Global Volcanism Program | Raususan [Mendeleev]

Most Recent Bulletin Report: January 1988 (SEAN 13:01) Cite this Report

Earthquake swarm associated with geothermal production

A summit earthquake swarm with focal depths of <10 km was recorded 4-5 May 1987 (table 9-1). Epicenters were <15 km from Yuzhno-Kurilsk seismic station (12 km from the volcano). Repeated measurements 25-28 September in a borehole 10 km from the summit registered temperatures 4°C higher than in 1986 at a depth of 74 m. Temperatures increased 4-5°C in some hot springs on the E and S flanks. Fumaroles in the same area showed essentially no variation from 1986; vapor emitted under pressure had temperatures of 97-107°C. . . . the earthquakes seemed to be caused by exploitation of geothermal wells, used for heat production.

Information Contacts: G. Steinberg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Raususan [Mendeleev].

Bulletin Reports - Index

Reports are organized chronologically and indexed below by Month/Year (Publication Volume:Number), and include a one-line summary. Click on the index link or scroll down to read the reports.

04/1987 (SEAN 12:04) Intense fumarolic and solfataric activity

01/1988 (SEAN 13:01) Earthquake swarm associated with geothermal production

Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)

April 1987 (SEAN 12:04) Cite this Report

Intense fumarolic and solfataric activity

In the explosive crater area on the volcano's E slope intense fumarolic and solfataric activity was occurring during a 6 November aerial survey.

Information Contacts: G. Steinberg and B. Piskunov, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

January 1988 (SEAN 13:01) Cite this Report

Earthquake swarm associated with geothermal production

A summit earthquake swarm with focal depths of <10 km was recorded 4-5 May 1987 (table 9-1). Epicenters were <15 km from Yuzhno-Kurilsk seismic station (12 km from the volcano). Repeated measurements 25-28 September in a borehole 10 km from the summit registered temperatures 4°C higher than in 1986 at a depth of 74 m. Temperatures increased 4-5°C in some hot springs on the E and S flanks. Fumaroles in the same area showed essentially no variation from 1986; vapor emitted under pressure had temperatures of 97-107°C. . . . the earthquakes seemed to be caused by exploitation of geothermal wells, used for heat production.

Information Contacts: G. Steinberg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

290020

1880 CE

882 m / 2893 ft

43.979°N
145.733°E

Volcano Types

Stratovolcano
Caldera
Lava dome(s)

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Dacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Intermediate crust (15-25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

236
1,783
3,527
114,486

Geological Summary

Raususan, also known as Mendeleev, is a low compound stratovolcano located in the southern part of Kunashir Island. The dominantly andesitic-dacitic volcano is cut by two nested calderas, the larger 6-7 km in diameter and the smaller 3-3.5 km. A central cone that formed inside the younger caldera was breached to the west by a large debris avalanche about 4200 years ago. A lava dome that grew inside the avalanche scarp forms the 888 m high point of the volcano. Additional lava domes in the northern part of the older caldera are considered to represent flank activity of the younger caldera. The only unambiguous historical eruption was a small phreatic explosion in 1880. Four solfatara fields lie at the eastern and northern flanks of the central cone, and a geothermal field is located outside the caldera along the eastern coast.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Erlich E N, 1986. Geology of the calderas of Kamchatka and Kurile Islands with comparison to calderas of Japan and the Aleutians, Alaska. U S Geol Surv Open-File Rpt, 86-291: 1-300.

Gorshkov G S, 1958. Kurile Islands. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 7: 1-99.

Gorshkov G S, 1970. Volcanism and the Upper Mantle; Investigations in the Kurile Island Arc. New York: Plenum Publishing Corp, 385 p.

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior..

Japan Meteorological Agency, 1996. National Catalogue of the Active Volcanoes in Japan (second edition). Tokyo: Japan Meteorological Agency, 502 p (in Japanese).

Japan Meteorological Agency, 2013. National Catalogue of the Active Volcanoes in Japan (fourth edition, English version). Japan Meteorological Agency.

