was spreading W at altitudes of 6-12 km. In the Klyuchi Village, the layer of both ash and snow reached 8.5 cm (figure 96); ashfall was also reported in Kozyrevsk (112 km SW) at 0930, Mayskoye, Anavgay, Atlasovo, Lazo, and Esso. Residents in Klyuchi reported continued darkness and ashfall at 1100. In some areas, ashfall was 6 cm deep and some residents reported dirty water coming from their plumbing. According to IVS FEB RAS, an ash cloud at 1150 rose to 5-20 km altitude and was 400 km long and 250 km wide, extending W. A VONA issued at 1155 reported that ash had risen to 10 km and drifted 340 km NNW and 240 km WSW. According to Simon Carn (Michigan Technological University), about 0.2 Tg of sulfur dioxide in the plume was measured in a satellite image from the TROPOMI instrument on the Sentinel-5P satellite acquired at 1343 that covered an area of about 189,000 km2 (figure 97). Satellite data at 1748 showed an ash plume that rose to 8 km altitude and drifted 430 km WSW and S, according to a VONA.
Activity during 12-15 April 2023. On 12 April at 0730 satellite images showed ash plumes rose to 7-8 km altitude and extended 600 km SW, 1,050 km ESE, and 1,300-3,000 km E. By 1710 that day, the explosions weakened. According to news sources, the ash-and-gas plumes drifted E toward the Aleutian Islands and reached the Gulf of Alaska by 13 April, causing flight disruptions. More than 100 flights involving Alaska airspace were cancelled due to the plume. Satellite data showed ash plumes rising to 4-5.5 km altitude and drifted 400-415 km SE and ESE on 13 April. KVS volcanologists observed the pyroclastic flow deposits and noted that steam rose from downed, smoldering trees. They also noted that the deposits were thin with very few large fragments, which differed from previous flows. The ash clouds traveled across the Pacific Ocean. Flight cancellations were also reported in NW Canada (British Columbia) during 13-14 April. During 14-15 April ash plumes rose to 6 km altitude and drifted 700 km NW.
Alaskan flight schedules were mostly back to normal by 15 April, with only minor delays and far less cancellations; a few cancellations continued to be reported in Canada. Clear weather on 15 April showed that most of the previous lava-dome complex was gone and a new crater roughly 1 km in diameter was observed (figure 98); gas-and-steam emissions were rising from this crater. Evidence suggested that there had been a directed blast to the SE, and pyroclastic flows traveled more than 20 km. An ash plume rose to 4.5-5.2 km altitude and drifted 93-870 km NW on 15 April.
Activity during 16-30 April 2023. Resuspended ash was lifted by the wind from the slopes and rose to 4 km altitude and drifted 224 km NW on 17 April. KVERT reported a plume of resuspended ash from the activity during 10-13 April on 19 April that rose to 3.5-4 km altitude and drifted 146-204 km WNW. During 21-22 April a plume stretched over the Scandinavian Peninsula. A gas-and-steam plume containing some ash rose to 3-3.5 km altitude and drifted 60 km SE on 30 April. A possible new lava dome was visible on the W slope of the volcano on 29-30 April (figure 99); satellite data showed two thermal anomalies, a bright one over the existing lava dome and a weaker one over the possible new one.
References. Girina, O., Loupian, E., Horvath, A., Melnikov, D., Manevich, A., Nuzhdaev, A., Bril, A., Ozerov, A., Kramareva, L., Sorokin, A., 2023, Analysis of the development of the paroxysmal eruption of Sheveluch volcano on April 10–13, 2023, based on data from various satellite systems, ??????????? ???????? ??? ?? ???????, 20(2).
Geologic Background. The high, isolated massif of Sheveluch volcano (also spelled Shiveluch) rises above the lowlands NNE of the Kliuchevskaya volcano group. The 1,300 km3 andesitic volcano is one of Kamchatka's largest and most active volcanic structures, with at least 60 large eruptions during the Holocene. 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 occur on its outer flanks. The Molodoy Shiveluch lava dome complex was constructed during the Holocene within the large open caldera; Holocene lava dome extrusion also took place on the flanks of Stary Shiveluch. 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.
Information Contacts: Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 9 Piip Blvd., Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia (URL: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/); Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (IVS FEB RAS), 9 Piip Blvd., Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 683006, Russia (URL: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/eng/); Kamchatka Volcanological Station, Kamchatka Branch of Geophysical Survey, (KB GS RAS), Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai, Russia (URL: http://volkstat.ru/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) - MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Copernicus Browser, Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, European Space Agency (URL: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/browser/); Kam 24 News Agency, 683032, Kamchatka Territory, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Vysotnaya St., 2A (URL: https://kam24.ru/news/main/20230411/96657.html#.Cj5Jrky6.dpuf); Simon Carn, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USA (URL: http://www.volcarno.com/, Twitter: @simoncarn).
Bezymianny
Russia
55.972°N, 160.595°E; summit elev. 2882 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Explosions, ash plumes, lava flows, and avalanches during November 2022-April 2023
Bezymianny is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia as part of the Klyuchevskoy volcano group. Historic eruptions began in 1955 and have been characterized by dome growth, explosions, pyroclastic flows, ash plumes, and ashfall. During the 1955-56 eruption a large open crater 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. The current eruption period began in December 2016 and more recent activity has consisted of strong explosions, ash plumes, and thermal activity (BGVN 47:11). This report covers activity during November 2022 through April 2023, based on weekly and daily reports from the Kamchatka Volcano Eruptions Response Team (KVERT) and satellite data.
Activity during November and March 2023 was relatively low and mostly consisted of gas-and-steam emissions, occasional small collapses that generated avalanches along the lava dome slopes, and a persistent thermal anomaly over the volcano that was observed in satellite data on clear weather days. According to the Tokyo VAAC and KVERT, an explosion produced an ash plume that rose to 6 km altitude and drifted 25 km NE at 1825 on 29 March.
Gas-and-steam emissions, collapses generating avalanches, and thermal activity continued during April. According to two Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) issued on 2 and 6 April (local time) ash plumes rose to 3 km and 3.5-3.8 km altitude and drifted 35 km E and 140 km E, respectively. Satellite data from KVERT showed weak ash plumes extending up to 550 km E on 2 and 5-6 April.
A VONA issued at 0843 on 7 April described an ash plume that rose to 4.5-5 km altitude and drifted 250 km ESE. Later that day at 1326 satellite data showed an ash plume that rose to 5.5-6 km altitude and drifted 150 km ESE. A satellite image from 1600 showed an ash plume extending as far as 230 km ESE; KVERT noted that ash emissions were intensifying, likely due to avalanches from the growing lava dome. The Aviation Color Code (ACC) was raised to Red (the highest level on a four-color scale). At 1520 satellite data showed an ash plume rising to 5-5.5 km altitude and drifting 230 km ESE. That same day, Kamchatka Volcanological Station (KVS) volcanologists traveled to Ambon to collect ash; they reported that a notable eruption began at 1730, and within 20 minutes a large ash plume rose to 10 km altitude and drifted NW. KVERT reported that the strong explosive phase began at 1738. Video and satellite data taken at 1738 showed an ash plume that rose to 10-12 km altitude and drifted up to 2,800 km SE and E. Explosions were clearly audible 20 km away for 90 minutes, according to KVS. Significant amounts of ash fell at the Apakhonchich station, which turned the snow gray; ash continued to fall until the morning of 8 April. In a VONA issued at 0906 on 8 April, KVERT stated that the explosive eruption had ended; ash plumes had drifted 2,000 km E. The ACC was lowered to Orange (the third highest level on a four-color scale). The KVS team saw a lava flow on the active dome once the conditions were clear that same day (figure 53). On 20 April lava dome extrusion was reported; lava flows were noted on the flanks of the dome, and according to KVERT satellite data, a thermal anomaly was observed in the area. The ACC was lowered to Yellow (the second lowest on a four-color scale).
Satellite data showed an increase in thermal activity beginning in early April 2023. A total of 31 thermal hotspots were detected by the MODVOLC thermal algorithm on 4, 5, 7, and 12 April 2023. The elevated thermal activity resulted from an increase in explosive activity and the start of an active lava flow. The MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity) volcano hotspot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS data also showed a pulse in thermal activity during the same time (figure 54). Infrared satellite imagery captured a continuous thermal anomaly at the summit crater, often accompanied by white gas-and-steam emissions (figure 55). On 4 April 2023 an active lava flow was observed descending the SE flank.
Geologic Background. The modern Bezymianny, much smaller than its massive neighbors Kamen and Kliuchevskoi on the Kamchatka Peninsula, was formed about 4,700 years ago over a late-Pleistocene lava-dome complex and an edifice built about 11,000-7,000 years ago. Three periods of intensified activity have occurred during the past 3,000 years. The latest period, which was preceded by a 1,000-year quiescence, began with the dramatic 1955-56 eruption. This eruption, similar to that of St. Helens in 1980, produced a large open 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.
Information Contacts: Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 9 Piip Blvd., Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia (URL: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/kvert/); Kamchatka Volcanological Station, Kamchatka Branch of Geophysical Survey, (KB GS RAS), Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai, Russia (URL: http://volkstat.ru/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) - MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Copernicus Browser, Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, European Space Agency (URL: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/browser/).
Chikurachki
Russia
50.324°N, 155.461°E; summit elev. 1781 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
New explosive eruption during late January-early February 2023
Chikurachki, located on Paramushir Island in the northern Kuriles, has had Plinian eruptions during the Holocene. Lava flows have reached the sea and formed capes on the NW coast; several young lava flows are also present on the E flank beneath a scoria deposit. Reported eruptions date back to 1690, with the most recent eruption period occurring during January through October 2022, characterized by occasional explosions, ash plumes, and thermal activity (BGVN 47:11). This report covers a new eruptive period during January through February 2023 that consisted of ash explosions and ash plumes, based on information from the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT) and satellite data.
According to reports from KVERT, an explosive eruption began around 0630 on 29 January. Explosions generated ash plumes that rose to 3-3.5 km altitude and drifted 6-75 km SE and E, based on satellite data. As a result, the Aviation Color Code (ACC) was raised to Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale). At 1406 and 1720 ash plumes were identified in satellite images that rose to 4.3 km altitude and extended 70 km E. By 2320 the ash plume had dissipated. A thermal anomaly was visible at the volcano on 31 January, according to a satellite image, and an ash plume was observed drifting 66 km NE.
Occasional explosions and ash plumes continued during early February. At 0850 on 1 February an ash plume rose to 3.5 km altitude and drifted 35 km NE. Satellite data showed an ash plume that rose to 3.2-3.5 km altitude and drifted 50 km NE at 1222 later that day (figure 22). A thermal anomaly was detected over the volcano during 5-6 February and ash plumes drifted as far as 125 km SE, E, and NE. Explosive events were reported at 0330 on 6 February that produced ash plumes rising to 4-4.5 km altitude and drifting 72-90 km N, NE, and ENE. KVERT noted that the last gas-and steam plume that contained some ash was observed on 8 February and drifted 55 km NE before the explosive eruption ended. The ACC was lowered to Yellow and then Green (the lowest level on a four-color scale) on 18 February.
Geologic Background. Chikurachki, the highest volcano on Paramushir Island in the northern Kuriles, is a relatively small cone constructed on a high Pleistocene edifice. Oxidized basaltic-to-andesitic scoria deposits covering the upper part of the young cone give it a distinctive red color. Frequent basaltic Plinian eruptions have occurred during the Holocene. Lava flows have reached the sea and formed capes on the NW coast; several young lava flows are also present on the E flank beneath a scoria deposit. The Tatarinov group of six volcanic centers is located immediately to the south, and the Lomonosov cinder cone group, the source of an early Holocene lava flow that reached the saddle between it and Fuss Peak to the west, lies at the southern end of the N-S-trending Chikurachki-Tatarinov complex. In contrast to the frequently active Chikurachki, the Tatarinov centers are extensively modified by erosion and have a more complex structure. Tephrochronology gives evidence of an eruption around 1690 CE from Tatarinov, although its southern cone contains a sulfur-encrusted crater with fumaroles that were active along the margin of a crater lake until 1959.
Information Contacts: Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, 9 Piip Blvd., Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia (URL: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/); Copernicus Browser, Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, European Space Agency (URL: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/browser/).
Marapi
Indonesia
0.38°S, 100.474°E; summit elev. 2885 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
New explosive eruption with ash emissions during January-March 2023
Marapi in Sumatra, Indonesia, is a massive stratovolcano that rises 2 km above the Bukittinggi Plain in the Padang Highlands. A broad summit contains multiple partially overlapping summit craters constructed within the small 1.4-km-wide Bancah caldera and trending ENE-WSW, with volcanism migrating to the west. Since the end of the 18th century, more than 50 eruptions, typically characterized by small-to-moderate explosive activity, have been recorded. The previous eruption consisted of two explosions during April-May 2018, which caused ashfall to the SE (BGVN 43:06). This report covers a new eruption during January-March 2023, which included explosive events and ash emissions, as reported by Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, CVGHM) and MAGMA Indonesia.
