KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Karymsky was visible in satellite images on most days during 22-29 April. Explosions during 21-22 April produced ash plumes that rose as high as 5 km (16,400 ft) a.s.l. and drifted around 95 km E and SE. Explosions at 1410 on 28 April, local time, generated an ash plume that rose to 10 km (32,800 ft) a.s.l., was about 5 x 7 km at it’s top, and drifted WNW. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red (the highest level on a four-color scale). By 1550 the ash cloud had spread to 28 x 34 km in size and had drifted almost 290 km WNW at an altitude of 9 km. The Aviation Color Code was lowered to orange because ash was no longer being emitted from the volcano. The plume had drifted more than 1,000 km before dissipating.

Geological Summary. Karymsky, the most active volcano of Kamchatka's eastern volcanic zone, is a symmetrical stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera that formed during the early Holocene. The caldera cuts the south side of the Pleistocene Dvor volcano and is located outside the north margin of the large mid-Pleistocene Polovinka caldera, which contains the smaller Akademia Nauk and Odnoboky calderas. Most seismicity preceding Karymsky eruptions originated beneath Akademia Nauk caldera, located immediately south. The caldera enclosing Karymsky formed about 7600-7700 radiocarbon years ago; construction of the stratovolcano began about 2000 years later. The latest eruptive period began about 500 years ago, following a 2300-year quiescence. Much of the cone is mantled by lava flows less than 200 years old. Historical eruptions have been vulcanian or vulcanian-strombolian with moderate explosive activity and occasional lava flows from the summit crater.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)