Kamchatka volcanoes triggered by the M8.8

[bjdeming]

This apparently is real, not hype. Per TASS (Russian) via Google translation -- links added:

The powerful earthquake that occurred in Kamchatka on July 30 increased the activity of volcanoes. The seismic event gave additional energy to magmatic centers, Alexey Ozerov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told journalists.

We are witnessing quite extreme events in Kamchatka. On July 20, there was an earthquake in Avacha Bay, then on July 30, another earthquake, which was powerful and felt at a magnitude of 6-7. Almost simultaneously with this, the activity of volcanoes increased significantly. We associate the eruptions with the last earthquake, which activated magmatic centers, "pumped" additional energy into them," Ozerov said.

According to him, Avachinsky volcano was the first to show signs of activation - steam and gas emissions with a small amount of ash rose above its crater to a height of up to 300 m. These emissions are dangerous for tourists who traditionally climb Avachinsky volcano. Employees of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences immediately began studying this activity, and in the coming days, as soon as weather conditions allow, they will climb the volcano for a more complete survey.

The next to react was the Klyuchevskoy volcano, which was in a state of eruption, bombs were thrown out of its crater to a height of about 200 m, there were small ash emissions. "On July 30, an ash column up to 6 km high was formed, a lava flow began to pour out onto the slope. On July 30, the length of the flow was 1.5 km, on August 3, its length is almost 3.5 km. This is a dangerous phenomenon, since the flow is moving down in the direction of the Bogdanovich glacier," the scientist explained, adding that the glacier will melt, a large amount of water will go along the Studenaya River, mudflows will block the federal highway on the Kozyrevsk-Klyuchi-Ust-Kamchatsk section. In addition, tourists who are currently on the Tolbachik volcano may be cut off.


Krasheninnikov Volcano, which had been silent since about 1400, became active on August 3. "The eruption began from the summit crater, and at the same time a crack opened up along the volcano, from which steam and gas emissions are currently coming. During the opening of the crack, a large amount of ash was ejected from the summit crater," Ozerov said.

According to residents of the village of Ozernaya, a powerful rumble and rumblings are occasionally heard from the Kambalny volcano. There is a high probability that this volcano has also entered the eruption stage under the influence of seismic events on July 30. Ozerov noted the danger of being in areas subject to eruptions and recommended that residents and visitors of the peninsula refrain from visiting active volcanoes and adjacent areas. In addition, the situation is currently dangerous for aviation.

That's a 3-day-old story, but a more or less intact version of it is starting to spread in English-language media now (forget the TASS English version: it can't even get Krasheninnikov and Klyuchevskoy, which is Eurasia's highest active volcano and over 200 km away from Krasheninnikov, straight).

And it is a dangerous situation. For instance, Avachinsky is close to Petropavlovsk, and if that glacier on Klyuchevskoy melts it could cause a huge lahar/mudflow in a populated area, though not densely populated, in addition to the other issues reported.

I added links to each volcano's Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program (GVP) page because, if this develops, they are the best source of English-language updates, though I think those only come out weekly and monthly. None is updated yet, but they can get KVERT's reports (I hope), even if we nonspecialists can't get through to that website.

 

[bjdeming]

This isn't a very familiar area to most of us, so here are some videos.

It's a UNESCO site, and here is an English NHK video on that. AFAIK, most of the volcanoes near the coast are active, along with the group in Central Kamchatka, and volcanologists are advising people to stay away from them. In summer, the tourist season. Besides safety issues, that's likely to be a local economic blow, too.



Unrelated, but there are tigers in those woods, too. And bears. Wild place!

There are some spectacular thermal areas on the peninsula, too, which are probably included in the advisory. This one is the most famous:



Lots of people do climb Avachinsky, and this is my favorite video of that thus far, from 2019 (nearby Koryaksky is probably active, too, but wasn't mentioned in the TASS article:



The peculiar-looking grill stuff at the summit is a lava plug from its last eruption, in the 1990s.

Klyuchevskoy is a famous drama queen anyway. Here's a video from a few years ago:

 

[bjdeming]

KVERT has a new URL - here's Tokyo VAAC's advisories page, too:

• KVERT (Kamchatka Volcano Eruption Response Team)
• Tokyo VAAC advisories

KVERT raised the Klyuchevskoy aviation code to Red and this volcano has been getting VAAC advisories all day -- the current one reports ash at 40,000 feet.

This is from two days ago.



Strombolian fountaining -- hard to see in daylight, but that's what I read it was. Apparently that has intensified, per the image accompanying this TASS article (Russian).

Klyuchevskoy is apparently the main problem at the moment. Avachinsky is Green. So is Kambalny, and Krasheninnikov, at Aviation Code Orange, keeps a goin'.

Here are all VANs for the 6th.

It's good to have online volcano observatory websites.

 

[bjdeming]

A dam near Klyuchevskoy reportedly has failed because of meltwater, not with immediate dire consequences but perhaps it's a sign of things to come.

...Lava from Klyuchevskoy volcano is currently descending toward the Bogdanovich Glacier, causing accelerated ice melt. The resulting surge of meltwater cascades down the slopes, generating large-scale mud and debris flows.

Experts warn that if these flows continue to intensify, they will cause a direct threat to tourists in the Tolbachinsky Valley.

 

[bjdeming]

No more news. I just got a screenshot from one of the Bezymianny cams of Kkyuchevskoy really lighting up the cloudy night (it's a quarter to 3 a m. tomorrow morning there):

The two volcanoes are close neighbors, with extinct Kamen in between.

The Klyuchevskoy cams must be offline because they're dark.

 

[bjdeming]

Not much change at either "K," but a cool picture of Krasheninnikov from space:



The landscape there is very fissured anyway because of tectonics.

Per current KVERT activity notice:

KRASHENINNIKOV VOLCANO (CAVW #300190)
54.6 N, 160.27 E; Elevation 1856 m (6088 ft)
Aviation Colour Code is ORANGE

An explosive-effusive eruption of the volcano continues. Lava flows have filled the crater of the Northern сone of the volcano and flow in several branches onto its northwestern slope; at the foot of the cone, in the caldera of the volcano, lava flow deposits have formed with an area of about 1 square kilometer. Volcanic bombs are ejected along with gas-ash material from numerous vents on the fissure that cuts through the crater and the northwestern slope of the Northern cone of the volcano. An ash emission from the Northern cone crater and an effuse of a lava flow to its northwestern flank continues. Satellite data by KVERT showed the volcano was obscured by clouds.

KLYUCHEVSKOY VOLCANO (CAVW #300260)
56.06 N, 160.64 E; Elevation 4750 m (15580 ft)
Aviation Colour Code is RED

A summit explosive-effusive eruption of the volcano continues. The lava flows has been effusing down the western slope of the volcano, this process is accompanied by phreatic explosions with ash removal up to 8 km a.s.l. Activity of the volcano has decreased slightly, but remains high; explosions sent ash up to 9 km a.s.l. Satellite data by KVERT showed a bright thermal anomaly over the volcano; an ash plume extended for 1800 km to the east and southeast of the volcano.