Report on Koryaksky (Russia) — December 2003
Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 28, no. 12 (December 2003)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.
Koryaksky (Russia) News report of a 12 December, M 3.6 earthquake at 6 km depth
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2003. Report on Koryaksky (Russia) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 28:12. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN200312-300090
Koryaksky
Russia
53.321°N, 158.712°E; summit elev. 3430 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Our last report for Koryaksky was BGVN 22:11, discussing seismicity in 1997. According to a Russian Information Agency Novosti press report, on 12 December 2003 instruments detected an M 3.6 earthquake followed by ~ 2 hours of seismicity at ~ 6 km depth beneath Koryaksky. A cyclonic weather system over the peninsula obstructed visual observations.
Geological Summary. The large symmetrical Koryaksky stratovolcano is the most prominent landmark of the NW-trending Avachinskaya volcano group, which towers above Kamchatka's largest city, Petropavlovsk. Erosion has produced a ribbed surface on the eastern flanks of the 3430-m-high volcano; the youngest lava flows are found on the upper W flank and below SE-flank cinder cones. Extensive Holocene lava fields on the western flank were primarily fed by summit vents; those on the SW flank originated from flank vents. Lahars associated with a period of lava effusion from south- and SW-flank fissure vents about 3900-3500 years ago reached Avacha Bay. Only a few moderate explosive eruptions have occurred during historical time, but no strong explosive eruptions have been documented during the Holocene. Koryaksky's first historical eruption, in 1895, also produced a lava flow.
Information Contacts: Russian Information Agency Novosti (URL: http://russia-insider.com/).