Of Etna and Kizimen

There are some interesting stirings of volcanoes. Some that have been quite for a while are clearing their throats, while others that have always has some activity are singing harmony…

Mount Etna

Original Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EtnaAvió.JPG.

OK, there are always some volcanoes going off somewhere. For me it’s of interest when one that’s been quiet for a while starts being more active. Etna has been active on and off for a long time, so this isn’t all THAT big a deal, but still, things are waking up just a wee bit. One of the theories of climate cycling has a volcanic component. To the extent that theory is right, we ought to see increased volcanic and earthquake activity ‘a few years’ into this solar Grand Minimum. So I’d make that about now and for the next 20 years. Something to keep an eye on, but with a 20 year ‘time horizon’ we don’t need to check in too often.

These folks have a nice summary volcano status page:

http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/

From them:

Etna

INGV-CT reported that during the first few days of December gas emissions from a large pit crater on the lower E flank of Etna’s Southeast Crater cone nearly ceased. On 22 December at 0446 a strong explosion occurred at the W vent of the Bocca Nuova (BN-1). This event generated an ash plume a few meters high, which then drifted NE, causing light ashfall in areas as far as the town of Linguaglossa (17 km NE). On 23 December bluish gas rose from a vent at the base of the W wall of the pit, at the base of the Southeast Crater cone. Bright incandescence was intermittently visible on video footage. Inclement weather prevented clear observations that day and during the next few days. On 29 December extremely small amounts of incandescent material emitted from the pit crater were observed using visible and thermal cameras. The brief emissions (2-6 second intervals) were jets of mainly hot gas that barely rose above the rim of the pit crater. Inclement weather again prevented observations of the crater during 30-31 December.

During the late afternoon on 2 January, strong incandescence at the pit crater evolved into vigorous Strombolian activity. Frequent Strombolian explosions (1-3 per minute) ejected coarse-grained incandescent material a few tens of meters above the rim of the pit. On a few occasions, incandescent bombs fell outside the pit’s rim, mainly to the S and E. The activity continued into the early morning then decreased markedly. Negligible quantities of volcanic ash were produced.

Geologic Summary. Mount Etna, towering above Catania, Sicily’s second largest city, has one of the world’s longest documented records of historical volcanism, dating back to 1500 BC. Historical lava flows cover much of the surface of this massive basaltic stratovolcano, the highest and most voluminous in Italy. Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur at Etna. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more of the three prominent summit craters, the Central Crater, NE Crater, and SE Crater. Flank eruptions, typically with higher effusion rates, occur less frequently and originate from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit. A period of more intense intermittent explosive eruptions from Etna’s summit craters began in 1995. The active volcano is monitored by the Instituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Volcanologia (INGV) in Catania.

So just about the time we reached the 1998 temperature peak, this volcano starts acting up again. Hmmm….

If I lived in Italy, I’d start watching the quake reports for any nearby volcanoes. You don’t want to be hanging around too long if a load of harmonic tremor begins…

The 2002 eruption as seen from space:

Etna 2002 Eruption as seen from space

Original source and larger image

Stromboli

Honorary Mention goes to Stromboli, but he’s always showing off:

STROMBOLI Aeolian Islands (Italy) 38.789°N, 15.213°E; summit elev. 924 m

INGV-CT reported that on 19 December a major explosion from a vent in the southern part of Stromboli’s crater terrace occurred at 0956, coincident with explosive sequence consisting of three discrete seismic events. During the last few days of December the “S1” vent produced frequent explosions of greater intensity than those of the preceding days. Jets rose 200 m above the crater terrace. On 27 December, the frequency of the explosions rose to 11-14 per hour. The “S1” vent is immediately next to the “S” vent, the source of the 19 December explosion.

Geologic Summary. Spectacular incandescent nighttime explosions at Stromboli volcano have long attracted visitors to the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean.”Stromboli, the NE-most of the Aeolian Islands, has lent its name to the frequent mild explosive activity that has characterized its eruptions throughout historical time. The small, 926-m-high island of Stromboli is the emergent summit of a volcano that grew in two main eruptive cycles, the last of which formed the western portion of the island. The active summit vents are located at the head of the Sciara del Fuoco, a horseshoe-shaped scarp formed as a result of slope failure that extends to below sea level and funnels pyroclastic ejecta and lava flows to the NW. Essentially continuous mild Strombolian explosions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded at Stromboli since Roman times.

Then again, the most active ones might act as sentinels that the less active ones need watching…

Kamchatka

There are several (I cound 4 at the moment) going off in Kamchatka lately. Something is afoot there… This one caught my eye today:

KIZIMEN Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) 55.130°N, 160.32°E; summit elev. 2376 m

KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Kizimen’s lava dome was observed in satellite imagery during 29 December-1 January and that an explosive eruption that began on 13 December continued. On 31 December seismicity increased and volcanic tremor was detected. Explosions occurred sporadically for a period of about 20 minutes. Ash plumes detected in satellite imagery rose to an altitude of 8 km (26,200 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW. Ashfall at least 1 mm thick occurred in multiple areas 225-275 km SSW, including Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yelizovo, Paratunka, and Nalychevo. On 1 January the Aviation Color Code was raised to Red. Ash plumes at an altitude of 4 km (13,100 ft) a.s.l. drifted 480-500 km SW; ash continued to accumulate in some areas. Seismic data indicated increased activity on 3 January. Explosions continued, and ash plumes drifted more than 200 km SE. A large and bright thermal anomaly was observed in satellite imagery.

Based on analysis of satellite imagery, the Tokyo VAAC reported that possible eruptions during 2-4 January produced plumes that rose to an altitude of 3-4.6 km (10,000-15,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted S, E, and NE. Subsequent images on those same days showed ash emissions continuing, then dissipating.

Geologic Summary. Kizimen is an isolated, conical stratovolcano that is morphologically similar to Mount St. Helens prior to its 1980 eruption. The summit of Kizimen consists of overlapping lava domes, and blocky lava flows descend the flanks of the volcano, which is the westernmost of a volcanic chain north of Kronotsky volcano. The 2,376-m-high Kizimen was formed during four eruptive cycles beginning about 12,000 years ago and lasting 2,000-3,500 years. The largest eruptions took place about 10,000 and 8300-8400 years ago, and three periods of longterm lava-dome growth have occurred. The latest eruptive cycle began about 3,000 years ago with a large explosion and was followed by lava-dome growth lasting intermittently about 1,000 years. An explosive eruption about 1,100 years ago produced a lateral blast and created a 1.0 x 0.7 km wide crater breached to the NE, inside which a small lava dome (the fourth at Kizimen) has grown. A single explosive eruption, during 1927-28, has been recorded in historical time.

So this one has been sleeping for a while, but looks like it might be getting ready to blow it’s top. Oh Joy….

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