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Report on Karymsky (Russia) — 25 January-31 January 2012


Karymsky

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 25 January-31 January 2012
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2012. Report on Karymsky (Russia) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 25 January-31 January 2012. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (25 January-31 January 2012)

Karymsky

Russia

54.049°N, 159.443°E; summit elev. 1513 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


KVERT reported that seismic activity continued at a moderate level at Karymsky during 19-27 January and indicated that ash plumes possibly rose to an altitude of 3 km (9,840 ft) a.s.l. during 19-21 and on 25 January. Satellite imagery showed a thermal anomaly at the volcano during 21-24 January and gas-and-steam plumes containing ash that were drifting as far as 70 km NW on 23 January. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange.

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)