Report on Klyuchevskoy (Russia) — 7 July-13 July 2010
Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 7 July-13 July 2010
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2010. Report on Klyuchevskoy (Russia) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 7 July-13 July 2010. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Klyuchevskoy
Russia
56.056°N, 160.642°E; summit elev. 4754 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
KVERT reported that during 2-9 July seismic activity from Kliuchevskoi was above background levels. Satellite imagery analysis showed a large daily thermal anomaly over the volcano and a gas-and-steam plume that drifted 76 km S on 2 July. Ash plumes occasionally rose to an altitude of 5.3 km (17,400 ft) a.s.l., and gas-and-steam activity was seen during 2-4 July. According to a news article, lava flowed from a fissure during 8-9 July. The Aviation Color Code level remained at Orange.
Geological Summary. Klyuchevskoy is the highest and most active volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Since its origin about 6,000 years ago, this symmetrical, basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. It rises above a saddle NE of Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred during approximately the past 3,000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 and 3,600 m elevation. Eruptions recorded since the late 17th century have resulted in frequent changes to the morphology of the 700-m-wide summit crater. These eruptions over the past 400 years have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included numerous major explosive and effusive eruptions from flank craters.
Sources: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), Itar-Tass News