Gas-and-steam plumes and ash plumes in 2009 and 2010

Our most recent report on Ebeko (BGVN 34:08) described intermittent activity from mid-2005 to mid-2009, primarily plumes that sometimes deposited minor ash. Ebeko lacks a dedicated seismometer; therefore, the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) generally monitors the volcano with visual and satellite observations (figure 4). Intermittent plumes continued in 2009-2010.

Figure 4. Topographic map of Paramushir Island (Ebeko volcano sits at the extreme NE end and town of Severo-Kurilsk is nearby). From National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tactical Pilotage Chart ONC-E10C, as provided by McGimsey and others (2005).

Activity during October 2009. Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Tokyo VAAC reported two possible eruption plumes from Ebeko in October 2009. The first plume, reported on 15 October 2009, rose to an altitude of 10.7 km and drifted NE. The second plume, on 26 October, rose to an altitude of 8.8 km and drifted E.

KVERT reported that on 26 October a gas-and-steam plume was seen by observers in Severo-Kurilsk (figure 4), a town about 7 km E of Ebeko. The plume rose about 300 m above the crater and drifted 1-2 km NNE. Gas-and-steam plumes rose 250 m above the crater and drifted 2 km E on 28 October and NNE on 29 October 2009.

Activity during June-July 2010. KVERT reported that activity increased on 2 July according to observers in Severo-Kurilsk (figure 5). Explosions produced ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 1.8 km and drifted SSE. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Yellow. On 23 July, KVERT reported that the Aviation Color Code was lowered to Green. Visual observations and satellite data indicated no activity from the volcano during 16-23 July.

Figure 5. Photograph of an ash explosion from Ebeko on 2 July 2010 taken from the town of Severo-Kurilsk. Photo taken by Leonid Kotenko.

Information Contacts: Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, 9 Piip Blvd., Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia (URL: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/); Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Tokyo, Japan (URL: http://ds.data.jma.go.jp/svd/vaac/data/).

Information is preliminary and subject to change. All times are local (unless otherwise noted)

October 1987 (SEAN 12:10) Cite this Report

Ash ejections to 1 km; steaming fissures form

Beginning 14 October, two vents on a sheer wall of the N crater began ejecting fine ash and steam to 300 m above the summit. Pulsations of activity occurred 3 or 4 times a day. Ejections reached 1 km height, with a plume that extended horizontally 10-15 km NE. Fissures that formed on the outer E flank of the crater emitted steam. No seismicity preceded or accompanied the ash-steam ejections. The press reported that ash and gas began to be emitted from the main crater before 2100 on 19 October, and the crater lake was emptied of water. A 1-km-high ash column formed on 27 October and the next day a small amount of ash fell on the town of Severo-Kurilsk (a few kilometers away). No casualties resulted from the eruptions. Additional equipment was installed to monitor the volcano. Variations in gas composition of near-crater fumaroles were observed 4 years ago, and an increase in the temperatures of fumarole emissions has been noted since the October eruption. The press reported that scientists did not rule out the possiblilty of a lahar which could pose a danger to the S part of Severo-Kurilsk.

Information Contacts: S. Fedotov and I. Menyailov, IV; G. Steinberg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk; Moscow Domestic Service; Soviet Sakhalin newspaper.

December 1987 (SEAN 12:12) Cite this Report

Explosions continue; minor ashfall

Explosive eruptions began on 14 October, from two of the three vents in the N summit crater. A gas cloud continuously rose 150-250 m while periodic explosions sent ash plumes to heights between 300-400 m and 1,000-1,200 m (table 1). Similar activity continued 14-20 November. A meteorological station in Severo-Kurilsk (6 km S) recorded the explosions.

Table 1. Large explosions from Ebeko, 27 October-8 November 1987.

