Activity for the week of 12 June-18 June 2002
The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program. Updated by 2300 UTC every Wednesday, notices of volcanic activity posted on these pages are preliminary and subject to change as events are studied in more detail. This is not a comprehensive list of all of Earth's volcanoes erupting during the week, but rather a summary of activity at volcanoes that meet criteria discussed in detail in the "Criteria and Disclaimers" section. Carefully reviewed, detailed reports on various volcanoes are published monthly in the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network.
New Activity / Unrest
Nevado del Ruiz
| Colombia
| 4.892°N, 75.324°W
| Elevation 5279 m
On 9 June beginning at 2300 a swarm of volcano-tectonic earthquakes was recorded at Nevado del Ruiz. Next, hundreds of hybrid earthquakes were recorded, with more than 1,300 earthquakes occurring in 16 hours. High seismicity persisted for the following 3 days, with ~2,300 earthquakes recorded. This was the highest daily number of events recorded at Nevado del Ruiz since 1985. At the height of the activity the Alert Level was at Orange. In addition to heightened seismicity felt by residents near the volcano, jet-like sounds were reportedly heard that corresponded with some of the hybrid earthquakes, and the strong scent of SO2 was reported near the summit. No ash emissions were reported. By 13 June seismicity had decreased.
Sources: Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC), El Tiempo
Suwanosejima
| Ryukyu Islands (Japan)
| 29.638°N, 129.714°E
| Elevation 796 m
Based on information from aircraft reports and JMA, the Tokyo VAAC stated that volcanic ash from Suwanose-jima was reported on 18 June at 1058 at a height of ~6 km drifting E. Ash was not visible on satellite imagery.
Source: Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Ongoing Activity
Etna
| Sicily (Italy)
| 37.748°N, 14.999°E
| Elevation 3295 m
On 13 June ash emissions, which began several days earlier, intensified at Etna's Northeast Crater. A slight increase in seismicity occurred at the same time, with a few events being felt by residents on the volcano's S and SE flanks. The Toulouse VAAC reported that volcanic ash was observed on satellite imagery on 14 June at 0450 drifting SSW at heights of ~2.4-4.6 km a.s.l. Beginning on 16 June ash was emitted from Bocca Nuova crater as well. No incandescence was visible at the volcano during the night.
Sources: Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), Italy's Volcanoes, Etna Volcan Sicilien (Charles Rivière)
Karymsky
| Eastern Kamchatka (Russia)
| 54.049°N, 159.443°E
| Elevation 1513 m
During 7-14 June, seismicity was above background levels at Karymsky, with ~10 earthquakes occurring per hour. The character of seismicity suggested that weak ash-and-gas explosions and gas blow-outs had probably occurred. Thermal anomalies were visible on satellite imagery, but ash was not. Karymsky remained at Concern Color Code Yellow ("volcano is restless").
Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Kilauea
| Hawaiian Islands (USA)
| 19.421°N, 155.287°W
| Elevation 1222 m
During 12-17 June, several surface lava flows were visible at Kilauea. Generally, seismicity was at background levels, except at the crater where a swarm of long-period earthquakes occurred since 5 June. Moderate tremor occurred at Pu`u `O`o. After about 2 microradians of deflation at Pu`u `O`o during 11-12 June, no significant deformation was recorded.
Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Klyuchevskoy
| Central Kamchatka (Russia)
| 56.056°N, 160.642°E
| Elevation 4754 m
Seismicity was above background levels at Kliuchevskoi during most of 7-14 June. On 11 June a ~30-minute-long series of earthquakes (ML less than or equal to 2.8) occurred in the volcano's edifice. Continuous spasmodic tremor continued to be recorded during the week and 22-48 earthquakes occurred per day ~30 km below the volcano. Based on visual and seismic data there was no evidence of recent explosive activity at the volcano. No thermal anomalies or ash plumes were observed on satellite imagery. Kliuchevskoi remained at Concern Color Code Yellow ("volcano is restless").
Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Lokon-Empung
| Sulawesi (Indonesia)
| 1.358°N, 124.792°E
| Elevation 1580 m
Seismic and volcanic activity at Lokon-Empung were above "normal" levels during 3-9 June, but there was a decline in seismicity in comparison to the previous week. The Alert Level at Lokon-Empung was reduced from 3 to 2 (on a scale of 1-4).
Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)
Merapi
| Central Java (Indonesia)
| 7.54°S, 110.446°E
| Elevation 2910 m
VSI reported that activity at Merapi was generally decreasing. During 3-9 June, incandescent lava avalanches flowed predominately down Merapi's SW flank to the upstream portions of the Sat, Lamat, and Senowo rivers to a maximum run-out distance of ~2.5 km. Merapi remained at Alert Level 2 (on a scale of 1-4).
Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)
Pacaya
| Guatemala
| 14.382°N, 90.601°W
| Elevation 2569 m
The Washington VAAC reported that on 17 June at 0815 satellite imagery showed a very thin SW-drifting plume of unknown composition emitted from Pacaya. In addition, satellite imagery showed a faint hotspot at the volcano's summit.
Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Popocatepetl
| Mexico
| 19.023°N, 98.622°W
| Elevation 5393 m
During 12-18 June, activity at Popocatépetl mainly consisted of small steam-and-gas emissions. A photograph of the lava dome taken on 22 May revealed that it had diminished in size compared to 29 April. Based on information from ground reports, video footage, and MWO, the Washington VAAC reported that an eruption occurred on 17 June at 1140. An ash cloud was produced that rose to a height of ~8 km a.s.l. and drifted to the WSW.
Sources: Centro Nacional de Prevencion de Desastres (CENAPRED), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Sheveluch
| Central Kamchatka (Russia)
| 56.653°N, 161.36°E
| Elevation 3283 m
During 7-14 June, seismicity at Shiveluch remained above background levels and included earthquakes with magnitudes less than or equal to 2.3 at depths of 0-6 km, many local shallow seismic signals (from possible avalanches or weak gas-and-ash explosions), and episodes of weak intermittent volcanic tremor. According to interpretations of seismic data, from one to three short-lived explosive eruptions per day probably sent ash-and-gas plumes ~1 km above the lava dome. Thermal anomalies were visible on AVHRR satellite imagery, but ash was not. The Concern Color Code was reduced from Orange ("volcano is in eruption or eruption may occur at any time") to Yellow ("volcano is restless").
Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Soufriere Hills
| Montserrat
| 16.72°N, 62.18°W
| Elevation 915 m
Volcanic and seismic activity remained at low levels at Soufrière Hills during 7-14 June. The massive extrusive lobe on the SE side of the lava dome continued to grow steadily throughout the week, although there was a low level of rockfall and seismic activity. Minor rockfall activity occurred on the E flank of the dome, increasing slightly during the latter half of the week.
Sources: Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Tungurahua
| Ecuador
| 1.467°S, 78.442°W
| Elevation 5023 m
During 13-17 June, continuous degassing occurred at Tungurahua, accompanied by nearly continuous volcanic tremor, long-period earthquakes, and occasional small-to-moderate explosions sometimes preceded by volcano-tectonic events. On 13 June incandescence was visible in the crater, volcanic blocks rolled 500-800 m down Tungurahua's flanks, and continuous ash emissions were followed by three small explosions. A pilot reported observing a W-drifting steam-and-ash column ~2 km above the volcano's summit. Also, an explosion during the afternoon produced an ash cloud that rose to 2 km above the volcano.
Sources: Instituto GeofÃsico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
News Feeds and Google Placemarks
The RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed is identical to the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report minus some features including the header information (latitude and longitude and summit elevation), the Geologic Summary, and a link to the volcano's page from the Global Volcanism Program. Each volcano report includes a link from the volcano's name back to the more complete information in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report on the Smithsonian website.
The CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) feeds are XML files specifically formatted for disaster management. They are similar in content to the RSS feed, but contain no active links.
A Google Earth network link for the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report can be loaded into the free Google Earth software, and in turn will load placemarks for volcanoes in the current weekly report. Placemark balloons include the volcano name, report date, report text, sources, and links back to the GVP volcano page for that volcano and to the complete Weekly Report for that week.
Criteria & Disclaimers
Criteria
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.
Disclaimers
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 monthly, and 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.
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RSS and CAP Feeds
An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed for the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report first made available on 5 March 2008 can be utilized with the aid of various free downloadable readers. The report content of the news feed is identical to the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report minus some features including the header information (latitude and longitude and summit elevation), the Geologic Summary, and a link to the volcano's page from the Global Volcanism Program. Each volcano report includes a link from the volcano's name back to the more complete information in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report on the Smithsonian website. On 12 March 2009, GeoRSS tags were added so that the latitude and longitude for each volcano could be included with the feed.
At the end of each individual report is a list of the sources used. We would like to emphasize that the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) website (http://www.wovo.org/) lists the regional volcano observatories that have the most authoritative data for many of these events.
CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) feeds are XML files specifically formatted for disaster management.
Google Earth Placemarks
A Google Earth network link for the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report was first made available on 1 April 2009. This file can be loaded into the free Google Earth software, and in turn will load placemarks for volcanoes in the current weekly report. Placemark balloons include the volcano name, report date, report text, sources, and links back to the GVP volcano page for that volcano and to the complete Weekly Report for that week.
