Report on Bezymianny (Russia) — 20 November-26 November 2002
Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 20 November-26 November 2002
Managing Editor: Gari Mayberry
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2002. Report on Bezymianny (Russia). In: Mayberry, G (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 20 November-26 November 2002. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Volcano Profile | Weekly Report (20 November-26 November 2002)
Bezymianny
Russia
55.972°N, 160.595°E; summit elev. 2882 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
The Concern Color Code at Bezymianny was reduced from Yellow to Green during 15-22 November. No seismic activity was recorded and satellite images revealed only a very weak thermal anomaly. KVERT stated that this hot spot may indicate hot gas emission from the lava dome.
Geologic Background. Prior to its noted 1955-56 eruption, Bezymianny had been considered extinct. The modern volcano, much smaller in size than its massive neighbors Kamen and Kliuchevskoi, was formed about 4700 years ago over a late-Pleistocene lava-dome complex and an ancestral edifice built about 11,000-7000 years ago. Three periods of intensified activity have occurred during the past 3000 years. The latest period, which was preceded by a 1000-year quiescence, began with the dramatic 1955-56 eruption. This eruption, similar to that of St. Helens in 1980, produced a large horseshoe-shaped crater that was formed by collapse of the summit and an associated lateral blast. Subsequent episodic but ongoing lava-dome growth, accompanied by intermittent explosive activity and pyroclastic flows, has largely filled the 1956 crater.