    Date          Time   Observations

    27 Oct 1987   1500   --
    28 Oct 1987   0915   --
    29 Oct 1987   0338   --
    31 Oct 1987   0119   Accompanied by a bright flash.
    04 Nov 1987   1640   --
    05 Nov 1987   2100   Minor ashfall and sulfur smell reported
                         in Severo-Kurilsk.
    07 Nov 1987   1650   Sulfur smell reported in Severo-Kurilsk.
    08 Nov 1987   1105   --

No seismic precursors to the eruption were recorded and the seismic station of the Inst of Marine Geology & Geophysics, in Severo-Kurilsk, did not detect any earthquakes in the region during the eruption. The same station recorded earthquakes before and during the more distant (but much larger) 1981 eruption of Alaid (40 km NW). Specialists from the IV, Petropavlovsk, are working at the volcano. Air observations were made by the Inst of Marine Geology & Geophysics.

Further Reference. Menyailov, I.A., Ovsyannokov, A.A., and Shirokov, V.A., 1990, Eruption of Ebeko volcano in October-December 1987: Volc. Seis. (in English), v. 10, p. 493-498.

Information Contacts: G. Steinberg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk; S. Fedotov, IV.

May 1989 (SEAN 14:05) Cite this Report

Ash emission from new flank vent; felt seismicity

An eruption that began 3 February from Ebeko's N crater formed a new flank vent that emitted ash and gas. The explosive activity ejected a plume that rose 2.5 km in April and May, accompanied by felt seismicity. Fumarole temperatures increased by 30°C. The eruption was continuing in late May.

Information Contacts: G. Bogoyavlenskaya and I. Menyailov, IV,.

November 1989 (SEAN 14:11) Cite this Report

Mild explosions eject ash to 800 m

Mild explosive activity from the NW portion of Ebeko's N crater was reported in August and September. . . . activity from a vent 100 m across and 50 m deep occurred at 1-3-hour intervals. Ash was ejected to 800 m. No juvenile material was found in the tephra. Volcaniclastic bombs (<=0.2 m) were ejected onto the crater slopes within 500 m of the vent. The position of the observers was not known, but the only audible explosion occurred 23 September at 1422.

Information Contacts: B. Ivanov, IV.

August 1993 (BGVN 18:08) Cite this Report

Fumarolic activity from 1989 eruption site; sulfur emissions

On 12 and 13 August, members of an SVE team climbed the volcano and observed fumarolic activity concentrated mainly in the NW vent, the site of the 1989 eruption, and inside the S crater. Small hot water lakes (50-60°C) were present at ~950-1,000 m elev on the outer SE slope of the S crater, ~150 m below the rim. A small cold crescent-shaped lake, slightly acidic, occupied the floor of the N crater. Sulfur deposition from two fumarolic vents 25-40 m N of the hot water lakes at ~950 m elev has produced large vent structures. The smaller structure is bright-yellow, tea-kettle-shaped, and ~1 m high. Pressurized steam, consisting of water vapor and sulfur, was being emitted horizontally towards the E from a small vent opening. The larger structure is ~4-5 m high with two peaks, one on each side of the top. An elongated opening (~2 m long and 60 cm high) in the side of the edifice was emitting a large plume of sulfuric steam, but with less force than at the smaller vent.

Information Contacts: H. Gaudru, SVE, Switzerland.

April 2004 (BGVN 29:04) Cite this Report

Weak fuming and notes on Tatarinov, Chikurachki, and Fuss Peak

The last recorded eruption of Ebeko volcano was in 1991. Table 2 summarizes activity on Ebeko from February-April 2004 as reported by observers Leonid and Tatiana Kotenko (observations made on days when clouds did not obscure the volcano).

Table 2. A summary showing Ebeko activity for February-April 2004. Courtesy of Leonid and Tatiana Kotenko.