According to a press release issued by PVMBG and MAGMA Indonesia on 26 December, primary volcanic activity at Marapi consisted of white gas-and-steam puffs that rose 500-100 m above the summit during April-December 2022. On 25 December 2022 there was an increase in the number of deep volcanic earthquakes and summit inflation. White gas-and-steam emissions rose 80-158 m above the summit on 5 January. An explosive eruption began at 0611 on 7 January 2023, which generated white gas-and-steam emissions and gray ash emissions mixed with ejecta that rose 300 m above the summit and drifted SE (figure 10). According to ground observations, white-to-gray ash clouds during 0944-1034 rose 200-250 m above the summit and drifted SE and around 1451 emissions rose 200 m above the summit. Seismic signals indicated that eruptive events also occurred at 1135, 1144, 1230, 1715, and 1821, but no ash emissions were visually observed. On 8 January white-and-gray emissions rose 150-250 m above the summit that drifted E and SE. Seismic signals indicated eruptive events at 0447, 1038, and 1145, but again no ash emissions were visually observed on 8 January. White-to-gray ash plumes continued to be observed on clear weather days during 9-15, 18-21, 25, and 29-30 January, rising 100-1,000 m above the summit and drifted generally NE, SE, N, and E, based on ground observations (figure 11).
White-and-gray and brown emissions persisted in February, rising 50-500 m above the summit and drifting E, S, SW, N, NE, and W, though weather sometimes prevented clear views of the summit. An eruption at 1827 on 10 February produced a black ash plume that rose 400 m above the summit and drifted NE and E (figure 12). Similar activity was reported on clear weather days, with white gas-and-steam emissions rising 50 m above the summit on 9, 11-12, 20, and 27 March and drifted E, SE, SW, NE, E, and N. On 17 March white-and-gray emissions rose 400 m above the summit and drifted N and E.
Geologic Background. Gunung Marapi, not to be confused with the better-known Merapi volcano on Java, is Sumatra's most active volcano. This massive complex stratovolcano rises 2,000 m above the Bukittinggi Plain in the Padang Highlands. A broad summit contains multiple partially overlapping summit craters constructed within the small 1.4-km-wide Bancah caldera. The summit craters are located along an ENE-WSW line, with volcanism migrating to the west. More than 50 eruptions, typically consisting of small-to-moderate explosive activity, have been recorded since the end of the 18th century; no lava flows outside the summit craters have been reported in historical time.
Information Contacts: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, CVGHM), Jalan Diponegoro 57, Bandung 40122, Indonesia (URL: http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/); MAGMA Indonesia, Kementerian Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral (URL: https://magma.esdm.go.id/v1).
Kikai
Japan
30.793°N, 130.305°E; summit elev. 704 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Intermittent white gas-and-steam plumes, discolored water, and seismicity during May 2021-April 2023
Kikai, located just S of the Ryukyu islands of Japan, contains a 19-km-wide mostly submarine caldera. The island of Satsuma Iwo Jima (also known as Satsuma-Iwo Jima and Tokara Iojima) is located at the NW caldera rim, as well as the island’s highest peak, Iodake. Its previous eruption period occurred on 6 October 2020 and was characterized by an explosion and thermal anomalies in the crater (BGVN 45:11). More recent activity has consisted of intermittent thermal activity and gas-and-steam plumes (BGVN 46:06). This report covers similar low-level activity including white gas-and-steam plumes, nighttime incandescence, seismicity, and discolored water during May 2021 through April 2023, using information from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and various satellite data. During this time, the Alert Level remained at a 2 (on a 5-level scale), according to JMA.
Activity was relatively low throughout the reporting period and has consisted of intermittent white gas-and-steam emissions that rose 200-1,400 m above the Iodake crater and nighttime incandescence was observed at the Iodake crater using a high-sensitivity surveillance camera. Each month, frequent volcanic earthquakes were detected, and sulfur dioxide masses were measured by the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Mishima Village, and JMA (table 6).
Table 6. Summary of gas-and-steam plume heights, number of volcanic earthquakes detected, and amount of sulfur dioxide emissions in tons per day (t/d). Courtesy of JMA monthly reports.
Month |
Max plume height (m) |
Volcanic earthquakes |
Sulfur dioxide emissions (t/d) |
May 2021 |
400 |
162 |
900-1,300 |
Jun 2021 |
800 |
117 |
500 |
Jul 2021 |
1,400 |
324 |
800-1,500 |
Aug 2021 |
1,000 |
235 |
700-1,000 |
Sep 2021 |
800 |
194 |
500-1,100 |
Oct 2021 |
800 |
223 |
600-800 |
Nov 2021 |
900 |
200 |
400-900 |
Dec 2021 |
1,000 |
161 |
500-1,800 |
Jan 2022 |
1,000 |
164 |
600-1,100 |
Feb 2022 |
1,000 |
146 |
500-1,600 |
Mar 2022 |
1,200 |
171 |
500-1,200 |
Apr 2022 |
1,000 |
144 |
600-1,000 |
May 2022 |
1,200 |
126 |
300-500 |
Jun 2022 |
1,000 |
154 |
400 |
Jul 2022 |
1,300 |
153 |
600-1,100 |
Aug 2022 |
1,100 |
109 |
600-1,500 |
Sep 2022 |
1,000 |
170 |
900 |
Oct 2022 |
800 |
249 |
700-1,200 |
Nov 2022 |
800 |
198 |
800-1,200 |
Dec 2022 |
700 |
116 |
600-1,500 |
Jan 2023 |
800 |
146 |
500-1,400 |
Feb 2023 |
800 |
135 |
600-800 |
Mar 2023 |
1,100 |
94 |
500-600 |
Apr 2023 |
800 |
82 |
500-700 |
Sentinel-2 satellite images show weak thermal anomalies at the Iodake crater on clear weather days, accompanied by white gas-and-steam emissions and occasional discolored water (figure 24). On 17 January 2022 JMA conducted an aerial overflight in cooperation with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s 1st Air Group, which confirmed a white gas-and-steam plume rising from the Iodake crater (figure 25). They also observed plumes from fumaroles rising from around the crater and on the E, SW, and N slopes. In addition, discolored water was reported near the coast around Iodake, which JMA stated was likely related to volcanic activity (figure 25). Similarly, an overflight taken on 11 January 2023 showed white gas-and-steam emissions rising from the Iodake crater, as well as discolored water that spread E from the coast around the island. On 14 February 2023 white fumaroles and discolored water were also captured during an overflight (figure 26).
Geologic Background. Multiple eruption centers have exhibited recent activity at Kikai, 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 (or Iwo-dake) lava dome and Inamuradake scoria cone, as well as submarine lava domes. Recorded 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 Satsuma-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 Satsuma-Iojima.
Information Contacts: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Otemachi, 1-3-4, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-8122, Japan (URL: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html); Japan Coast Guard (JCG) Volcano Database, Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department, 3-1-1, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8932, Japan (URL: https://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/kaiikiDB/kaiyo30-2.htm); Copernicus Browser, Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, European Space Agency (URL: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/browser/).
Lewotolok (Indonesia) — May 2023 Cite this Report
Lewotolok
Indonesia
8.274°S, 123.508°E; summit elev. 1431 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Strombolian eruption continues through April 2023 with intermittent ash plumes
The current eruption at Lewotolok, in Indonesian’s Lesser Sunda Islands, began in late November 2020 and has included Strombolian explosions, occasional ash plumes, incandescent ejecta, intermittent thermal anomalies, and persistent white and white-and-gray emissions (BGVN 47:10). Similar activity continued during October 2022-April 2023, as described in this report based on information provided by Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM, or the Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation), MAGMA Indonesia, the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), and satellite data.
During most days in October 2022 white and white-gray emissions rose as high as 200-600 m above the summit. Webcam images often showed incandescence above the crater rim. At 0351 on 14 October, an explosion produced a dense ash plume that rose about 1.2 km above the summit and drifted SW (figure 43). After this event, activity subsided and remained low through the rest of the year, but with almost daily white emissions.
After more than two months of relative quiet, PVMBG reported that explosions at 0747 on 14 January 2023 and at 2055 on 16 January produced white-and-gray ash plumes that rose around 400 m above the summit and drifted E and SE (figure 44). During the latter half of January through April, almost daily white or white-and-gray emissions were observed rising 25-800 m above the summit, and nighttime webcam images often showed incandescent material being ejected above the summit crater. Strombolian activity was visible in webcam images at 2140 on 11 February, 0210 on 18 February, and during 22-28 March. Frequent hotspots were recorded by the MIROVA detection system starting in approximately the second week of March 2023 that progressively increased into April (figure 45).
Explosions that produced dense ash plumes as high as 750 m above the summit were described in Volcano Observatory Notices for Aviation (VONA) at 0517, 1623, and 2016 on 22 March, at 1744 on 24 March, at 0103 on 26 March, at 0845 and 1604 on 27 March (figure 46), and at 0538 on 28 March. According to the Darwin VAAC, on 6 April another ash plume rose to 1.8 km altitude (about 370 m above the summit) and drifted N.
Sentinel-2 images over the previous year recorded thermal anomalies as well as the development of a lava flow that descended the NE flank beginning in June 2022 (figure 47). The volcano was often obscured by weather clouds, which also often hampered ground observations. Ash emissions were reported in March 2022 (BGVN 47:10), and clear imagery from 4 March 2022 showed recent lava flows confined to the crater, two thermal anomaly spots in the eastern part of the crater, and mainly white emissions from the SE. Thermal anomalies became stronger and more frequent in mid-May 2022, followed by strong Strombolian activity through June and July (BGVN 47:10); Sentinel-2 images on 2 June 2022 showed active lava flows within the crater and overflowing onto the NE flank. Clear images from 23 April 2023 (figure 47) show the extent of the cooled NE-flank lava flow, more extensive intra-crater flows, and two hotspots in slightly different locations compared to the previous March.
Geologic Background. The Lewotolok (or Lewotolo) stratovolcano occupies the eastern end of an elongated peninsula extending north into the Flores Sea, connected to Lembata (formerly Lomblen) Island by a narrow isthmus. It is symmetrical when viewed from the north and east. A small cone with a 130-m-wide crater constructed at the SE side of a larger crater forms the volcano's high point. Many lava flows have reached the coastline. Eruptions recorded since 1660 have consisted of explosive activity from the summit crater.
Information Contacts: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, CVGHM), Jalan Diponegoro 57, Bandung 40122, Indonesia (URL: http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/); MAGMA Indonesia, Kementerian Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral (URL: https://magma.esdm.go.id/v1); Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory Regional Office, PO Box 40050, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia (URL: http://www.bom.gov.au/info/vaac/); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Copernicus Browser, Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, European Space Agency (URL: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/browser/).
Barren Island (India) — April 2023 Cite this Report
Barren Island
India
12.278°N, 93.858°E; summit elev. 354 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Thermal activity during December 2022-March 2023
Barren Island is part of a N-S-trending volcanic arc extending between Sumatra and Burma (Myanmar). The caldera, which is open to the sea on the west, was created during a major explosive eruption in the late Pleistocene that produced pyroclastic flow and surge deposits. Eruptions dating back to 1787, have changed the morphology of the pyroclastic cone in the center of the caldera, and lava flows that fill much of the caldera floor have reached the sea along the western coast. Previous activity was detected during mid-May 2022, consisting of intermittent thermal activity. This report covers June 2022 through March 2023, which included strong thermal activity beginning in late December 2022, based on various satellite data.
Activity was relatively quiet during June through late December 2022 and mostly consisted of low-power thermal anomalies, based on the MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity) graph. During late December, a spike in both power and frequency of thermal anomalies was detected (figure 58). There was another pulse in thermal activity in mid-March, which consisted of more frequent and relatively strong anomalies.
The Suomi NPP/VIIRS sensor data showed five thermal alerts on 29 December 2022. The number of alerts increased to 19 on 30 December. According to the Darwin VAAC, ash plumes identified in satellite images captured at 2340 on 30 December and at 0050 on 31 December rose to 1.5 km altitude and drifted SW. The ash emissions dissipated by 0940. On 31 December, a large thermal anomaly was detected; based on a Sentinel-2 infrared satellite image, the anomaly was relatively strong and extended to the N (figure 59).
Thermal activity continued during January through March. Sentinel-2 infrared satellite data showed some thermal anomalies of varying intensity on clear weather days on 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 January 2023, 9, 14, 19, and 24 February 2023, and 21, 26, and 31 March (figure 59). According to Suomi NPP/VIIRS sensor data, a total of 30 thermal anomalies were detected over 18 days on 2-3, 7, 9-14, 16-17, 20, 23, 25, and 28-31 January. The sensor data showed a total of six hotspots detected over six days on 1, 4-5, and 10-12 February. During March, a total of 33 hotspots were visible over 11 days on 20-31 March. Four MODVOLC thermal alerts were issued on 25, 27, and 29 March.
Geologic Background. Barren Island, a possession of India in the Andaman Sea about 135 km NE of Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, is the only historically active volcano along the N-S volcanic arc extending between Sumatra and Burma (Myanmar). It is the emergent summit of a volcano that rises from a depth of about 2250 m. The small, uninhabited 3-km-wide island contains a roughly 2-km-wide caldera with walls 250-350 m high. The caldera, which is open to the sea on the west, was created during a major explosive eruption in the late Pleistocene that produced pyroclastic-flow and -surge deposits. Historical eruptions have changed the morphology of the pyroclastic cone in the center of the caldera, and lava flows that fill much of the caldera floor have reached the sea along the western coast.
Information Contacts: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory Regional Office, PO Box 40050, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia (URL: http://www.bom.gov.au/info/vaac/); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) - MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Sentinel Hub Playground (URL: https://www.sentinel-hub.com/explore/sentinel-playground); NASA Worldview (URL: https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/).
Villarrica
Chile
39.42°S, 71.93°W; summit elev. 2847 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Nighttime crater incandescence, ash emissions, and seismicity during October 2022-March 2023
Villarrica, located in central Chile, consists of a 2-km-wide caldera that formed about 3,500 years ago, located at the base of the presently active cone. Historical eruptions date back to 1558 and have been characterized by mild-to-moderate explosive activity with occasional lava effusions. The current eruption period began in December 2014 and has recently consisted of ongoing seismicity, gas-and-steam emissions, and thermal activity (BGVN 47:10). This report covers activity during October 2022 through March 2023 and describes Strombolian explosions, ash emissions, and crater incandescence. Information for this report primarily comes from the Southern Andes Volcano Observatory (Observatorio Volcanológico de Los Andes del Sur, OVDAS), part of Chile's National Service of Geology and Mining (Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería, SERNAGEOMIN) and satellite data.
