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Report on Karymsky (Russia) — 10 April-16 April 2002


Karymsky

Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
10 April-16 April 2002
Managing Editor: Gari Mayberry

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2002. Report on Karymsky (Russia). In: Mayberry, G (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 10 April-16 April 2002. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (10 April-16 April 2002)

Karymsky

Russia

54.049°N, 159.443°E; summit elev. 1513 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


After about 6 days of instrument downtime, the seismic station near Karymsky began to operate again. As was the case before the seismic station malfunction, seismicity was above background levels at 10 earthquakes per hour. The character of the seismicity indicated that weak ash-and-gas explosions and avalanches possibly occurred. A four-pixel-large thermal anomaly was observed on AVHRR satellite imagery on 9 April , but no ash was detected. The volcano was at Concern Color Code Yellow ("volcano is restless").

Geological Summary. Karymsky, the most active volcano of Kamchatka's eastern volcanic zone, is a symmetrical stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera that formed during the early Holocene. The caldera cuts the south side of the Pleistocene Dvor volcano and is located outside the north margin of the large mid-Pleistocene Polovinka caldera, which contains the smaller Akademia Nauk and Odnoboky calderas. Most seismicity preceding Karymsky eruptions originated beneath Akademia Nauk caldera, located immediately south. The caldera enclosing Karymsky formed about 7600-7700 radiocarbon years ago; construction of the stratovolcano began about 2000 years later. The latest eruptive period began about 500 years ago, following a 2300-year quiescence. Much of the cone is mantled by lava flows less than 200 years old. Historical eruptions have been vulcanian or vulcanian-strombolian with moderate explosive activity and occasional lava flows from the summit crater.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)