    2004           Activity       Wind         Gas-steam plume        Comment
                    level       direction    (meters above crater)
    08 Feb          Quiet           --                 --             --
    12 Feb          Quiet           --                 --             --
    23 Feb            --           NW                  --             Strong smell of H2S
    03 Mar-04 Mar     --       Weak to N

On 14 April 2004 a fishing craft reported a white gas plume emerging from Tatarinov volcano. That volcano lies near the opposite (southern) end of Paramushir Island. The plume came from Tatarinov's fumarolic field and remained at low altitude following the Tukharka river. Also in the southern part of Paramushir island, the volcanoes Chikurachki (last active 17-18 April 2003, SEAN 28:07) and Fuss Peak (SEAN 12:04) were both reported quiet.

Information Contacts: Leonid and Tatiana Kotenko, Severo-Kurilsk, Paramushir Island; Olga A. Girina, Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), a cooperative program of the Institute of Volcanic Geology and Geochemistry, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Piip Ave. 9, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia, the Kamchatka Experimental and Methodical Seismological Department (KEMSD), GS RAS (Russia), and the Alaska Volcano Observatory (USA); Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, 4200 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508-4667, USA (URL: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/), the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320, USA, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, 794 University Ave., Suite 200, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA.

June 2005 (BGVN 30:06) Cite this Report

Small ash deposits in January 2005 but plumes later became infrequent

A few gas-and-steam plumes from Ebeko were reported during February-April 2004 (BGVN 29:04). The most recent previous eruption was in January 1991. On 30 January 2005 the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT) raised the Concern Color Code at Ebeko from Green to Yellow after reports of a strong smell of sulfur on 27 and 28 January in the town of Severo-Kurilsk, ~ 7 km from Ebeko. Observations by Leonid and Tatiana Kotenko in Severo-Kurilsk during May-July 2004 included occasional gas-and-steam plume rising as high as 250 m above the volcano during clear weather and fumarolic plumes moving close to the ground. There was no visible activity in August, but a few plumes were seen again from September to November.

During 28 January, a white gas-and-steam plume was seen from Severo-Kurilsk rising 400 m above the volcano. Summit observations the next day revealed a yellow-gray, 5-m-diameter, column rising 300 m from a vent on the NE side of the active crater. Three ash layers 2-3 mm thick were noted 10 m from the vent, and ash extended ~ 500 m E into the crater. At this time a new 7 x 12 m turquoise lake had developed in the SW part of the active crater. The lake disappeared on 30 January, and there was intensive fumarolic activity where it had been. Shallow earthquakes were recorded at the Severo-Kurilsk seismic station.

On 1 February gas-and-steam plumes rose to 450 m above Ebeko's crater and drifted NE. On 7 February a small emission of steam, gas, and possibly ash rose ~ 1 km above the crater and drifted ~ 12 km SE. On 8 and 9 February plumes rose to 600 m and thin ash deposits were noted in the town of Severo-Kurilsk.

The following information came to KVERT from observers in Severo-Kurilsk (Leonid and Tatiana Kotenko). On 15-16 February a dark-gray column rose up to 500 m above the crater. A dark-gray plume extended 6 km E and a light-gray plume 7 km SE. On 16 February ashfall together with snowfall was noted over the strait to the E of Paramushir Island. On 17 February a white column up to 250 m above the crater was observed. On 12 February and 16-17 February a strong smell of a H₂S was noted at Severo-Kurilsk. On 18-19 February white gas-and-steam columns 5 m in diameter rose from the two vents up to 450 m above the crater and a new lake (10 x 10 m) on the floor of the active crater was observed. On 25 February white gas-and-steam plumes rose to 450 m and 1,000 m above the crater. Gas-and-steam plumes were also observed on 1-2, 4-5, and 9 March. No ash was seen. A strong smell of H₂S was noted at Severo-Kurilsk on 25 February and 2 March.