Seismicity during October consisted of discrete long-period (LP)-type events, tremor (TR), and volcano-tectonic (VT)-type events. Webcam images showed eruption plumes rising as high as 460 m above the crater rim; plumes deposited tephra on the E, S, and SW flanks within 500 m of the crater on 2, 18, 23, and 31 October. White gas-and-steam emissions rose 80-300 m above the crater accompanied by crater incandescence during 2-3 October. There was a total of 5 VT-type events, 10,625 LP-type events, and 2,232 TR-type events detected throughout the month. Sulfur dioxide data was obtained by the Differential Absorption Optical Spectroscopy Equipment (DOAS) installed 6 km in an ESE direction. The average value of the sulfur dioxide emissions was 535 ± 115 tons per day (t/d); the highest daily maximum was 1,273 t/d on 13 October. These values were within normal levels and were lower compared to September. During the night of 3-4 October Strombolian activity ejected blocks as far as 40 m toward the NW flank. Small, gray-brown ash pulses rose 60 m above the crater accompanied white gas-and-steam emissions that rose 40-300 m high during 4-5 October. In addition, crater incandescence and Strombolian explosions that ejected blocks were reported during 4-5 and 9-11 October. Based on satellite images from 12 October, ballistic ejecta traveled as far as 400 m and the resulting ash was deposited 3.2 km to the E and SE and 900 m to the NW.
Satellite images from 14 October showed an active lava lake that covered an area of 36 square meters in the E part of the crater floor. There was also evidence of a partial collapse (less than 300 square meters) at the inner SSW crater rim. POVI posted an 18 October photo that showed incandescence above the crater rim, noting that crater incandescence was visible during clear weather nights. In addition, webcam images at 1917 showed lava fountaining and Strombolian explosions; tourists also described seeing splashes of lava ejected from a depth of 80 m and hearing loud degassing sounds. Tephra deposits were visible around the crater rim and on the upper flanks on 24 October. On 25 October SERNAGEOMIN reported that both the number and amplitude of LP earthquakes had increased, and continuous tremor also increased; intense crater incandescence was visible in satellite images. On 31 October Strombolian explosions intensified and ejected material onto the upper flanks.
Activity during November consisted of above-baseline seismicity, including intensifying continuous tremor and an increase in the number of LP earthquakes. On 1 November a lava fountain was visible rising above the crater rim. Nighttime crater incandescence was captured in webcam images on clear weather days. Strombolian explosions ejected incandescent material on the NW and SW flanks during 1, 2, and 6-7 November. POVI reported that the width of the lava fountains that rose above the crater rim on 2 November suggested that the vent on the crater floor was roughly 6 m in diameter. Based on reports from observers and analyses of satellite imagery, material that was deposited on the upper flanks, primarily to the NW, consisted of clasts up to 20 cm in diameter. During an overflight on 19 November SERNAGEOMIN scientists observed a cone on the crater floor with an incandescent vent at its center that contained a lava lake. Deposits of ejecta were also visible on the flanks. That same day a 75-minute-long series of volcano-tectonic earthquakes was detected at 1940; a total of 21 events occurred 7.8 km ESE of the crater. Another overflight on 25 November showed the small cone on the crater floor with an incandescent lava lake at the center; the temperature of the lava lake was 1,043 °C, based data gathered during the overflight.
Similar seismicity, crater incandescence, and gas-and-steam emissions continued during December. On 1 December incandescent material was ejected 80-220 m above the crater rim. During an overflight on 6 December, intense gas-and-steam emissions from the lava lake was reported, in addition to tephra deposits on the S and SE flanks as far as 500 m from the crater. During 7-12 December seismicity increased slightly and white, low-altitude gas-and-steam emissions and crater incandescence were occasionally visible. On 24 December at 0845 SERNAGEOMIN reported an increase in Strombolian activity; explosions ejected material that generally rose 100 m above the crater, although one explosion ejected incandescent tephra as far as 400 m from the crater onto the SW flank. According to POVI, 11 explosions ejected incandescent material that affected the upper SW flank between 2225 on 25 December to 0519 on 26 December. POVI recorded 21 Strombolian explosions that ejected incandescent material onto the upper SW flank from 2200 on 28 December to 0540 on 29 December. More than 100 Strombolian explosions ejected material onto the upper W and NW flanks during 30-31 December. On 30 December at 2250 an explosion was detected that generated an eruptive column rising 120 m above the crater and ejecting incandescent material 300 m on the NW flank (figure 120). Explosions detected at 2356 on 31 December ejected material 480 m from the crater rim onto the NW flank and at 0219 material was deposited on the same flank as far as 150 m. Both explosions ejected material as high as 120 m above the crater rim.
During January 2023, Strombolian explosions and lava fountaining continued mainly in the crater, ejecting material 100 m above the crater. Gas-and-steam emissions rose 40-260 m above the crater and drifted in different directions, and LP-type events continued. Emissions during the night of 11 January including some ash rose 80 m above the crater and as far as 250 m NE flank. POVI scientists reported about 70 lava fountaining events from 2130 on 14 January to 0600 on 15 January. At 2211 on 15 January there was an increase in frequency of Strombolian explosions that ejected incandescent material 60-150 m above the crater. Some ashfall was detected around the crater. POVI noted that on 19 January lava was ejected as high as 140 m above the crater rim and onto the W and SW flanks. Explosion noises were heard on 19 and 22 January in areas within a radius of 10 km. During 22-23 January Strombolian explosions ejected incandescent material 60-100 m above the crater that drifted SE. A seismic event at 1204 on 27 January was accompanied by an ash plume that rose 220 m above the crater and drifted E (figure 121); later that same day at 2102 an ash plume rose 180 m above the crater and drifted E.
Seismicity, primarily characterized by LP-type events, and Strombolian explosions persisted during February and March. POVI reported that three explosions were heard during 1940-1942 on 6 February, and spatter was seen rising 30 m above the crater rim hours later. On 9 February lava fountains were visible rising 50 m above the crater rim. On 17 February Strombolian explosions ejected material 100 m above the crater rim and onto the upper SW flank. Webcam images from 20 February showed two separate fountains of incandescent material, which suggested that a second vent had opened to the E of the first vent. Spatter was ejected as high as 80 m above the crater rim and onto the upper NE flank. A sequence of Strombolian explosions was visible from 2030 on 20 February to 0630 on 21 February. Material was ejected as high as 80 m above the crater rim and onto the upper E flank. LP-type earthquakes recorded 1056 and at 1301 on 27 February were associated with ash plumes that rose 300 m above the crater and drifted NE (figure 122). Crater incandescence above the crater rim was observed in webcam images on 13 March, which indicated Strombolian activity. POVI posted a webcam image from 2227 on 18 March showing Strombolian explosions that ejected material as high as 100 m above the crater rim. Explosions were heard up to 8 km away. On 19 March at 1921 an ash emission rose 340 m above the crater and drifted NE. On 21 and 26 March Strombolian explosions ejected material 100 and 110 m above the crater rim, respectively. On 21 March Strombolian explosions ejected material 100 m above the crater rim. Low-intensity nighttime crater incandescence was detected by surveillance cameras on 24 March.
Infrared MODIS satellite data processed by MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity) detected an increase in thermal activity during mid-November, which corresponds to sustained Strombolian explosions, lava fountaining, and crater incandescence (figure 123). This activity was also consistently captured on clear weather days throughout the reporting period in Sentinel-2 infrared satellite images (figure 124).
Geologic Background. The glacier-covered Villarrica stratovolcano, in the northern Lakes District of central Chile, is ~15 km south of the city of Pucon. A 2-km-wide caldera that formed about 3,500 years ago is located at the base of the presently active, dominantly basaltic to basaltic-andesite cone at the NW margin of a 6-km-wide Pleistocene caldera. More than 30 scoria cones and fissure vents are present on 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. Eruptions documented since 1558 CE 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.
Information Contacts: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN), Observatorio Volcanológico de Los Andes del Sur (OVDAS), Avda Sta María No. 0104, Santiago, Chile (URL: http://www.sernageomin.cl/); Proyecto Observación Villarrica Internet (POVI) (URL: http://www.povi.cl/); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Sentinel Hub Playground (URL: https://www.sentinel-hub.com/explore/sentinel-playground).
Fuego
Guatemala
14.473°N, 90.88°W; summit elev. 3763 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Daily explosions, gas-and-ash plumes, avalanches, and ashfall during December 2022-March 2023
Fuego, one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking the city of Antigua, Guatemala, has been vigorously erupting since January 2002, with recorded eruptions dating back to 1531 CE. Eruptive activity has included major ashfalls, pyroclastic flows, lava flows, and lahars. Frequent explosions with ash emissions, block avalanches, and lava flows have persisted since 2018. More recently, activity remained relatively consistent with daily explosions, ash plumes, ashfall, avalanches, and lahars (BGVN 48:03). This report covers similar activity during December 2022 through March 2023, based on information from the Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH) daily reports, Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED) newsletters, and various satellite data.
Daily explosions reported throughout December 2022-March 2023 generated ash plumes to 6 km altitude that drifted as far as 60 km in multiple directions. The explosions also caused rumbling sounds of varying intensities, with shock waves that vibrated the roofs and windows of homes near the volcano. Incandescent pulses of material rose 100-500 m above the crater, which caused block avalanches around the crater and toward the Santa Teresa, Taniluyá (SW), Ceniza (SSW), El Jute, Honda, Las Lajas (SE), Seca (W), and Trinidad (S) drainages. Fine ashfall was also frequently reported in nearby communities (table 27). MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity) analysis of MODIS satellite data showed frequent, moderate thermal activity throughout the reporting period; however, there was a brief decline in both power and frequency during late-to-mid-January 2023 (figure 166). A total of 79 MODVOLC thermal alerts were issued: 16 during December 2022, 17 during January 2023, 23 during February, and 23 during March. Some of these thermal evets were also visible in Sentinel-2 infrared satellite imagery at the summit crater, which also showed occasional incandescent block avalanches descending the S, W, and NW flanks, and accompanying ash plumes that drifted W (figure 167).
Table 27. Activity at Fuego during December 2022 through March 2023 included multiple explosions every hour. Ash emissions rose as high as 6 km altitude and drifted generally W and SW as far as 60 km, causing ashfall in many communities around the volcano. Data from daily INSIVUMEH reports and CONRED newsletters.
Month |
Explosions per hour |
Ash plume altitude (max) |
Ash plume distance (km) and direction |
Drainages affected by block avalanches |
Communities reporting ashfall |
Dec 2022 |
1-12 |
6 km |
WSW, W, SW, NW, S, SE, NE, and E, 10-30 km |
Santa Teresa, Taniluyá, Ceniza, El Jute, Honda, Las Lajas, Seca, and Trinidad |
Panimaché I and II, Morelia, Santa Sofía, El Porvenir, Finca Palo Verde, Yepocapa, Yucales, Sangre de Cristo, La Rochela, Ceilán, San Andrés Osuna, and Aldea La Cruz |
Jan 2023 |
1-12 |
5 km |
W, SW, NW, S, N, NE, E, and SE, 7-60 km |
Ceniza, Las Lajas, Santa Teresa, Taniluyá, Trinidad, Seca, Honda, and El Jute |
Panimaché I and II, Morelia, Santa Sofía, El Porvenir, Palo Verde, Yucales, Yepocapa, Sangre de Cristo, La Rochela, Ceylon, Alotenango, and San Andrés Osuna |
Feb 2023 |
1-12 |
4.9 km |
SW, W, NW, and N, 10-30 km |
Santa Teresa, Taniluyá, Ceniza, Las Lajas, Seca, Trinidad, El Jute, and Honda |
Panimaché I and II, Morelia, Santa Sofía, Palo Verde, San Pedro Yepocapa, El Porvenir, Sangre de Cristo, La Soledad, Acatenango, El Campamento, and La Asunción |
Mar 2023 |
3-11 |
5 km |
W, SW, NW, NE, N, S, SE, and E, 10-30 km |
Seca, Ceniza, Taniluyá, Las Lajas, Honda, Trinidad, El Jute, and Santa Teresa |
Yepocapa, Sangre de Cristo, Panimaché I and II, Morelia, Santa Sofía, El Porvenir, La Asunción, Palo Verde, La Rochela, San Andrés Osuna, Ceilán, and Aldeas |
Daily explosions ranged between 1 and 12 per hour during December 2022, generating ash plumes that rose to 4.5-6 km altitude and drifted 10-30 km in multiple directions. These explosions created rumbling sounds with a shock wave that vibrated the roofs and windows of homes near the volcano. Frequent white gas-and-steam plumes rose to 4.6 km altitude. Strombolian activity resulted in incandescent pulses that generally rose 100-500 m above the crater, which generated weak-to-moderate avalanches around the crater and toward the Santa Teresa, Taniluyá, Ceniza, El Jute, Honda, Las Lajas, Seca, and Trinidad drainages, where material sometimes reached vegetation. Fine ashfall was recorded in Panimaché I and II (8 km SW), Morelia (9 km SW), Santa Sofía (12 km SW), El Porvenir (8 km ENE), Finca Palo Verde, Yepocapa (8 km NW), Yucales (12 km SW), Sangre de Cristo (8 km WSW), La Rochela, Ceilán, San Andrés Osuna, and Aldea La Cruz. INSIVUMEH reported that on 10 December a lava flow formed in the Ceniza drainage and measured 800 m long; it remained active at least through 12 December and block avalanches were reported at the front of the flow. A pyroclastic flow was reported at 1100 on 10 December, descending the Las Lajas drainage for several kilometers and reaching the base of the volcano. Pyroclastic flows were also observed in the Ceniza drainage for several kilometers, reaching the base of the volcano on 11 December. Ash plumes rose as high as 6 km altitude, according to a special bulletin from INSIVUMEH. On 31 December explosions produced incandescent pulses that rose 300 m above the crater, which covered the upper part of the cone.
