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Report on Klyuchevskoy (Russia) — 14 December-20 December 2022


Klyuchevskoy

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 14 December-20 December 2022
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2022. Report on Klyuchevskoy (Russia) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 14 December-20 December 2022. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (14 December-20 December 2022)

Klyuchevskoy

Russia

56.056°N, 160.642°E; summit elev. 4754 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


KVERT reported that the explosive Strombolian eruption at Klyuchevskoy that began on 16 November had decreased. The Kamchatka Branch of Geophysical Services (KBGS; Russian Academy of Sciences) noted that possible ash plumes rose as high as 150 m above the summit on 1 December. KVERT began to characterize the activity as moderate on 6 December and noted that the periodic thermal anomalies identified in satellite images had become weak on 9 December. The Aviation Color Code remained at Yellow (the second lowest level on a four-color scale).

Geological Summary. Klyuchevskoy (also spelled Kliuchevskoi) is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. It rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred during the past roughly 3000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m elevation. The morphology of the 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions 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), Institute of Volcanology and Geodynamics, Russian Academy of Natural Science