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Report on Veniaminof (United States) — 21 April-27 April 2004


Veniaminof

Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
21 April-27 April 2004
Managing Editor: Gari Mayberry

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2004. Report on Veniaminof (United States). In: Mayberry, G (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 21 April-27 April 2004. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (21 April-27 April 2004)

Veniaminof

United States

56.17°N, 159.38°W; summit elev. 2507 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


After a period of heightened seismicity at Veniaminof during 14-17 April that led AVO to increase the Concern Color Code from Green to Yellow, there was a marked decrease in the episodes of low-level volcanic tremor and small volcanic earthquakes through 26 April. A newly installed internet-based video camera located in Perryville allowed AVO to observe the volcano during clear weather. During the afternoon and evening of 25 April, more than 25 small steam-and-ash emissions were seen during an 8-hour period, producing clouds that rose 300-600 m above the active cone. These clouds typically were confined to the summit caldera, but could pose a hazard to people and low-flying aircraft in the immediate vicinity of the active cone. Through 26 April, Veniaminof remained at Concern Color Yellow.

Geological Summary. Veniaminof, on the Alaska Peninsula, is truncated by a steep-walled, 8 x 11 km, glacier-filled caldera that formed around 3,700 years ago. The caldera rim is up to 520 m high on the north, is deeply notched on the west by Cone Glacier, and is covered by an ice sheet on the south. Post-caldera vents are located along a NW-SE zone bisecting the caldera that extends 55 km from near the Bering Sea coast, across the caldera, and down the Pacific flank. Historical eruptions probably all originated from the westernmost and most prominent of two intra-caldera cones, which rises about 300 m above the surrounding icefield. The other cone is larger, and has a summit crater or caldera that may reach 2.5 km in diameter, but is more subdued and barely rises above the glacier surface.

Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)