Activity during January 2023 consisted of 1-12 daily explosions, which produced ash plumes that rose to 4.2-5 km altitude and drifted 7-60 km in multiple directions (figure 168). Incandescent pulses of material were observed 100-350 m above the crater, which generated avalanches around the crater and down the Ceniza, Las Lajas, Santa Teresa, Taniluyá, Trinidad, Seca, Honda, and El Jute drainages. Sometimes, the avalanches resuspended older fine material 100-500 m above the surface that drifted W and SW. Ashfall was recorded in Panimaché I and II, Morelia, Santa Sofía, El Porvenir, Palo Verde, Yucales, Yepocapa, Sangre de Cristo, La Rochela, Ceylon, Alotenango, and San Andrés Osuna. Intermittent white gas-and-steam plumes rose to 4.5 km altitude and drifted W and NW.
There were 1-12 daily explosions recorded through February, which generated ash plumes that rose to 4.2-4.9 km altitude and drifted 10-30 km SW, W, NW, and N. Intermittent white gas-and-steam emissions rose 4.5 km altitude and drifted W and SW. During the nights and early mornings, incandescent pulses were observed 100-400 m above the crater. Weak-to-moderate avalanches were also observed down the Santa Teresa, Taniluyá, Ceniza, Las Lajas, Seca, Trinidad, El Jute, and Honda drainages, sometimes reaching the edge of vegetated areas. Occasional ashfall was reported in Panimaché I and II, Morelia, Santa Sofía, Palo Verde, San Pedro Yepocapa, El Porvenir, Sangre de Cristo, La Soledad, Acatenango, El Campamento, and La Asunción. On 18 February strong winds resuspended previous ash deposits as high as 1 km above the surface that blew 12 km SW and S.
During March, daily explosions ranged from 3-11 per hour, producing ash plumes that rose to 4-5 km altitude and drifted 10-30 km W, SW, NW, NE, N, S, SE, and E. During the night and early morning, crater incandescence (figure 169) and incandescent pulses of material were observed 50-400 m above the crater. Weak-to-moderate avalanches affected the Seca, Ceniza, Taniluyá, Las Lajas, Honda, Trinidad, El Jute, and Santa Teresa drainages, sometimes reaching the edge of vegetation. Frequent ashfall was detected in Yepocapa, Sangre de Cristo, Panimaché I and II, Morelia, Santa Sofía, El Porvenir, La Asunción, Palo Verde, La Rochela, San Andrés Osuna, Ceilán, and Aldeas. Weak ashfall was recorded in San Andrés Osuna, La Rochela, Ceylon during 8-9 March. A lahar was reported in the Ceniza drainage on 15 March, carrying fine, hot volcanic material, tree branches, trunks, and blocks from 30 cm to 1.5 m in diameter. On 18 March lahars were observed in the Las Lajas and El Jute drainages, carrying fine volcanic material, tree branches and trunks, and blocks from 30 cm to 1.5 m in diameter. As a result, there was also damage to the road infrastructure between El Rodeo and El Zapote.
Geologic Background. 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.
Information Contacts: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia e Hydrologia (INSIVUMEH), Unit of Volcanology, Geologic Department of Investigation and Services, 7a Av. 14-57, Zona 13, Guatemala City, Guatemala (URL: http://www.insivumeh.gob.gt/ ); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) - MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Sentinel Hub Playground (URL: https://www.sentinel-hub.com/explore/sentinel-playground).
Santa Maria (Guatemala) — April 2023 Cite this Report
Santa Maria
Guatemala
14.757°N, 91.552°W; summit elev. 3745 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Active lava flows, explosions, ash plumes, and ashfall during December 2022-March 2023
The Santiaguito lava-dome complex of Guatemala's Santa María volcano has been actively erupting since 1922. The lava dome-complex formed within a large crater on the SW flank of Santa Maria that formed during the 1902 eruption. Ash explosions, pyroclastic flows, and lava flows have emerged from Caliente, the youngest of the four vents in the complex, for more than 40 years. The Caliente vent has an elevation of about 2.5 km, and the summit of Santa Maria is at about 3.7 km elevation. A lava dome that appeared within the summit crater of Caliente in October 2016 has continued to grow, producing frequent block avalanches down the flanks. Recent activity has included frequent explosions, ash plumes, and ashfall (BGVN 48:03) has persisted for this reporting period of December 2022 through March 2023, using information from Guatemala's INSIVUMEH (Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meterologia e Hidrologia) and satellite data.
Activity during December 2022 consisted of weak-to-moderate explosions and white-to-gray and blue gas-and-steam emissions that rose 200-800 m above the crater and drifted up to 15 km SW, NW, S, W, SSW, E, SE, and N. Explosions generated ash plumes that drifted as far as 6 km W and SW. Nighttime crater incandescence was often visible above the Caliente dome, accompanied by active lava flows that mainly traveled down the W, SW, and WSW flanks each day during December, also affecting the San Isidro (W) and El Tambor (SW) drainages. Frequent block-and-ash avalanches were detected on the W, WSW, S, and SE flanks, which sometimes resulted in ash plumes that drifted up to 10 km downwind. Ashfall was reported in Finca la Mosqueta and Santa Marta (5-6 km SW) on 2 December and in Las Marías (10 km S), Viejo Palmar, and the Palajunoj area on 9 December. On 11 December the active lava flow in the San Isidro and El Tambor drainages generated some block collapses, which resulted in ash clouds that rose several hundred meters high and drifted toward the Zanjón Seco drainage (SW flank). On 13, 18, 27, and 31 December block collapses from the lava flow generated ash clouds that rose several hundred meters high and drifted toward the San Isidro drainage. The smell of sulfur was reported on 13 December to the SE of the Caliente dome and on 14 December in the Las Marías area. Ashfall was recorded in Lotación Las Marías, Santa Marta, La Florida (6 km S), and El Faro (7 km S) on 22 December, which was accompanied by the smell of sulfur. Explosions on 27 and 31 December resulted in weak ashfall in El Faro, La Florida, Santa Marta, El Viejo (11 km S), El Palmar (12 km SSW), and Lotación Las Marías.
Daily white-to-gray gas-and-steam emissions continued during January 2023, rising 300-900 m above the crater, and drifting 3.5-8 km SW, W, S, SE, and E. Weak-to-moderate explosions persisted throughout the month, generating ash plumes that rose up to 900 m and drifted E, NE, and SW. Crater incandescence in the Caliente dome, on the S flank, and at the front of the lava flow on the W and SW flanks was visible. Lava flows were often observed on the W, SW, and WSW flanks in the San Isidro and El Tambor drainages; on 19 and 23 January the active lava flow was noted in the Zanjón Seco and San Isidro drainages and the longest part of the lava flow was 4.4 km on 15 January. Weak-to-moderate block collapses and block-and-ash avalanches were recorded at the middle and front of the lava flow on the W, SW, and WSW flanks of the Caliente dome, and on the S and SE flanks, which sometimes caused ash to rise as high as 1 km altitude and disperse 3 km to the W and S (figure 135). On 7 January explosions generated ash plumes that rose to 3 km altitude and drifted SW. On 9 January ashfall was recorded over Las Marías and El Viejo Palmar. The active lava flow in the San Isidro and El Tambor drainages generated some block collapses on 11 January, which produced ash plumes that rose several hundred meters high and caused weak ashfall in El Faro, La Florida, Santa Marta, El Viejo Palmar, and Las Marías. Ashfall was recorded at Monte Carlo on 13 January, weak ashfall was reported in El Faro, La Florida, Santa Marta, El Viejo Palmar, and Las Marías on 19 January, and weak ashfall was again reported on 23 January in Monte Claro, El Faro, La Florida, Santa Marta, and El Viejo Palmar.
Similar activity persisted during February with frequent explosions that produced white gas-and-steam and ash emissions that rose 200-700 m above the crater and drifted SW, W, SE, E, and NW. During the night and early morning, constant crater incandescence at Caliente dome was observed, in addition to incandescence from the active lava flow on the W, SW, and WSW flanks. Weak-and-moderate avalanches were visible on the S, SW, W, SE, WSW, and E flanks and in the middle and front of the lava flow, sometimes generating ash clouds that rose several hundred meters high. Explosions on 3 February expelled gas-and-ash plumes that rose to 3.2 km altitude and drifted W. On 4 February explosions were accompanied by audible rumbles heard in El Palmar; gas-and-ash plumes rose several hundred meters above the lava dome and incandescent avalanches traveled W, S, and SE on the flanks. That same day, the lava flow was reported in the Zanjón Seco and San Isidro drainages; block collapses generated ash clouds that rose several hundred meters high. Weak ashfall was reported in Monte Claro, El Faro, La Florida, Santa Marta, and El Viejo Palmar. Seismic stations registered weak-to-moderate explosions that produced gray plumes that rose to 3.3 km altitude on 8, 11, and 19 February, which generally drifted W and SW. On 9 February ash plumes that rose 800 m above the crater and extended E. Explosions and block collapses on 12 February caused ashfall in Monte Claro, El Faro, La Florida, Santa Marta, and El Viejo Palmar. During the early morning of 15 February, four explosions were detected that generated gray plumes that rose to 2.9 km altitude. Nine explosions were recorded on 16 February, which produced gray plumes and generated weak avalanches on all flanks. On 20 February weak ashfalls from explosions and block collapses were reported in Monte Claro, El Faro, La Florida, Santa Marta, and El Viejo Palmar. Measurements taken on 23 February showed that the length of the lava flow was 4.3 km long.
During March, degassing 400-800 m above the crater dispersed W, SW, S, and SE, and nighttime crater and lava flow incandescence to the WSW continued. Weak-to-moderate avalanches were reported on the S, W, SE, E, and N flanks and from the middle and front of the lava flow. The lava flow remained active on the SW, W, and WSW flanks and in the Zanjón Seco and San Isidro drainages, occasionally accompanied by block collapses that generated ash clouds up to several hundreds of meters high. Weak-to-moderate explosions persisted throughout the month, producing gas-and-ash emissions rising 500-1,000 m above the crater and drifting SW. On 19 March a gas-and-ash plume rose to 3.2 km altitude and drifted S and SE; the lava flow remained at 4.3 km long on the SW flank, according to INSIVUMEH. Additionally, strong rains in the upper part of the volcanic complex caused a lahar to descend the Cabello de Ángel drainage on the SE flank, consisting of a cement-like mixture of volcanic material and transporting tree branches of varying sizes. Small pyroclastic flows were reported during 22-23 March. Explosions on 23 March generated an ash plume that rose to 3.5 km altitude and drifted W and on 24 March ash plumes rose to 4.3 km altitude and drifted W. On 31 March explosions produced ash plumes that rose to 3.5 km altitude and drifted W, accompanied by constant avalanches on the S, SW, E, and N flanks of the Caliente dome and small pyroclastic flows.
The MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity) graph showed moderate-power thermal anomalies during the reporting period; the intensity gradually increased over January through March, and the frequency remained relatively high (figure 136). A total of 75 MODVOLC thermal alerts were issued on 40 days during December-March. Incandescent avalanches and active lava flows were also occasionally visible over the Caliente dome in Sentinel-2 infrared satellite imagery on clear weather days (figure 137).
Geologic Background. 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 E 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.
Information Contacts: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia e Hydrologia (INSIVUMEH), Unit of Volcanology, Geologic Department of Investigation and Services, 7a Av. 14-57, Zona 13, Guatemala City, Guatemala (URL: http://www.insivumeh.gob.gt/); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) - MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Copernicus Browser, Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, European Space Agency (URL: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/browser/).
Reventador (Ecuador) — April 2023 Cite this Report
Reventador
Ecuador
0.077°S, 77.656°W; summit elev. 3562 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Daily explosions, gas-and-ash emissions, crater incandescence, and block avalanches during December 2022-March 2023
Volcán El Reventador, located in Ecuador, includes a 4-km-wide avalanche scarp open to the E. Recorded eruptions date back to the 16th century and have been characterized by explosive events, lava flows, ash plumes, and lahars. Frequent lahars in this region of heavy rainfall have built deposits on the scarp slope. The largest recorded 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. The current eruption began in July 2008 and more recently has consisted of daily explosions, ash plumes, lava flows, and block avalanches (BGVN 48:02). This report covers similar activity during December 2022 through March 2023 using daily reports from Ecuador's Instituto Geofisico (IG-EPN), the Washington Volcano Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), and satellite data.
During December 2022 through March 2023, IG-EPN reported daily explosions, gas-and-steam and ash plumes rising as high as 1,100 m above the crater, and frequent crater incandescence, often accompanied by incandescent block avalanches and lava flows that traveled down each of the flanks and lava flows that generally affected the NE and E flanks. On average, there were more daily explosions detected during December 2022 compared to January through March 2023, with 57 per day (table 17).
Table 17. Monthly summary of explosions and plume heights recorded at Reventador from December 2022 through March 2023. Data courtesy of IG-EPN (December 2022-March 2023 daily reports).
