All times are local unless otherwise stated.

Bezymianny (Russia) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Bezymianny Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	During 28 April to 5 May, Bezymianny's lava dome continued to grow. Seismicity was above background levels during 30 April to 3 May. Incandescent avalanches were visible on 4 May. At the lava dome, fumarolic activity occurred and thermal anomalies were visible on satellite imagery. Bezymianny was at Concern Color Code Yellow, which meant an explosive eruption was possible in the following 4 weeks. On 7 May the Concern Color Code was raised to Orange due to an increase in seismicity and the number of incandescent avalanches (14 occurred on 6 May in comparison to 4-6 during the previous 2 days). Intense fumarolic activity occurred, with occasional small amounts of ash. KVERT reported that an explosive eruption was possible in the next 1 or 2 weeks. On 9 May around 1935, the Concern Color Code was raised to Red, the highest level, due to increased seismicity and incandescent avalanches. A gas plume rose higher than 7 km (23,000 ft) a.s.l. and a strong thermal anomaly was visible on satellite imagery. An explosive eruption was expected in the next 1 or 2 days. An explosive eruption occurred at Bezymianny on 9 May during 2121 to 2145. The explosion produced an ash column that rose to a height of ~15 km (49,200 ft) a.s.l. A co-ignimbrite ash plume was about 40 km in diameter and mainly extended NE of the volcano. On 10 May around 0100, seismicity returned to background levels and the Concern Color Code was reduced to Orange. Small fumarolic plumes were observed during the early morning of the 10th and lava probably began to flow at the lava dome. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Merapi (Indonesia) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Merapi Sunda Volcanic Arc	CVGHM reported that on 6 May, gas plumes rose to 800 m above Merapi (or 12,300 ft a.s.l.) and 18 incandescent avalanches of volcanic material were observed. On 7 May, 26 incandescent avalanches that extended about 100 m were seen during the morning. Incandescence was seen at the summit ten times. On 6 and 7 May, the lava dome continued to grow and seismicity was dominated by multi-phase earthquakes. Shallow volcanic earthquakes and signals from landslides and rockfalls were also recorded. On 8 May, the Darwin VAAC reported that CVGHM warned of a plume rising to ~3.7 km (12,000 ft) a.s.l. No ash was visible on satellite imagery. Merapi remained at Alert Level 3 (on a scale of 1-4), as it has since 12 April. Sources: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM), Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)

Bagana (Papua New Guinea) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Bagana Solomon Volcanic Arc	On 4 May, satellite imagery showed an ash plume from Bagana at a height of ~3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. extending 4 km W. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Barren Island (India) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Barren Island Andaman Volcanic Back-Arc	On 3 May, low-level ash plumes from Barren Island were visible on satellite imagery extending N. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Cleveland (United States) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Cleveland Aleutian Ridge Volcanic Arc	On the morning of 2 May beginning at 0101, a thermal anomaly and continuous plume from Cleveland were seen on satellite imagery. The plume extended ~50 km SW of the volcano and was visible on satellite imagery for about 6 hours. Satellite data suggested a maximum cloud height of ~1 km (3,500 ft) a.s.l. There was no indication of ash in the observed cloud. No further activity was detected at Cleveland after 2 May. Cleveland was not assigned a Concern Color Code because there is no real-time seismic network at the volcano to monitor seismic changes. Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
Galeras (Colombia) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Galeras Andean Northern Volcanic Arc	INGEOMINAS reported that Galeras remained at a critical state during 1-8 May, with a partially solidified lava dome in the main crater and low levels of seismicity. The sulfur-dioxide flux continued at very low levels. Galeras remained at Alert Level 2 (likely eruption in days or weeks). Source: Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC)
Kilauea (United States) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Kilauea Hawaiian-Emperor Hotspot Volcano Group	During 4-8 May, lava from Kilauea continued to flow off of a lava delta into the ocean at the East Lae`apuki entry. No surface lava flows were visible on the Puluma pali fault scarp, as has been the case since 8 February. Low-level volcanic tremor was recorded at Kilauea's summit, accompanied by a few small earthquakes. Volcanic tremor reached moderate levels at Pu`u `O`o. Small amounts of inflation and deflation occurred at the volcano. Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Lopevi (Vanuatu) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Lopevi Vanuatu Volcanic Arc	Based on information from a pilot report, the Wellington VAAC reported that on 7 May a small ash plume from Lopevi was visible below a height of ~3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and an active lava flow was observed at the volcano. Source: Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Manam (Papua New Guinea) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Manam Bismarck Volcanic Arc	On 8 May, an ash plume from Manam was visible on satellite imagery at a height of ~3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
St. Helens (United States) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
St. Helens High Cascades Volcanic Arc	Growth of the new lava dome inside the crater of Mount St. Helens continued during 4-8 May, accompanied by low rates of seismicity, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases, and minor production of ash. The dome-building eruption that began in October 2004 continued at the same pace as in previous weeks, accompanied by low background levels of seismicity and other eruption indicators. A GPS (Global Positioning System) instrument on the new lava dome W of the vent continued to move W nearly 1 m per day. St. Helens remained at Volcano Advisory (Alert Level 2); aviation color code Orange. Source: US Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO)
Tungurahua (Ecuador) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Tungurahua Andean Northern Volcanic Arc	During 4-8 May, small-to-moderate explosions at Tungurahua produced plumes composed of gas, steam, and small amounts of ash. Seismicity was at relatively high levels and was dominated by signals from long-period earthquakes and explosions. Sources: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN)
Ubinas (Peru) | 3 May-9 May 2006 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Ubinas Andean Central Volcanic Arc	Based on information from significant meteorological advisories (SIGMET), the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that ash emitted from Ubinas during 4-8 May rose to a maximum height of ~6.7 km (22,000 ft) a.s.l. Source: Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

Weekly Reports Archive

Since the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report began in November 2000, there have been 20,322 individual reports over 1,229 weeks (average of 17 per week) on 336 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)