Activity for the week of 26 January-1 February 2005
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
Ebeko
| Paramushir Island (Russia)
| 50.686°N, 156.014°E
| Elevation 1103 m
Due to an increase in volcanic activity at Ebeko, on 30 January KVERT raised the Concern Color Code from Green to Yellow. On 27 and 28 January a strong sulfur scent was detected in the town of Severo-Kurilsk, ~7 km from Ebeko. On the 27th a gas-and-steam plume rose ~400 m above the volcano. During 28-29 January, a plume rose ~300 m above the vent on the on the NE side of the volcano's active crater. Ash deposits that were 2-3 mm thick were found 10 m from the vent. Ash extended about 500 m E. At this time a new 7x12-m turquoise lake emerged in the SW part of the active crater. The lake disappeared on 30 January, and there was intensive fumarolic activity where it had been. During the report period, shallow earthquakes were recorded at the Severo-Kurilsk seismic station.
Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Manam
| Papua New Guinea
| 4.08°S, 145.037°E
| Elevation 1807 m
RVO reported that an eruption at Manam during the evening of 27 January was more severe than other eruptions that have occurred during the current eruptive period. Debris from the eruption was voluminous and widespread on the island. RVO's monitoring base at Warisi village was completely destroyed by a possible pyroclastic flow, preventing RVO from providing information on the current level of activity. One person was killed by volcanic activity, and about 14 people living in Warisi village were injured.
The Darwin VAAC estimated that the eruption around 2400 on 27 January rose 21-24 km a.s.l. The volcanic cloud was very difficult to track because it was ice rich and mixed with monsoonal storms, but dispersion models and satellite imagery suggested that a mid-tropospheric portion of the cloud spread quickly W over Irian Jaya, while a higher portion of the cloud remained near the eruption site for an extended amount of time. Another large eruption occurred around 2300 on 28 January.
According to news reports, many of the residents of the island who were originally evacuated in November 2004 had returned. There were reports of several houses that had burned down from hot emissions and others collapsed under the weight of ash and pyroclastic material. After the large eruption on 27 January, local authorities planned to evacuate about 2,000 residents.
Sources: Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO), Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), The National
Ongoing Activity
Anatahan
| Mariana Islands (USA)
| 16.35°N, 145.67°E
| Elevation 790 m
As of 30 January Anatahan continued to erupt, with Strombolian explosions occurring about every minute, similar to activity of the previous few weeks. Seismicity during the current eruption reached a high on 26 January, at a level about 20% above previous high levels for the year. After midday on the 27th the explosions became larger but less frequent than before. At about that time, a commercial pilot reported ash to ~3 km a.s.l. and satellite imagery also showed a plume of ash and vog (fog composed of volcanic gases) trailing 65-90 km downwind. On 30 January seismicity levels were about 15% below the peak values of January 26.
Source: Emergency Management Office of the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands and United States Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program
Colima
| Mexico
| 19.514°N, 103.62°W
| Elevation 3850 m
During 26-31 January, several small ash explosions at Colima produced plumes that traveled NE. According to the Washington VAAC, the highest rising ash plume reached ~6.4 km a.s.l.
Sources: Centro Universitario de Estudios e Investigaciones de Vulcanologia - Universidad de Colima, Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Erta Ale
| Ethiopia
| 13.6°N, 40.67°E
| Elevation 613 m
An international team led by SVE, visited Erta Ale during 22-23 January. They observed no significant changes at the volcano since last observed in November 2004. Degassing continued from three of the four coalescent hornitos in the SW part of South Crater, but decreased slightly in comparison with observations made in December 2004. One hornito contained glowing molten lava. Degassing from North Crater also slightly decreased. Near the NW wall of the crater two small red glowing areas were visible at the summit of two hornitos in the crater.
Source: European Volcanological Society (SVE)
Galeras
| Colombia
| 1.22°N, 77.37°W
| Elevation 4276 m
During 25-31 January, low-level relatively shallow seismicity continued at Galeras, and a small amount of deformation towards the W portion of the volcanic cone occurred. On 30 January an emission of gas and ash rose ~800 m above the volcano.
Sources: Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Kilauea
| Hawaiian Islands (USA)
| 19.421°N, 155.287°W
| Elevation 1222 m
During 26-29 January, surface lava was visible at various spots along the PKK lava flow. All of the vents in the crater of Pu`u `O`o were visible at times. Small earthquakes were recorded at Kilauea's summit and decreased near the end of the report period. Slight tremor was recorded at the summit, and volcanic tremor at Pu`u `O`o remained at moderate levels. Small amounts of deformation was recorded at the volcano.
Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Klyuchevskoy
| Central Kamchatka (Russia)
| 56.056°N, 160.642°E
| Elevation 4754 m
Strombolian activity occurred at Kliuchevskoi during 20-23 and 27 January. Explosions sent volcanic bombs 50-300 m above the crater on several nights. Gas-and-steam plumes rose to a maximum height of 1.5 km above the crater. On 21 January a gas-and-steam plume with small amounts of ash extended as far as 23 km NE of the volcano. During 21-28 January seismicity was above background levels, with a large number of shallow earthquakes recorded daily. Kliuchevskoi remained at Concern Color Code Orange.
Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Paluweh
| Indonesia
| 8.32°S, 121.708°E
| Elevation 875 m
News reports of an increase in volcanic activity at Paluweh (also known as Rokatenda) on 31 January were found to be false by DVGHM. DVGHM staff found no activity at the volcano, so it remained at Alert Level 1.
Sources: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM), The Jakarta Post
Rabaul
| New Britain (Papua New Guinea)
| 4.271°S, 152.203°E
| Elevation 688 m
Based on information from RVO, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 31 January ash was emitted from Rabaul to a height of ~1 km above the summit. Ash was not visible on satellite imagery.
Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
St. Helens
| United States
| 46.2°N, 122.18°W
| Elevation 2549 m
During 26 January to 1 February, growth of the new lava dome inside the crater of St. Helens continued, accompanied by low rates of seismicity, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases, and minor production of ash. Seismicity continued at roughly the same rate as that of mid-December. Small earthquakes (M less than 1.5) occurred 2-3 times per minute beneath the new lava dome. The GPS receiver located on new lava-dome rock continued its steady ESE progression. GPS receivers on the 1980-86 lava dome, which lies to the N, continued their trifling northward travel. St. Helens remained at Volcano Advisory (Alert Level 2); aviation color code Orange.
Source: US Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO)
Tungurahua
| Ecuador
| 1.467°S, 78.442°W
| Elevation 5023 m
Ash emission from Tungurahua on the evening of 25 January deposited a small amount of ash in the sector of Puala. On 26 July ash was deposited on the volcano's N and W flanks. The character of the eruption changed on 30 January to low-energy emissions of predominately steam. This type of activity continued through 31 January.
Sources: Instituto GeofÃsico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Veniaminof
| United States
| 56.17°N, 159.38°W
| Elevation 2507 m
During 21-28 January, seismic data, web camera views, and satellite images all indicated that low-level ash emissions at Veniaminof continued. Seismicity was similar to levels observed during the previous week, consisting of low-amplitude volcanic tremor with occasional larger bursts. During periods of clear weather, satellite imagery showed anomalous heat at the summit cone, consistent with hot blocks and ash being ejected from the active vent. The web camera showed intermittent ash plumes reaching as high as 3 km a.s.l. Occasional stronger bursts of seismic tremor around 28 January may have indicated plumes to higher levels, but not above 4 km a.s.l. Veniaminof remained at Concern Color Code Orange.
Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
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.