Month |
Average number of explosions per day |
Max plume height above the crater rim (m) |
Dec 2022 |
57 |
1,000 |
Jan 2023 |
43 |
1,000 |
Feb 2023 |
30 |
1,000 |
Mar 2023 |
33 |
1,100 |
Activity during December 2022 consisted of daily explosions, ash plumes, crater incandescence, a lava flow, and occasional block avalanches, though cloudy weather often obscured clear views of the summit. There were 0-114 explosions recorded each day, in addition to long-period (LP) events and tremor emissions (TREMI). The Washington VAAC reported ash emissions that rose as high as 1.9 km above the crater during 5-6 and 12-13 December and drifted in different directions. IG-EPN also noted that gas-and-ash emissions rose 400-1,000 m above the summit and drifted S, W, NW, W, N, SW (figure 169). A lava flow was observed on the NE flank during 2-6 December and on the E flank during 9-11 December. There were six volcano-tectonic (VT) events detected during 7-8 December. Block avalanches frequently affected one, or multiple flanks, traveling 400-700 m below the crater. During 11-12 December a lava flow was reported on the NE flank.
Daily explosions and ash plumes continued during January 2023, with 12-96 explosions recorded each day. LP and TREMI-type events and crater incandescence were also frequently recorded on clear weather days, cloudy weather often obscured views of the summit. Gas-and-ash emissions rose 500-1,000 m above the crater and drifted W, NW, SW, N, and S. According to the Washington VAAC, ash emissions rose 688-3,750 m above the crater and drifted in multiple directions. During 31 December 2022 through 1 January 2023 nighttime crater incandescence was accompanied by block avalanches 500 m below the crater on all flanks. The lava flow continued to be observed on the NE flank during 31 December 2022 as well as during 1, 5-6, 7-9, 10-11, 16-17, 18-20, and 23-26 January. Block avalanches traveled 500-700 m from the crater throughout the month, affecting one or multiple flanks (figure 170). An ash plume was reported on 15 January that drifted S. A pyroclastic flow occurred during the morning of 29 January on the N flank.
During February there were 12-100 daily explosions detected, along with LP and TREMI-type events. Crater incandescence persisted, in addition to block avalanches. Gas-and-ash emissions rose 200-1,000 m above the crater and drifted W, NW, NE, and N (figure 171). The Washington VAAC reported that ash emissions rose 400-2,200 m above the crater and drifted NE, NW, W, SW, SE, and N. During 1-6, 13-17, and 21-26 February incandescent block avalanches descended all the flanks 600-900 m below the crater. An active lava flow continued down the NE flank during 8-10, 14-15, 18-19, and 20-21 February. Block avalanches descended the E flank 900 m below the crater during 10-11 February. There were three VT-type events that were detected on 24 February.
Daily explosions, LP and TREMI-type events, crater incandescence, and block avalanches continued during March. There were 20-52 daily explosions recorded during the month. Cloudy weather often prevented clear views of the summit. Gas-and-ash emissions rose 600-1,100 m above the crater and drifted NW, W, N, NE, E, S, and SE. According to the Washington VAAC, ash emissions rose 688-1,300 m above the crater and drifted NW, W, NE, E, and SE. Block avalanches traveled down all the flanks 400-700 m below the crater during 2-3, 5-6, 8-12, 14-17, 23-24, and 30-31 March. During 6-7 March block avalanches descended all the flanks as far as 900 m below the crater, accompanied by ash emissions that rose 1,000 m above the summit that drifted W. IG-EPN reported that a lahar was detected on 6 March. During the nights of 12 and 15 March incandescent blocks moved down the S flank 400-500 m below the crater. During 20-21 March ash emissions rose 1 km above the crater and drifted S and SE (figure 172); reports from the Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos (SGR) reported that light ashfall was observed in San Carlos and San Luis.
Additional satellite data. MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity) analysis of MODIS satellite data showed frequent thermal anomalies of moderate power during December 2022 through mid-January 2023, followed by a break in detected activity through late February (figure 173). During March, eight anomalies were detected intermittently throughout the month. The MODVOLC system identified a total of two thermal hotspots on 6 December 2022 and 20 March 2023. Although the summit was often obscured by weather clouds, Sentinel-2 infrared satellite images sometimes showed thermal activity at the summit crater (figure 174).
Geologic Background. Volcán El 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 stratovolcano has 4-km-wide avalanche scarp open to the E formed by edifice collapse. A young, unvegetated, cone rises from the amphitheater floor to a height comparable to the rim. It has been the source of numerous lava flows as well as explosive eruptions visible from Quito, about 90 km ESE. Frequent lahars in this region of heavy rainfall have left extensive deposits on the scarp slope. The largest recorded 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.
Information Contacts: Instituto Geofísico, Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN), Casilla 17-01-2759, Quito, Ecuador (URL: http://www.igepn.edu.ec/); MIROVA (Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity), a collaborative project between the Universities of Turin and Florence (Italy) supported by the Centre for Volcanic Risk of the Italian Civil Protection Department (URL: http://www.mirovaweb.it/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) - MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Sentinel Hub Playground (URL: https://www.sentinel-hub.com/explore/sentinel-playground).
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Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network - Volume 29, Number 03 (March 2004)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman
Ambrym (Vanuatu)
Abundant MODIS thermal alerts during March 2003-February 2004
Bagana (Papua New Guinea)
Abundant MODIS thermal alerts during March 2003-February 2004
Bezymianny (Russia)
Eruptions on 25 December 2002 and January 2004
Chillan, Nevados de (Chile)
A small eruption, the first since 1986, during August-September 2003
Egon (Indonesia)
29 January brings sudden eruptive onset, prompting rapid evacuations
Etna (Italy)
Ashfall with juvenile components, emitted gases, and seismic patterns imply magma ascent
Fournaise, Piton de la (France)
December 2003 lavas spread across 40% of Dolomieu crater floor
Karangetang (Indonesia)
Aviation report, stating ash to 7.5 km; seven MODIS alerts in ~ 1 year
NW Rota-1 (United States)
Minor submarine eruption seen at depth; quiet at West Rota caldera
Saunders (United Kingdom)
A MODIS thermal alert on 7 May 2003 (no secondary confirmation)
Sheveluch (Russia)
Lava dome growth and associated unrest
Stromboli (Italy)
Webcams at various wavelengths document increased explosions in February 2004
Suwanosejima (Japan)
Sporadic eruptions in 2003 and in January 2004, one to 2.4 km altitude
Whakaari/White Island (New Zealand)
Eruptions ceased in about 2002; crater lake rising
Yasur (Vanuatu)
500 explosions/day in March 2004; MODIS thermal alerts average about one per month
Ambrym
Vanuatu
16.25°S, 168.12°E; summit elev. 1334 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Abundant MODIS thermal alerts during March 2003-February 2004
Ambrym was last reported in BGVN 28:09, when details of activity observed during September 2003 visits were published. A daily summary of MODIS thermal alerts for the year ending February 2004 (table 1) suggests, subject to the limitations of thermal imaging (e.g. in times of heavy cloud), regular activity over the course of the year. No corroborative reports of activity have been received from the [Départment de la Géologie, des Mines et des Ressources,] or the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.
Table 1. Nights on which MODIS thermal alerts were recorded for Ambrym, for the year ending February 2004 . Thermal alerts recorded in daylight hours have been omitted for data reliability reasons (four cases). Data courtesy HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System.
Month |
Days with Thermal Alerts |
Mar 2003 |
7, 21, 30 |
Apr 2003 |
15, 17 |
May 2003 |
1, 3, 17, 19, 20, 28 |
Jun 2003 |
9, 15, 16, 29 |
Jul 2003 |
29 |
Aug 2003 |
21, 25 |
Sep 2003 |
13, 15, 24 |
Oct 2003 |
1, 3, 8, 10, 22, 24, 31 |
Nov 2003 |
2 |
Dec 2003 |
25, 27 |
Jan 2004 |
7, 9, 12, 28 |
Feb 2004 |
1, 3, 4, 10, 17, 19, 22, 28 |
Geologic Background. Ambrym, a large basaltic volcano with a 12-km-wide caldera, is one of the most active volcanoes of the New Hebrides Arc. A thick, almost exclusively pyroclastic sequence, initially dacitic then basaltic, overlies lava flows of a pre-caldera shield volcano. The caldera was formed during a major Plinian eruption with dacitic pyroclastic flows about 1,900 years ago. Post-caldera eruptions, primarily from Marum and Benbow cones, have partially filled the caldera floor and produced lava flows that ponded on the floor or overflowed through gaps in the caldera rim. Post-caldera eruptions have also formed a series of scoria cones and maars along a fissure system oriented ENE-WSW. Eruptions have apparently occurred almost yearly during historical time from cones within the caldera or from flank vents. However, from 1850 to 1950, reporting was mostly limited to extra-caldera eruptions that would have affected local populations.
Information Contacts: HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/).
Bagana (Papua New Guinea) — March 2004 Cite this Report
Bagana
Papua New Guinea
6.137°S, 155.196°E; summit elev. 1855 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Abundant MODIS thermal alerts during March 2003-February 2004
Continued MODIS thermal alerts during March 2003-February 2004 (table 2) suggests that activity continued over the year ending February 2004. No corroborative reports of activity have been received from the Rabaul Volcano Observatory or the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.
Table 2. Nights on which MODIS thermal alerts were recorded for Bagana, for the year ending February 2004. Thermal alerts recorded in daylight hours have been omitted for data reliability reasons (one case on 23 October 2003). Data courtesy HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System.
Month |
Days with Thermal Alerts |
Mar 2003 |
13, 19, 26, 31 |
Apr 2003 |
2, 11, 18, 25 |
May 2003 |
18, 20 |
Jun 2003 |
19, 26 |
Jul 2003 |
21, 23, 25 |
Aug 2003 |
4, 6, 8, 13, 24, 29 |
Sep 2003 |
16 |
Oct 2003 |
2, 4, 07, 13, 18, 27 |
Nov 2003 |
5, 10, 12 |
Dec 2003 |
3 |
Jan 2004 |
13, 15, 20, 24, 31 |
Feb 2004 |
5 |
Geologic Background. Bagana volcano, in a remote portion of central Bougainville Island, is frequently active. This massive symmetrical cone was largely constructed by an accumulation of viscous andesitic lava flows. The entire edifice could have been constructed in about 300 years at its present rate of lava production. Eruptive activity is characterized by non-explosive effusion of viscous lava that maintains a small lava dome in the summit crater, although occasional explosive activity produces pyroclastic flows. Lava flows with tongue-shaped lobes up to 50 m thick and prominent levees descend the flanks on all sides.
Information Contacts: HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/).
Bezymianny (Russia) — March 2004 Cite this Report
Bezymianny
Russia
55.972°N, 160.595°E; summit elev. 2882 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Eruptions on 25 December 2002 and January 2004
Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT) reports, through the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), indicate that a weak thermal anomaly registered on satellite images following the 26 July 2003 eruption and continuing until an eruption on 14 January 2004.
January 2004 eruption. A shallow earthquake of local magnitude (Ml) 2.2 was reported at Bezymianny on 9 January. The eruption itself began at 1053 on 14 January, sending ash plumes to 6-8 km altitude to the ENE, decreasing to 3.5 km altitude later in the day. KVERT reported that a large pyroclastic flow probably formed on the ESE flank. On 15 January, gas-steam plumes rose to 100 m above the lava dome, increasing to 500 m on 16 January. A 2- to 8-pixel thermal anomaly registered on these days. Satellite images on the morning of 14 January showed ash clouds about 30 km wide extending 150 ENE km, increasing to 250-300 km ENE that afternoon. Meaningful seismic monitoring was thwarted during the eruption period due to high-level volcanic tremor at nearby Kliuchevskoi volcano. The eruption caused the hazard status to temporarily rise to the highest level (red).
KVERT weekly reports for the period from the 14 January eruption to 16 April indicate continuing unrest at Bezymianny. The lava dome was reported to be growing, with no detectable seismicity, gas-steam plumes were rising ~ 3-4 km and dispersing in the wind (generally to the S), and the number of pixels in thermal anomalies reduced from 1-4 early in the period to 1-2 late in the period.
25 December 2002 eruption. A substantial eruption at Bezymianny on 25 December 2002 was not reported in the Bulletin. That eruption followed a 1-pixel thermal anomaly on 23 December that increased to 7-10 pixels on 24-25 December, with seismicity slightly above background levels. Weak intermittent spasmodic tremor occurred on the 25th, when a very hot plume that probably contained ash was visible, and moderate explosive activity began around 1900. Seismic data revealed a large explosive eruption on 26 December at 0715. The resultant ash cloud rose to 5 km altitude. and deposited ash in Kozyrevsk, 55 km NW of Bezymianny. The eruption continued through the 27th, but activity decreased. On 1 January 2003 a weak thermal anomaly was noted over the volcano, probably reflecting a viscous lava flow on the dome.
Geologic Background. The modern Bezymianny, much smaller than its massive neighbors Kamen and Kliuchevskoi on the Kamchatka Peninsula, was formed about 4,700 years ago over a late-Pleistocene lava-dome complex and an edifice built about 11,000-7,000 years ago. Three periods of intensified activity have occurred during the past 3,000 years. The latest period, which was preceded by a 1,000-year quiescence, began with the dramatic 1955-56 eruption. This eruption, similar to that of St. Helens in 1980, produced a large open 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.
Information Contacts: Olga Girina, Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), a cooperative program of the Institute of Volcanic Geology and Geochemistry, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Piip Ave. 9, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia, the Kamchatka Experimental and Methodical Seismological Department (KEMSD), GS RAS (Russia), and the Alaska Volcano Observatory (USA); Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, 4200 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508-4667, USA (URL: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/), the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320, USA, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, 794 University Ave., Suite 200, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA.
