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Report on Avachinsky (Russia) — 7 May-13 May 2008


Avachinsky

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 7 May-13 May 2008
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2008. Report on Avachinsky (Russia) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 7 May-13 May 2008. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (7 May-13 May 2008)

Avachinsky

Russia

53.256°N, 158.836°E; summit elev. 2717 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Based on information from KEMSD, the Tokyo VAAC reported that an eruption plume from Avachinsky rose to an altitude of 4.3 km (14,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted S and E on 10 May. [Note: KVERT did not detect ash on satellite imagery nor by direct observation.]

Geological Summary. Avachinsky, one of Kamchatka's most active volcanoes, rises above Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka's largest city. It began to form during the middle or late Pleistocene, and is flanked to the SE by Kozelsky volcano, which has a large crater breached to the NE. A large collapse scarp open to the SW was created when a major debris avalanche about 30,000-40,000 years ago buried an area of about 500 km2 to the south, underlying the city of Petropavlovsk. Reconstruction of the volcano took place in two stages, the first of which began about 18,000 years before present (BP), and the second 7,000 years BP. Most eruptions have been explosive, with pyroclastic flows and hot lahars being directed primarily to the SW by the collapse scarp, although there have also been relatively short lava flows. The frequent historical eruptions have been similar in style and magnitude to previous Holocene eruptions.

Source: Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)