All times are local unless otherwise stated.

Bezymianny (Russia) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Bezymianny Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	A reduction in volcanic and seismic activity during 21-28 December at Bezymianny led KVERT to reduce the Concern Color Code from Yellow ("volcano is restless") to Green ("volcano is dormant"). Seismicity under the volcano decreased to background levels, with weak, shallow earthquakes continuing within the volcano's edifice. Several small gas-and-steam plumes rose above the lava dome and a one-pixel thermal anomaly became less intense. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Colima (Mexico) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Colima Trans-Mexican Volcanic Arc	On 27 December at 1715 the Mexico City MWO issued a SIGMET for volcanic ash at Colima 4.3-5.2 km a.s.l. They reported that another ash emission on 29 December at 0810 produced an ash cloud to a height of ~5.5 km. No ash was visible in satellite imagery from either eruption. Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Karymsky (Russia) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Karymsky Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	During 21-28 December seismicity remained above background levels at Karymsky, with 60-80 weak, local earthquakes per day. Several shallow seismic events indicated possible gas-and-ash explosions. The Color Concern Code remained at Yellow ("volcano is restless"). Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Kerinci (Indonesia) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Kerinci Sunda Volcanic Arc	Three explosions occurred at Kerinci during 19 and 25 December that produced predominately E-drifting plumes 100-800 m above the volcano. The volcano remained at Alert Level 2 (on a scale of 1-4). Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)
Kilauea (United States) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Kilauea Hawaiian-Emperor Hotspot Volcano Group	Lava continued to flow into the ocean at the Kamoamoa ocean entry. Surface lava flowed along the Kamoamoa lava tube system, extending from above the Pulama pali scarp down to the lava fan. Generally, volcanic tremor was moderate at Pu`u `O`o and there were many small long-period earthquakes at Kilauea's summit, as there have been for 2 weeks. Tiltmeters across the volcano showed no significant deformation. Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Merapi (Indonesia) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Merapi Sunda Volcanic Arc	Visual observations during 17-20 December revealed that 109 lava avalanches traveled predominately toward the upstream portion of the Sat River, and to a lesser extent to the Lamat and Senowo rivers. The maximum run-out distance was ~2.5 km. A pyroclastic flow on 18 December traveled ~1 km to the upstream portion of the Bebeng River. During the report period, seismicity was dominated by avalanche earthquakes that were similar in frequency and magnitude to those of previous weeks. Merapi remained at Alert Level 2 (on a scale of 1-4). Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)
Popocatepetl (Mexico) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Popocatepetl Trans-Mexican Volcanic Arc	During the week, Popocatépetl emitted small clouds of steam, gas, and generally minor amounts of ash. In addition, episodes of harmonic tremor were recorded. The highest reported ash cloud was produced from an eruption on 29 December at 0432 and rose 5.5-8.8 km a.s.l. Sources: Centro Nacional de Prevencion de Desastres (CENAPRED), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Sheveluch (Russia) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Sheveluch Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	During 21-28 December, about 20 earthquakes with magnitudes greater than or equal to 1.7 occurred, and weak, shallow seismic signals (possible collapses and avalanches) were registered. Seismicity decreased slightly, but remained above background levels. Small gas-and-steam plumes rose above the lava dome. Thermal anomalies were visible on satellite imagery. The Color Concern Code remained at Yellow ("volcano is restless"). Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Soufriere Hills (United Kingdom) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Soufriere Hills Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc	During 21-28 December volcanic activity increased at Soufrière Hills, with a large number of rockfalls, an increase in SO2 flux, and periods of continuous ash emission. Most lava-dome growth was concentrated on the E side of the dome, where spectacular incandescent rockfalls were seen on the nights of 26 and 27 December. Rockfall seismicity increased throughout the week. There was a large increase in SO2 flux; an average emission rate of 851 metric tons was measured on 27 December in comparison to 181 metric tons on 19 December. The increase in SO2 flux coincided with an increase in rockfalls. According to the Washington VAAC, continuous ash-and-steam venting beginning on 27 December at 0315 produced an ash plume that remained below ~3 km a.s.l. A large area of dense ash below 3 km a.s.l. was observed on satellite imagery from an emission that began on 28 December at 1330. On 1 January a high number of rockfalls generated low-level ash clouds (up to 1.5 km). Sources: Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Tungurahua (Ecuador) | 26 December-1 January 2002 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Tungurahua Northern Andean Volcanic Arc	During the report week, volcanic activity increased at Tungurahua. Eruptions began on 27 December at 1006 and 1427 that produced W-drifting gas-and-ash clouds to heights of 2 and 1 km above the volcano, respectively. A mudflow was reported on 29 December at 2342 travelling to the NW via Juive Grande Gorge. It affected the Pampa and Los Pájaros sectors. On 30 December at 0023 a seismic signal associated with an explosion was recorded, but the explosion was not observed due to cloudy conditions. Until 1500 ashfall was reported in the sectors of Guadalupe and Patate and may have also fallen to the W of the volcano. IG issued a SIGMET stating that at 0027 ash from the explosion rose to ~15 km. No ash was visible on satellite imagery. Sources: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

Weekly Reports Archive

Since the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report began in November 2000, there have been 21,447 individual reports over 1,277 weeks (average of 17 per week) on 339 different volcanoes.

Use the dropdowns to choose the year and week for archived Weekly Reports.