Nevados de Chillan (Chile) — March 2004 Cite this Report
Nevados de Chillan
Chile
36.868°S, 71.378°W; summit elev. 3180 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
A small eruption, the first since 1986, during August-September 2003
Nevados de Chillán was active from 1973 through 1983; after that, phreatomagmatic eruptions were reported to have almost ended. A small (VEI 1) eruption, the first since 1986, was noted by local inhabitants and tourists in August-September 2003. Low magnitude explosive events occurred over the week ending 27 August 2003, sending brown-gray to white gas-and-ash columns up to heights of 500 m for periods of up to 25 minutes. Resulting deposits were ~ 1 cm deep over a sharply defined 2.2 km wide zone to the SSE. Prevailing winds were strong around the time of the eruption (figure 2). Explosions then became more sporadic, occurring at 2-3 day intervals, until ceasing in mid-September.
An inspection of the eruption site on 22 January 2004 by Servicio Nacional de Geoligica y Mineria scientists revealed a new compound, fissure-like, double crater in the saddle between the cones Nuevo (which erupted during 1906-1945) and Arrau (which erupted during 1973-1986) (figure 3). This new ~ 64 m long double crater consisted of a NW situated, 25 x 14 m crater and a SE situated, 39 x 28 m crater. These craters lie to the NW of Arrau cone and become surrounded by an area of intense fumaroles towards Nuevo cone. The fumaroles are water-vapor rich but give off a weak sulfur odor. On Nuevo's E side they had temperatures of up to 88°C (table 1). While no previous measurements were available, this area showed more intense fumarolic activity than seen during a January 1994 visit and 1998 air photographs. During the recent visit the local heat-flow appeared concentrated adjacent to Nuevo cone, rather than Arrau cone. This, and the fissure-like form of the 2003 crater, were taken as evidence for possible future eruptions closer to Nuevo cone.
Table 1. Site names, locations (as UTM coordinates), and fumarole temperatures describing conditions at Nevados de Chillán on 22 January 2004. The fumaroles were located near the 2003 vent. Courtesy of J.A. Naranjo and L.E. Lara, SERNAGEOMIN.
Site |
UTM N |
UTM W |
Temperature (°C ± 0.5) |
SW Nuevo flank |
288.086 |
5916.963 |
87.2 |
E Nuevo rim |
288.138 |
5917.522 |
87.9 |
Between craters |
288.263 |
5917.547 |
57.4 |
In addition to dispersal and deposition of loose ash, the January inspection noted agglutinates forming a series of 2 m long ridges or 'dunes' (figure 4). The agglutinates consisted of wet black clusters of ash spheres with 0.5- to 1-cm diameters. A large number of dead insects in the agglutinated ash suggested extreme conditions such as the presence of toxic gasses. When dry, the ash was dark gray with a lithic-rich polymodal composition. Particle sizes ranged from dust to 4-5 mm, of which 5-10% was coarse-grained, lithic-rich lapilli composed of black, gray, and red aphyric andesites and ~ 60% was fine- to medium-grained lapilli composed of lithic clasts, quartz, and plagioclase crystals. Below the 1 mm size range, black glassy shards appeared with cleaved vesicle surfaces and blocky or plate-like shapes. The remnant fraction was light-gray fine ash.
Reference. Naranjo, J.A., and Lara, L.E., 2004, August-September 2003 small vulcanian eruption at the Nevados de Chillán Volcanic Complex (36°50'S), Southern Andes (Chile). Revista Geológica de Chile, Vol. 31, No. 2, p. 359-366. DOI: 10.4067/S0716-02082004000200011.
Geologic Background. The compound volcano of Nevados de Chillán is one of the most active of the Central Andes. Three late-Pleistocene to Holocene stratovolcanoes were constructed along a NNW-SSE line within three nested Pleistocene calderas, which produced ignimbrite sheets extending more than 100 km into the Central Depression of Chile. The dominantly andesitic Cerro Blanco (Volcán Nevado) stratovolcano is located at the NW end of the massif. Volcán Viejo (Volcán Chillán), which was the main active vent during the 17th-19th centuries, occupies the SE end. The Volcán Nuevo lava-dome complex formed during 1906-1945 on the NW flank of Viejo. The Volcán Arrau dome complex was then constructed on the SE side of Volcán Nuevo between 1973 and 1986, and eventually exceeded its height. Smaller domes or cones are present in the 5-km valley between the two major edifices.
Information Contacts: Jose A. Naranjo and Luis E. Lara, Servicio Nacional de Geoligica y Mineria (SERNAGEOMIN), Av. Santa Maria 0104, Santiago, Chile.
Egon
Indonesia
8.676°S, 122.455°E; summit elev. 1661 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
29 January brings sudden eruptive onset, prompting rapid evacuations
This first Bulletin report discussing Egon describes the sudden appearance of volcanic activity there in January 2004. Heavy rains fell over Egon and its surrounding area on 28 January. At 0400 on 29 January, local people heard the sound of the E crater wall collapsing inward. That was followed at 1700 by an explosion and a black ash cloud rising ~ 750 m above the summit. On 30-31 January further noise was followed by gray ash clouds and the odor of highly concentrated sulfur every 50-60 minutes. Visual observation on 31 January revealed a new solfatara.
Volcanic earthquakes were detected on 30 January (intensity III on the Modified Mercali (MMI) scale), and a seismometer installed on 31 January recorded a type-A deep-volcanic earthquake at 1610 and two harmonic tremor events (amplitude 0.5 mm) at 1800. At 2227 an explosion was heard and instrumentally recorded for about 70 seconds. On 1 February, instruments recorded two tremor events and one type-A volcanic earthquake. Egon was placed on Alert level 3 (on a 1-4 scale) on that day.
United Nations reports and news reports from around 31 January indicated that up to 6,400 people were being evacuated from near Egon volcano as a precautionary measure due to "smoke," ash, and other possible emissions. The news cited evacuations from the mountain villages of Hale, Hebing, Lere, Natakoli, Pedat, Bau Krengat, and Kelawair, with refugees going to Maumere (the island's main town, 25 km W of the summit). There were reports of 1 or 2 deaths, but it is not entirely clear that they were related to volcanic activity, evacuations, or other causes.
The European Volcanological Society (SVE) posted this report on the UN's Relief Web website: "One person has been reported killed from smoke and ash inhalation from the eruption of Egon volcano. Thick clouds of smoke and a great discharge of hot ash, large chunks of sulfur and volcanic rocks were seen nearby. The eruption caused panic among residents nearby, and they fled the mountain villages . . . . Eyewitnesses said the lower part of the crater was seen bursting and that was believed to be the main outlet for the hot lava that spewed from the volcano.."
Agence France-Presse published a photo (by Romeo Gacad) with a distant aerial view of Egon's summit as it appeared around sunset on 1 February. A thin plume rose gently above the summit. Lower portions of the photo were in cloud.
A 2 February 2004 United Nations (OCHA) report stated that "Volcanologists continue monitoring the activity of Mt. Egon closely. Since the beginning of February, a decrease in seismic activity and emissions has been registered." This and another UN report noted, as of 13 February ~ 5,000 people had been evacuated and had been accommodated in 14 temporary government shelters. The report went on to note "A gradual return of the evacuated population has already begun and is expected to continue if current conditions remain unchanged. As of 4 February some 600 people have already returned to their villages."
Geologic Background. Gunung Egon, also known as Namang, sits within the narrow section of eastern Flores Island. The barren, sparsely vegetated summit region has a 350-m-wide, 200-m-deep crater that sometimes contains a lake. Other small crater lakes occur on the flanks. A lava dome forms the southern summit. Solfataric activity occurs on the crater wall and rim and on the upper S flank. Reports of eruptive activity prior to explosive eruptions beginning in 2004 are unconfirmed. Emissions were often observed above the summit during 1888-1892. Strong emissions in 1907 reported by Sapper (1917) was considered by the Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World (Neumann van Padang, 1951) to be an historical eruption, but Kemmerling (1929) noted that this was likely confused with an eruption on the same date and time from Lewotobi Lakilaki.
Information Contacts: Dali Ahmad, Hetty Triastuty, Nia Haerani, and Suswati, Directorate of Volcanology and Geological Hazards (formerly VSI), Jalan Diponegoro No 57, Bandung 40122, Indonesia (URL: http://www.vsi.esdm.go.id/); Dan Shackelford, 3124 E. Yorba Linda Blvd., Apt. H-33, Fullerton, CA 92831-2324, USA; United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), S-3600, New York, NY 10017, USA (URL: https://reliefweb.int/); Henry Gaudru, Société Volcanologique Européenne (SVE), C.P.1-1211 Geneva 17- Switzerland (URL: http://www.sveurop.org/).
Etna
Italy
37.748°N, 14.999°E; summit elev. 3357 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Ashfall with juvenile components, emitted gases, and seismic patterns imply magma ascent
Since the cessation of the last eruption of Mount Etna on 28 January 2003, no further eruptive activity has been observed. Summit activity has been limited to pulsating gas emissions from the Northeast Crater (NEC) and from one of the two vents within Bocca Nuova (BN). The other central crater vents and the Southeast Crater (SEC) were essentially blocked and only producing extremely weak gas emissions.
The first significant variation from this very low level of activity was seen between 12 and 14 February 2004, when a weak ash emission was observed within the summit crater plume. A fresh ash sample was collected in Pedara, a village about 10 km SE from the summit. Del Carlo and Andronico (2004) reported that the sample was made up of material with a grain-size less than 0.125 mm. Components comprising the sample consisted of sideromelane (41.5%), tachylite (24.7%), loose crystals of clinopyroxene, olivine, and plagioclase (4%), and lithics (29.7%). The clasts of sideromelane were very vesiculated and made of light-brown, transparent and shiny glass. There were also a few strands of Pele's hair. Tachylites were black or gray, shiny, sub-angular clasts. Lithics comprised fragments of weathered scoria, lavas, or secondary minerals. The high amount of juvenile components within the ash were taken to suggests an uprise of magma into the summit feeder conduit, the first to occur since the end of the 2002-2003 flank eruption.
The INGV-CT Geochemistry group performed regular remote-sensing measurements of volcanic gas flux and chemical composition on Etna using COSPEC and FTIR instruments. Such measurements demonstrated that the upper conduit system of Mt Etna has been weakly supplied with magma since the end of the 2002-2003 eruption, an observation supported both by relatively low fluxes of SO2 and low molar ratios of SO2/HCl. Occasional discrete injections of magma into the upper conduit system have been observed, however, as sharp increases in both SO2 flux and SO2/HCl ratios. These inputs occurred in August 2003, December 2003, and in late January 2004.
The INGV-CT permanent seismic network consisted of ~ 40 stations, 10 of which were installed in October 2003 and have broad-band, 40-second-period sensors. After the end of the 2002-2003 flank eruption, seismicity was mainly concentrated along Etna's E and NE flanks, appearing in two main phases. Until the end of May 2003, earthquakes were localized along the same structures that were activated during the 2002-2003 eruption, suggesting a relaxation phase. During this phase, several swarms occurred mainly between 3 and 7 km depth, showing a progressive decrease in seismic energy. After June 2003, several shallow earthquakes were recorded along the upper eastern part of the volcanic edifice near Zafferana, and along the Pernicana fault on the NE flank. This second phase was characterized by a renewal of seismic activity, with several seismic swarms characterized by progressive release of seismic energy. In particular, during the last two months, the Pernicana Fault has been very active (UFS Weekly Reports, 2003 and 2004).
References. Del Carlo, P., and Andronico, D., 2004, Rapporto cenere Etna del 13-14/02/04: INGV-CT Internal Report, Prot. Int. no. UFVG2004/024, p 1. UFS INGV-CT Weekly Internal Reports, 2003 and 2004.
Geologic Background. Mount Etna, towering above Catania on the island of Sicily, has one of the world's longest documented records of volcanism, dating back to 1500 BCE. Historical lava flows of basaltic composition cover much of the surface of this massive volcano, whose edifice is the highest and most voluminous in Italy. The Mongibello stratovolcano, truncated by several small calderas, was constructed during the late Pleistocene and Holocene over an older shield volcano. The most prominent morphological feature of Etna is the Valle del Bove, a 5 x 10 km caldera open to the east. Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur, sometimes simultaneously. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more summit craters. Flank vents, typically with higher effusion rates, are less frequently active and originate from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit (usually accompanied by Strombolian eruptions at the upper end). Cinder cones are commonly constructed over the vents of lower-flank lava flows. Lava flows extend to the foot of the volcano on all sides and have reached the sea over a broad area on the SE flank.
Information Contacts: Sonia Calvari, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Piazza Roma 2, 95123 Catania, Italy (URL: http://www.ct.ingv.it/).
Piton de la Fournaise (France) — March 2004 Cite this Report
Piton de la Fournaise
France
21.244°S, 55.708°E; summit elev. 2632 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
December 2003 lavas spread across 40% of Dolomieu crater floor
BGVN 28:09 reported a seismic crisis and new SSW-flank fissure at Piton de la Fournaise on 30 September 2003. The Volcanological Observatory monitoring Piton de la Fournaise and the local press reported a further seismic crisis that developed on 7 December 2003 at 1429 beneath the summit. Following around an hour of seismicity, an eruption began on 7 December at 1535 in the Dolomieu crater, with lava fountaining to ten's of meters from two fractures on the SE crater floor. Two new fractures were also observed on the S crater rim that did not produce lava. The eruption decreased rapidly over the night of 7-8 December. By 8 December at about 1400 small incandescent lava flows and rock falls on the S crater wall were observed. By the night of 8 December the eruption ceased but strong degassing and fluctuating seismicity continued. New lava covered ~ 40% of the Dolomieu crater floor.