Nakano S, Yamamoto T, Iwaya T, Itoh J, Takada A, 2001-. Quaternary Volcanoes of Japan. Geol Surv Japan, AIST, http://www.aist.go.jp/RIODB/strata/VOL_JP/.

Raszhigaeva N G, Korokty A M, Sulerzhitsky L D, Grebennikova T A, Ganzei L A, Bazarova V B, 1999. Late Pleistocene tephra around Golovnin volcano, Kunashir I. (Kuril Islands). Volc Seism, 20: 127-254 (English translation).

Raszhigaeva N G, Korotky A M, Sulerzhitsky L D, Grebennikova T A, Ganzei L A, Mokhova L M, Bazarova V B, 1998. Holocene tephra of Kunashir I. (Kuril Islands). Volc Seism, 20: 48-63 (English translation).

Vlasov G M, 1967. Kamchatka, Kuril, and Komandorskiye Islands: geological description. In: {Geol of the USSR}, Moscow, 31: 1-827.

Eruptive History

Summary of Holocene eruption dates and Volcanic Explosivity Indices (VEI).

Start Date	Stop Date	Eruption Certainty	VEI	Evidence	Activity Area or Unit
[ 1900 ]	[ Unknown ]	Uncertain	2
1880	Unknown	Confirmed	1	Historical Observations	NE solfatara field
2270 BCE ± 50 years	Unknown	Confirmed		Radiocarbon (uncorrected)	West side of central cone, KnIV-10 tephra

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Koraususan

Caldera

Domes

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Raususan

Dome

882 m

43° 58' 44" N

145° 43' 57" E

Thermal

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Goriachy Pliazh

Thermal

Photo Gallery

The last major eruption of Mendeleev volcano, about 4200 years ago, was similar in several regards to the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. Collapse of the central cone produced a debris avalanche and left a horseshoe-shaped crater breached to the west. Pyroclastic flows accompanied growth of a lava dome in the new crater. This dacitic dome (right) forms the 887-m high point of Mendeleev volcano. Steam rises above a NW-flank fumarolic area (center), one of several thermal areas on the flanks of the central cone.

Photo by Yuri Doubik (Institute of Volcanology, Petropavlovsk).

Brilliantly colored deposits of elemental sulfur surround fumarolic vents on the NW side of the central cone of Mendeleev volcano, in the southern Kuril Islands. Fumarolic areas on Mendeleev are associated with lateral craters at this location and at several areas from the NE to SE flanks, where the central cone meets the inner caldera wall of Mendeleev. Hot springs occur on the NE flank and along the NE coast, where the Goriachi-Pliazh geothermal field is located.

Photo by Yuri Doubik (Institute of Volcanology, Petropavlovsk).

Mendeleev, also known as Rausu-dake, is a compound stratovolcano with two nested calderas, the larger 6-7 km in diameter and the smaller 3-3.5 km. A central cone that formed inside the younger caldera is seen here from the east, near the settlement of Yuzhno-Kurilsk. The only unambiguous historical eruption was a small phreatic explosion in 1880. The Goriachy Pliazh geothermal field is located outside the caldera along the Pacific coast.

Photo by Oleg Volynets (Institute of Volcanology, Petropavlovsk).

Mendeleev volcano on the southern part of Kunashir Island towers above the village of Yuzhno-Kurilsk. Steam plumes rise above geothermal wells on the volcano's NW flanks, in one of several geothermal fields flanking the volcano. The volcano seen here lies within a 6-7 km wide caldera. The only unambiguous historical eruption from Mendeleev was a small phreatic explosion in 1880.

Photo by Alexander Rybin, 2001 (Institute of Marine Geology and Geophysics, Yuzhno-Sakhalin).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Raususan [Mendeleev] in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

Affiliated Sites

Large Eruptions of Raususan [Mendeleev]

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

WOVOdat

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).

MODVOLC - HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.