 News Feeds and Google Placemarks

 Criteria & Disclaimers

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report does not necessarily include all volcanic activity that occurred on Earth during the week. More than a dozen volcanoes globally have displayed more-or-less continuous eruptive activity for decades or longer, and such routine activity is typically not reported here. Moreover, Earth's sea-floor volcanism is seldom reported even though in theory it represents the single most prolific source of erupted material. The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report summarizes volcanic activity that meets one or more of the following criteria:

- A volcano observatory raises or lowers the alert level at the volcano.
- A volcanic ash advisory has been released by a volcanic ash advisory center (VAAC) stating that an ash cloud has been produced from the volcano.
- A verifiable news report of new activity or a change in activity at the volcano has been issued.
- Observers have reported a significant change in volcanic activity. Such activity can include, but is not restricted to, pyroclastic flows, lahars, lava flows, dome collapse, or increased unrest.

Volcanoes are included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section of the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report if the activity occurs after at least 3 months of quiescence. Once a volcano is included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section, updates will remain in that section unless the activity continues for more than 1 month without escalating, after which time updates will be listed in the "Continuing Activity" section. Volcanoes are also included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section if the volcano is undergoing a period of relatively high unrest, or increasing unrest. This is commonly equal to Alert Level Orange on a scale of Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, where Red is the highest alert. Or alert level 3 on a scale of 1-4 or 1-5.

It is important to note that volcanic activity meeting one or more of these criteria may occur during the week, but may not be included in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report because we did not receive a report.

1. The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is intended to provide timely information about global volcanism on a weekly basis. Consequently, the report is generated rapidly by summarizing volcanic reports from various sources, with little time for fact checking. The accuracy of the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is dependent upon the quality of the volcanic activity reports we receive. Reports published in the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network are cover longer time periods and are more carefully reviewed, although all of the volcanoes discussed in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report are not necessarily reported in the Bulletin. Because of our emphasis on rapid reporting on the web we have avoided diacritical marks. Reports are updated on the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report web page as they are received, therefore information may be included regarding events that occurred before the current report period.

2. Rapidly developing events lead to coverage that is often fragmentary. Volcanoes, their eruptions, and their plumes and associated atmospheric effects are complex phenomena that may require months to years of data analysis in order to create a comprehensive summary and interpretation of events.

3. Preliminary accounts sometimes contain exaggerations and "false alarms," and accordingly, this report may include some events ultimately found to be erroneous or misleading.

4. Many news agencies do not archive the articles they post on the Internet, and therefore the links to some sources may not be active. To obtain information about the cited articles that are no longer available on the Internet contact the source.

5. USGS Disclaimer Statement for this Website:

Information presented on this website is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. We strongly recommend that USGS data be acquired directly from a USGS server and not through other sources that may change the data in some way. While USGS makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data such as names, telephone numbers, etc. may change prior to updating. USGS welcomes suggestions on how to improve our home page and correct errors. USGS provides no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of furnished data.

Some of the documents on this server may contain live references (or pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that USGS does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this website are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act. Information may also be used for authorized law enforcement investigations. (Last modified September 21, 1999.)

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, USA
URL: https://volcano.si.edu/reports_weekly.cfm

 Acronyms and Abbreviations

a.s.l. - above sea level

AVO - Alaska Volcano Observatory

AVHRR - Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

CENAPRED - Centro Nacionale de Prevencion de Desastres (México)

CONRED - Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres

COSPEC - Correlation Spectrometer

CVGHM (formerly VSI) - Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation

CVO - Cascades Volcano Observatory (USGS)

GMS - Geostationary Meteorological Satellite

GOES - Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

GVO - Goma Volcano Observatory

GVP - Global Volcanism Program (Smithsonian Institution)

HVO - Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS)

ICE - Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (Costa Rica)

IG - Instituto Geofísico (Ecuador)

IGNS - Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (New Zealand) - now GNS Science

INETER - Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales (Nicaragua)

INGEMMET - Instituto Geológical Minero y Metalúrgico (Peru)

INGEOMINAS - Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería (Colombia)

INGV-CT - Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - Sezione di Catania (Italy)

INSIVUMEH - Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia e Hidrologia (Guatemala)

IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (France)

JMA - Japanese Meteorological Agency

KEMSD - Kamchatkan Experimental and Methodical Seismilogical Department

KVERT - Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team

M - magnitude

METEOSAT - Meteorological Satellite

MEVO - Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory

MODIS - Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

MVO - Montserrat Volcano Observatory

MWO - Meteorological Watch Office

NEIC - National Earthquake Information Center

NIED - National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (Japan)

NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOTAM - Notice to Airmen

OVDAS - Observatorio Volcanologico de los Andes del Sur (Chile)

OFDA - Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance

ONEMI - Oficina Nacional de Emergencia - Ministerio del Interior (Chile)

OVPDLF - Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise (France)

OVSICORI-UNA - Observatorio Vulcanologico y Sismologico de Costa Rica, Universidad Nacional (Costa Rica)

PHIVOLCS - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philippines)

RSAM - Real-time Seismic Amplitude Measurement

RVO - Rabaul Volcano Observatory

SERNAGEOMIN - Servicio Nacional de Geologia y Mineria (Chile)

SIGMET - Significant Meteorological Information

SNET - Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (El Salvador)

SVERT - Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (Russia)

USAID - US Agency for International Development

USGS - United States Geological Survey

UTC - Coordinated Universal Time

VAAC - Volcanic Ash Advisory Center

VAFTAD - Volcanic Ash Forecast Transport And Dispersion

VDAP - Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (USGS)

VHP - Volcano Hazards Program (USGS)

VRC - Volcano Research Center (Japan)