The eruption was preceded by a seismic swarm on 6 November that was followed by ~ 30 cm of steady uplift and 10-20 earthquakes recorded per day. As of 16 December, significant seismic activity continued, and hikers were permitted only limited access. Press reports indicated three quite active cones within the S rampart of the Dolomieu crater, surrounded by ejecta found more than 200 m N, noisy degassing, lava covering the bottom of the crater up to 5 m thick, and zigzag cracks crossing the crater's S exterior.
A further seismic event with significant surface deformation occurred over 7-9 January 2004.
[On 9 January eruption tremor started near Nez Coupé de Sainte Rose. A 300-m-long fissure, cutting the 1931 crater, produced a small ~2-km-long lava flow. The eruption stopped on 10 January around 1200.]
Geologic Background. Piton de la Fournaise is a massive basaltic shield volcano on the French island of Réunion in the western Indian Ocean. Much of its more than 530,000-year history overlapped with eruptions of the deeply dissected Piton des Neiges shield volcano to the NW. Three scarps formed at about 250,000, 65,000, and less than 5,000 years ago by progressive eastward slumping, leaving caldera-sized embayments open to the E and SE. Numerous pyroclastic cones are present on the floor of the scarps and their outer flanks. Most recorded eruptions have originated from the summit and flanks of Dolomieu, a 400-m-high lava shield that has grown within the youngest scarp, which is about 9 km wide and about 13 km from the western wall to the ocean on the E side. More than 150 eruptions, most of which have produced fluid basaltic lava flows, have occurred since the 17th century. Only six eruptions, in 1708, 1774, 1776, 1800, 1977, and 1986, have originated from fissures outside the scarps.
Information Contacts: Thomas Staudacher, Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 97418 La Plaine des Cafres, La Réunion, France (URL: http://www.ipgp.fr/fr/ovpf/observatoire-volcanologique-piton-de-fournaise).
Karangetang (Indonesia) — March 2004 Cite this Report
Karangetang
Indonesia
2.781°N, 125.407°E; summit elev. 1797 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Aviation report, stating ash to 7.5 km; seven MODIS alerts in ~ 1 year
A Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre report stated that at 0630 UTC (1430 local time) on 18 July 2003 pilots saw a thick ash plume rising from the volcano to ~ 8.5 km altitude.
HIGP MODIS thermal-alert reports for the year to 13 April 2004 showed, subject to the limitations of thermal imaging (e.g. in times of heavy cloud), thermal activity at the volcano on 26 April, 7 and 30 May, 1 and 6 June, 21 July and 11 August 2003, and 2 April 2004.
Geologic Background. 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. 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 (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.
Information Contacts: HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory Regional Office, PO Box 40050, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia (URL: http://www.bom.gov.au/info/vacc/).
NW Rota-1 (United States) — March 2004 Cite this Report
NW Rota-1
United States
14.601°N, 144.775°E; summit elev. -517 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Minor submarine eruption seen at depth; quiet at West Rota caldera
The research vessel Thomas G. Thompson conducted a survey of the Mariana Arc in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands from 9 February to 5 March 2003 (Embley and others, 2004). That survey identified a number of hydrothermal systems (plumes) on the arc volcanoes. One volcano, detected in 2003 and named "NW Rota 1," was revisited in 2004 and again found to be actively venting (figure 1). That submarine volcano sits ~ 64 km NW of the island of Rota, with its summit at 14°36.048'N, 144°46.519'E (14.601°N, 144.775°E). Another volcano visited in 2003-2004 was an apparently quiet, non-erupting caldera lacking eruptive age constraints called "West Rota" (discussed at the end of this report). Most of the information gleaned from the 2004 cruise remains preliminary, coming from scientists still at sea.
The ship towed a conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD)/rosette system to map and sample hydrothermal plumes over NW Rota 1. The 2003 tow data detected a vigorous, 200-m-thick layer of hydrothermal plumes above the volcano's summit. Chemical analysis of the 2003 plumes found high concentrations of particulate aluminum, sulfur, iron, and manganese, along with elevated 3He, a helium isotope considered diagnostic of a magmatic source and associated hydrothermal discharge. The active crater's summit depth was ~ 517 m.
[During 27 March-18 April 2004], the RV Thompson revisited the Mariana Arc and found NW Rota 1 still vigorously active. William Chadwick and Robert Embley, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), members of the cruise scientific staff, notified GVN that some video images from NW Rota 1 were taken with a ship-deployed remote vehicle (ROPOS-Remotely Operated Platform for Ocean Science). Videos posted on their web page showed views of the so-called "Brimstone Pit" (figures 2 and 3). Brimstone Pit represents a S-flank vent at a depth of 555 m, a spot ~ 40 m below the summit in rocky terrain. The videos and photos showed ash and sulfur bursts from the crater and a vent whose rim was covered with spatter (but probably not from this specific event). Water samples taken in a plume rising from the vent had temperatures of 30°C. Although incompletely mapped, the vent was roughly 20 m across and elliptical in outline; in the vertical dimension the vent appeared ~ 12 m deep and funnel-shaped.
During the ROPOS dive, the activity at the crater was variable. At the beginning of the dive there was only a wispy plume escaping, allowing the observers to see into the crater. Later in the dive, the crater returned to pulsing activity with bigger, more vigorous plumes and small rocks raining down on the crater rim. Over the summit, which was still at a depth of ~ 517 m below sea level (as it was in 2003), the ROPOS images depicted a lot of diffuse venting of clear fluids. Intense geyser-like discharges flowed from the vents with jets rising to several ten's of meters. Cloudy water rose to form a plume several hundred meters above the summit. The pulsating jets carried sand- to gravel-size particles (a few centimeters across), ejecta that rained down on the crater rim out to a distance of ~ 10 m. Droplets of molten sulfur in the jets gave a yellowish cast to the billowing clouds, suggesting a temperature of at least 100°C (figure 3). The ROPOS came up from the last dive covered in sand and gravel, and in sulfur droplets, which had solidified and adhered to the submersible's body!
In overview, the [30-31 March 2004] dives with ROPOS documented NW Rota 1 in a magmatic phase of activity. The active vent showed time-varying behavior that included precipitation of sulfur droplets from the venting fluids, pulses of ejecta from the vent, and large amounts of fresh, glassy ejecta surrounding the crater. In addition, the study identified a turbid plume extending ~ 0.7-2.0 km from the volcano, reflecting an intensity unseen in 2003, and presumably the result of the vigorous summit activity.
The large amount of sulfur was believed to be forming by interaction of magmatic SO2 with water to form elemental sulfur and sulfurous acids. Bob Embley suggested that this magmatic event was in the early stages, as evidenced by negligible alteration of glassy lavas in spite of incredibly corrosive hot fluids. Team biologists noted that biota had only begun to colonize the impacted area.
Volcanic seismicity may accompany this event, although its detection may require a network of near-source ocean-bottom seismometers. At least from initial looks at their data, geophysicists at the NOAA Vents Program failed to detect any T-phase hydroacoustic signals coming from this vicinity. It should be noted, however, that their real-time hydrophones are located in the NE Pacific at a great distance from the volcano.
In an effort to enlist other seismic and acoustical instruments, Olivier Hyvernaud (Laboratoire de Détection et de Géophysique, CEA/DASE/LDG; with access to the French Polynesian network), and Roderick Stewart (CTBTO, the Preparatory Commission for the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty, with access to Juan Fernandez island data) have been contacted. Thus far it appears that their systems lacked signals clearly attributable to NW Rota 1.
West Rota. During early April 2004 the RV Thompson also visited another newly identified submarine volcano that the 2003 survey group named "West Rota" (~ 56 km W of the island of Rota). It appeared inactive, and lacked a strong hydrothermal plume in the waters above it. However, it contained features indicative of a violent explosive eruption at some unknown time in the (geologically) recent past; namely, felsic volcanic rocks and the formation of a big caldera. The West Rota caldera is comparable in size to Crater Lake, Oregon (figure 4). The cruise scientists suspect that this volcano erupted violently a few thousand, to ten's of thousands, of years ago.
References. Embley, R.W., Baker, E.T., Chadwick, Jr., W.W., Lupton, J.E., Resing, J.A., Massoth, G.J., and Nakamura, K., 2004, Explorations of Mariana Arc volcanoes reveal new hydrothermal systems: EOS-Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, v. 85, no. 4, p. 37 and 40.
Geologic Background. A submarine volcano detected during a 2003 NOAA bathymetric survey of the Mariana Island arc was found to be hydrothermally active and named NW Rota-1. The basaltic to basaltic-andesite seamount rises to within 517 m of the ocean surface SW of Esmeralda Bank, 64 km NW of Rota Island and ~100 km N of Guam. When Northwest Rota-1 was revisited in 2004, a minor submarine eruption from a vent named Brimstone Pit on the upper south flank about 40 m below the summit intermittently ejected a plume several hundred meters high containing ash, rock particles, and molten sulfur droplets that adhered to the surface of the remotely operated submersible vehicle. The active vent was funnel-shaped, about 20 m wide and 12 m deep. Prominent structural lineaments about a kilometer apart cut across the summit of the edifice and down the NE and SW flanks.
Information Contacts: William W. Chadwick, Jr., Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies (CIMRS), NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), 2115 SE OSU Drive, Newport, OR 97365 USA; Robert W. Embley, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), 2115 SE OSU Drive, Newport, OR 97365 USA (URL: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/04fire/welcome.html); Douglas Wiens, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, Campus Box 1169, One Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA (URL: http://epsc.wustl.edu/seismology/).
Saunders (United Kingdom) — March 2004 Cite this Report
Saunders
United Kingdom
57.8°S, 26.483°W; summit elev. 843 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
A MODIS thermal alert on 7 May 2003 (no secondary confirmation)
The only previous report on the remote Michael volcano was in BGVN 28:02, which commented on a lava lake detected by satellite imagery over the period 1995-2002. A review of MODIS data for the period from that report (end 2002) to 16 March 2004 (UTC) reveals one thermal alert, on 7 May 2003 (UTC). No corroborative report is available, although previous alerts were interpreted as possibly representing lava lake activity.
Geologic Background. Saunders Island consists of a large central volcanic edifice intersected by two seamount chains, as shown by bathymetric mapping (Leat et al., 2013). The young Mount Michael stratovolcano dominates the glacier-covered island, while two submarine plateaus, Harpers Bank and Saunders Bank, extend north. The symmetrical Michael has a 500-m-wide summit crater and a remnant of a somma rim to the SE. Tephra layers visible in ice cliffs surrounding the island are evidence of recent eruptions. Ash clouds were reported from the summit crater in 1819, and an effusive eruption was inferred to have occurred from a N-flank fissure around the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. A low ice-free lava platform, Blackstone Plain, is located on the north coast, surrounding a group of former sea stacks. A cluster of cones on the SE flank, the Ashen Hills, appear to have been modified since 1820 (LeMasurier and Thomson, 1990). Analysis of satellite imagery available since 1989 (Gray et al., 2019; MODVOLC) suggests frequent eruptive activity (when weather conditions allow), volcanic clouds, steam plumes, and thermal anomalies indicative of a persistent, or at least frequently active, lava lake in the summit crater. Due to this observational bias, there has been a presumption when defining eruptive periods that activity has been ongoing unless there is no evidence for at least 10 months.
Information Contacts: Rob Wright, Luke Flynn, and Eric Pilger; MODIS Thermal Alert System, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/).
Sheveluch
Russia
56.653°N, 161.36°E; summit elev. 3283 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Lava dome growth and associated unrest
Unrest at Shiveluch continued from 1 January through 9 April 2004, including above-background seismicity and lava-dome growth with associated pyroclastic flows. Gas-and-steam plumes rising as high as 4.5 km altitude and ash plumes rising to 4-6 km altitude were frequent. Plumes were noted as far as 175 km from the volcano. During the period, US and Russian satellites repeatedly detected thermal anomalies. For viewers on the ground the volcano was obscured by clouds throughout much of the period.
Earthquakes occurred at depths of 0-5 km with local magnitudes (Ml) of 1.25-2.6. About 70 shallow earthquakes with Ml over 1.75 occurred during the week ending 16 January. These were exceeded the following week by 206 earthquakes with Ml of 1.75-2.6 and about 40 ash explosions. Intermittent spasmodic volcanic tremors of 0.5-1.0 µm/s were also recorded that week. These events caused the level of concern to raise from Yellow to Orange, where it remained throughout the remainder of the report period.
Accompanying these events were pyroclastic flows with run-out distances of 1-2 km. Ash plumes rose as high as 6 km, extending in various directions for several kilometers. Gas-and-steam plumes rose to 3.5-4.5 km. One extended 50 km to the SE on 22 January while another, on 26 January, extended over 75 km to the SW.
Events and activities similar to those described above were noted throughout the report period. Shallow earthquakes were recorded almost daily through February, >10/week was typical except for the period in late January noted earlier. However, during late February and through March and April, strong earthquakes occurred, numbering 14-24 per week. Spasmodic volcanic tremor was registered throughout this latter period, attaining a maximum velocity of 0.8 µm/s during 4-6 March.
Gas-and-steam plumes, some containing ash and extending as far as 175 km, were noted throughout the period. During the beginning of April, one ash-gas explosion delivered ash up to 9.0 km while 13 other explosions sent plumes up to 4.0-7.2 km and spasmodic tremor with velocities of 0.2-0.7 µm/s was recorded.
Geologic Background. The high, isolated massif of Sheveluch volcano (also spelled Shiveluch) rises above the lowlands NNE of the Kliuchevskaya volcano group. The 1,300 km3 andesitic volcano is one of Kamchatka's largest and most active volcanic structures, with at least 60 large eruptions during the Holocene. 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 occur on its outer flanks. The Molodoy Shiveluch lava dome complex was constructed during the Holocene within the large open caldera; Holocene lava dome extrusion also took place on the flanks of Stary Shiveluch. 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.
Information Contacts: Olga Girina, Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), a cooperative program of the Institute of Volcanic Geology and Geochemistry, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Piip Ave. 9, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia, the Kamchatka Experimental and Methodical Seismological Department (KEMSD), GS RAS (Russia), and the Alaska Volcano Observatory (USA); Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, 4200 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508-4667, USA (URL: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/), the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320, USA, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, 794 University Ave., Suite 200, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA.
Stromboli
Italy
38.789°N, 15.213°E; summit elev. 924 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Webcams at various wavelengths document increased explosions in February 2004
Explosive activity at the summit craters of Stromboli volcano resumed in early June 2003, before the end of the effusive eruption that finished between 21 and 22 July 2003. Eruptive activity at this volcano is monitored by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV-CT). They have installed two web cameras at an elevation of 920 m on Il Pizzo Sopra la Fossa and at an elevation of 400 m along the E margin of the Sciara del Fuoco, the depression on the N flank of the volcano. Additionally, a web thermal camera is located at the 400-m elevation site noted above, and a web infrared camera is positioned at Il Pizzo Sopra la Fossa. The 2 cameras (thermal and video) at the 400-m elevation site give important insights when visibility is insufficient at the more distant cameras. The infrared camera at Il Pizzo provides both a continuous view of the activity at the summit craters and a quantification of the energy released by the explosions at the three summit craters through an automated system called VAMOS (Cristaldi and others, 2004).
According to aviation reports from the U.S. Air Force, the web camera at Stromboli captured shots of light ash emissions on 7 and 11 November 2003. In both cases plumes rose to ~ 2.5 km altitude. According to the Toulouse VAAC the Stromboli Web video camera showed a small explosion on 10 December that produced a plume to a height of ~ 1 km above the volcano. No ash was visible on satellite imagery.
According to the INGV-CT, explosive activity at the three summit craters increased after 10 February 2004, leading to a significant growth of the cinder cones inside the craters. Several powerful explosions, especially from crater 1 (the NE-crater) and crater 3 (the SW-crater) carried scoriae 200 m above the craters. These explosions led to fallout of fresh bombs and lapilli on Il Pizzo Sopra la Fossa (the top of the volcano, ~ 100 m above the crater terrace) in early March. Samples of lapilli and scoriae collected on Stromboli by local guides have been analyzed with the scanning electron microscope and microanalysis instruments of INGV-CT (Corsaro and others, 2004). Measurements of glass compositions indicated that products erupted until 25 February 2004 are related to the black scoriaceous volcanics normally erupted during Strombolian activity. Golden basaltic pumices were absent from available samples; such pumices at this volcano have been generally associated with paroxysmal explosive events (Bertagnini and others, 1999) such as that of 5 April 2003. Analysis of components carried out on several ash samples allowed scientists at INGV-CT to recognize sideromelane and tachylite as the main components, making up ~ 80% of the erupted ash (Andronico and others, 2004). The activity of this volcano as of 8 March 2004 can be described, fittingly, as Strombolian with variations in the number and frequency of explosions within normally observed limits, and intensity of explosions at the higher limit of commonly observed activity.
References. Andronico, D., Caruso, S., Cristaldi, A., and Del Carlo, P., 2004, Caratterizzazione delle ceneri emesse dallo Stromboli nel Gennaio-Febbraio 2004: INGV-CT Internal Report, Prot. int. n° UFVG2004/034.
Corsaro, R.A., Miraglia, L., and Zanon, V., 2004, Caratterizzazione dei vetri presenti nei prodotti emessi dallo Stromboli durante il mese di febbraio: 2004 INGV-CT Internal Report, Prot. int. UFVG2004/033.
Cristaldi, A., Contelli, M., and Mangiagli, S., 2004, Rapporto settimanale sull'attivit eruttiva dello Stromboli: 22-29 Febbraio 2004. INGV-CT Internal Report, Prot. int. n° UFVG2004/031 [download at http://www.ct.ingv.it/].
Bertagnini, A., Coltelli, M., Landi, P., Pompilio, M., and Rosi, M., 1999, Violent explosions yield new insights into dynamics of Stromboli volcano. Eos, American Geophysical Union Transactions, 80, 52: 633-636.
Geologic Background. Spectacular incandescent nighttime explosions at Stromboli have long attracted visitors to the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean" in the NE Aeolian Islands. This volcano has lent its name to the frequent mild explosive activity that has characterized its eruptions throughout much of historical time. The small island is the emergent summit of a volcano that grew in two main eruptive cycles, the last of which formed the western portion of the island. The Neostromboli eruptive period took place between about 13,000 and 5,000 years ago. The active summit vents are located at the head of the Sciara del Fuoco, a prominent scarp that formed about 5,000 years ago due to a series of slope failures which extends to below sea level. The modern volcano has been constructed within this scarp, which funnels pyroclastic ejecta and lava flows to the NW. Essentially continuous mild Strombolian explosions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded for more than a millennium.
Information Contacts: Sonia Calvari, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Piazza Roma 2, 95123 Catania, Italy (URL: http://www.ct.ingv.it/); Charles Holliday, Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), Satellite Applications Branch, Offutt AFB, NE 68113-4039, USA.
Suwanosejima (Japan) — March 2004 Cite this Report
Suwanosejima
Japan
29.638°N, 129.714°E; summit elev. 796 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Sporadic eruptions in 2003 and in January 2004, one to 2.4 km altitude
Suwanose-jima volcano was last reported in BGVN 28:04, when activity was noted in September and December 2002, with thermal anomalies continuing into January 2003. HIGP MODIS thermal imagery revealed only one alert in the year to 13 April 2004, that being on 4 July 2003. NASA Terra and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program imagery dated 7-8 November 2003 showed an ash plume rising from Suwanose-jima to an estimated height of 2,400 m (figure 10) on those days.
According to Tokyo VAAC reports, using information from the Japanese Meteorological Agency, explosions also took place at Suwanose-jima on 15 December 2003 at 1946, and 21 December at 1828, each of which produced plumes to an unknown height. The VAAC reported several small emissions on 27 and 28 December, again rising to unknown heights and an eruption on 28 December at 0820 rising to ~ 1.5 km altitude and extending E. On 2, 4 and 21-22 January 2004 small explosions produced ash plumes to unknown heights.
Geologic Background. The 8-km-long island of Suwanosejima in the northern Ryukyu Islands consists of an andesitic stratovolcano with two active summit craters. The summit is truncated by a large breached crater extending to the sea on the E flank that was formed by edifice collapse. One of Japan's most frequently active volcanoes, it was in a state of intermittent Strombolian activity from Otake, the NE summit crater, between 1949 and 1996, after which periods of inactivity lengthened. The largest recorded eruption took place in 1813-14, when thick scoria deposits covered 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 an open collapse scarp extending 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.
Information Contacts: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Volcanological Division 1-3-4 Ote-machi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100, Japan (URL: http://www.jma.go.jp/); HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Charles Holliday, Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), Satellite Applications Branch, Offutt AFB, NE 68113-4039, USA.
Whakaari/White Island (New Zealand) — March 2004 Cite this Report
Whakaari/White Island
New Zealand
37.52°S, 177.18°E; summit elev. 294 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Eruptions ceased in about 2002; crater lake rising
An April 2004 note from New Zealand geothermal geologist Ashley Cody noted that White Island had essentially ceased its eruptive episode since about 2002, when it began to emit only very weak gas (lacking ejecta). Accordingly, compared to several years ago, there has been little to report about it. However, the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences (GNS) still monitors White Island seismically, and with the Geonet web camera (visible real-time on the net). This report contains a summary of their brief reports. An issue of current interest is the continued growth of the crater lake. Crater lake growth was previously reported in February and August 2003 (BGVN 28:02 and 28:08).
GNS reports warned that "should there be no significant eruptive activity within the next 18-24 months and the lake continues to fill, it may reach overflow level. In this situation water may overflow into drainage channels on Peg 12 Flat, S of the 1978/90 Crater Complex, and these channels may further erode . . . ."
Steve O'Meara of Volcano Watch International visited White Island on 8 February 2004 (figure 44) and noted considerably weaker fumarolic activity than during an earlier trip in 2000 (figure 45). Hydrothermal activity, though diminished, was still taking place in the crater and steam often lifted off the lake's surface, which effervesced. Scum was weakly present, especially around the lake's edges, but he did not see as much as during his 2000 visit. Volcanic bombs and explosion debris surrounded the crater. Although O'Meara's professionally-guided tour was conducted skillfully and with genuine regard for safety, he expressed concern about a sudden eruption from the lake catching onlookers off guard.
A 13 February 2004 report from the GNS stated that heavy rainfall on White Island during the past few weeks triggered many small landslides inside the crater rim. They went on to note that the lake continued to fill steadily and last week all of the temporary marker posts were submerged or had washed into the lake. This week, GNS volcanologists had visited the island to install six more survey posts inside the main crater, so changes in the lake's level could continue to be monitored. The lake temperature was 57°C, similar to values measured during the last six months. A 26 March report noted a decrease in the rate of rainfall and consequent drop in the rate of filling of the crater lake. GNS reports on 2 April and 26 March also mentioned minor seismic activity, which was described in more detail in a 19 March report as "including a few very small, discrete earthquakes but no volcanic tremor."
The GNS report for 30 April 2004 stated that "seismic and hydrothermal activity at White Island remain at a low level. The crater lake was then [12-]13.6 m below the level at which it will overflow. White Island also remains at Alert Level 1 (some signs of volcano unrest)." An overview of late 2002-early 2004 GNS data appears on table 11. There were no HIGP-MODIS thermal alert warnings for White Island over the 12 months to April 2004.
Table 11. A summary of the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences (GNS) reports discussing White Island, October 2002 to April 2004. Courtesy of GNS.
Month |
Seismicity |
Emission levels |
Comment |
Oct 2002 |
-- |
63 metric tons of SO2 / day (t/d) |
-- |
Nov 2002 |
Minor weak volcanic tremor |
Weak steam / gas emissions |
-- |
Dec 2002 |
Minor weak volcanic tremor |
Weak steam / gas emissions; 112 t/d SO2 |
-- |
Jan 2003 |
Moderate/weak volcanic tremor |
Weak steam / gas emissions |
-- |
Feb 2003 |
Low / minor volcanic tremor |
Minor weak steam / gas emissions; 269 t/d SO2 |
Increased tremor (with exception of 17 Feb) |
Mar 2003 |
Low levels of weak tremor |
Low steam / gas emissions; 267 t/d SO2 |
-- |
Apr 2003 |
Low / negligible |
Weak / very weak steam / gas plumes |
Active vent flooded, reducing emissions and seismicity |
May 2003 |
Very low |
Unchanged |
-- |
Jun 2003 |
Intermittent low-level activity |
Minor steam / gas plume |
-- |
Jul 2003 |
Very low |
Plume no longer visible |
Light green water, 30 m below rim; 58°C. Fumaroles 101-114°C |
Aug 2003 |
Low |
-- |
Water 53°C, 300 m long lake. Active monitoring of water level begins. |
Geologic Background. 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.
Information Contacts: Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences (GNS), Private Bag 2000, Wairakwi, New Zealand (URL: http://www.gns/cri.nz); GeoNet, a project sponsored by the New Zealand Government through these agencies: Earthquake Commission (E.C.), Geological & Nuclear Sciences (GNS), and Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (FAST). Geonet can be contacted at the above GNS address (their URL: http://www.geonet.org.nz/contact.htm); Steve and Donna O'Meara, Volcano Watch International, PO Box 218, Volcano, HI 96785.
Yasur
Vanuatu
19.532°S, 169.447°E; summit elev. 361 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
500 explosions/day in March 2004; MODIS thermal alerts average about one per month
Activity from the summit crater at Yasur continued through 2002 (BGVN 28:01). While similar comprehensive reports are not available for 2003, MODIS data (table 2) indicated activity continuing over the year to 16 March 2004. No corroborative reports of activity have been received from the Rabaul Volcano Observatory or the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.
Table 2. Nights on which MODIS thermal alerts were recorded for Yasur during the year ending 16 March 2004. Data courtesy HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System.
Month |
Days with Thermal Alerts |
Mar 2003 |
23 |
Apr 2003 |
15 |
May 2003 |
3, 10 |
Jun 2003 |
4 |
Sep 2003 |
8, 17 |
Oct 2003 |
17, 24, 26 |
Nov 2003 |
5, 10, 12 |
Mar 2004 |
13 |
John Seach reported continued eruptions at Yasur during March 2004. He suggested that there was an average of about 500 explosions per day, which is typical of the volcano's normal state of activity.
Geologic Background. Yasur has exhibited essentially continuous Strombolian and Vulcanian activity at least since Captain Cook observed ash eruptions in 1774. This style of activity may have continued for the past 800 years. Located at the SE tip of Tanna Island in Vanuatu, this pyroclastic cone has a nearly circular, 400-m-wide summit crater. The active cone is largely contained within the small Yenkahe caldera, and is the youngest of a group of Holocene volcanic centers constructed over the down-dropped NE flank of the Pleistocene Tukosmeru volcano. The Yenkahe horst is located within the Siwi ring fracture, a 4-km-wide open feature associated with eruption of the andesitic Siwi pyroclastic sequence. Active tectonism along the Yenkahe horst accompanying eruptions has raised Port Resolution harbor more than 20 m during the past century.
Information Contacts: HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); John Seach, PO Box 4025, Port Vila, Vanuatu (URL: http://www.volcanolive.com/).