About 20 seismic events of less than Ml 2.0 were observed during 1-9 March at the Severo-Kurilsk seismic station. No seismic activity was observed from 12 to 14 March. On 15 March two seismic events were noted. There was no seismicity during 18-25 March, so KVERT reduced the hazard status from Yellow to Green, the lowest level.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's Sakhalin department reported renewed activity on 27 June in the form of emission clouds rising to a maximum height of 200 m above the crater and drifting SW. KVERT did not report any activity, and the Concern Color Code for Ebeko remained at Green.

Information Contacts: Olga Girina, Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), a cooperative program of the Institute of Volcanic Geology and Geochemistry, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Piip Ave. 9, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia; Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, 4200 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508-4667, USA (URL: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/), the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320, USA, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, 794 University Ave., Suite 200, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA.

August 2009 (BGVN 34:08) Cite this Report

Occasional steam plumes with ash from mid-2005 to mid-2009

Our most recent report on Ebeko described minor seismic events between January-June 2005, accompanied by occasional plumes sometimes depositing minor ash (BGVN 30:06). Ebeko lacks a dedicated seismometer; therefore, the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) generally monitors the volcano with visual and satellite observations. The town of Severo-Kurilsk, ~ 7 km E of the summit, has been subjected to considerable environmental stress due to emissions in the past several years (Kotenko and Kotenko, 2009). The volcano is located at the N end of Paramushir Island, just S of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The island hosts five other volcanoes active in the Holocene, including Chikurachki, which was active in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, and as recently as September 2008.

About 29 July 2005, KVERT raised the Concern Color Code from Green (the lowest level) to Yellow. During 22-29 July new fumaroles were noted in the active crater, and there was one explosion reported. This types of activity had not been observed since 1982. During 3-9 August fumarolic activity continued. During the week of 5-12 August 2005 weak fumarolic activity was noted, but no volcanic activity was visible on satellite imagery. Strong fumarolic activity occurred during 9-16 September, and gas temperatures reached 480°C. During the week 22-28 February 2006, KVERT reported that no significant changes in activity had been seen on satellite imagery or via ground observations for several months, so the Concern Color Code was reduced to Green. A weak scent of hydrogen sulfide and chlorine gas was sometimes noted in Severo-Kurilsk.

No additional information was available about Ebeko until March 2007. According to a news article in RIA Novosti, on 22 March gas-and-steam clouds from the volcano rose to an altitude of 1.3-1.5 km. Nearby residents smelled sulfur and chlorine.

Ebeko was not reported on again until February 2009. According to the Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) and KVERT, between 11 February and 18 June 2009, the volcano emitted a series of gas-and-steam plumes containing some ash (table 3, figure 1). During 29 January-23 February, the cumulative ashfall was 80 g/m².

Table 3. Gas-and-steam plumes from Ebeko containing some ash between 11 February 2009 and 18 June 2009. Information was provided by the Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center based on an analysis of satellite imagery and information from Yelizovo Airport, and KVERT.

    Date (2009)       Max. plume      Plume drift
                     altitude (km)     direction

    11 Feb               0.6              NE
    17 Feb               1.2              SW
    13 Mar               0.6              E
    01 Apr-10 Apr      3.2-3.4         Various
    10 Apr-17 Apr      1.5-2.7            SE
    17 Apr-19 Apr        2-3              NE
    24 Apr-01 May      1.2-3.5         Various
    02 May                --              --
    09 May-11 May      2.1-2.4          SW,SE
    22 May               2.4              SE
    09 Jun-10 Jun        2.7              --
    13 Jun               2.1              SW
    13 Jun-18 Jun        1.7              --

Figure 1. Ash layers from Ebeko deposited in ~ 70 cm of snow and excavated and photographed on 26 February 2009. The layers were thin. More layers were deposited later (see text below). Courtesy of Leonid Kotenko (IV&S).

Ashfall deposits in Severo-Kurilsk on 13-14, 18, 29, and 31 March 2009 (figures 2 and 3) were up to 2 mm deep. The town also experienced light ashfall on 5 and 22-23 April. Accordingly, on 3 April 2009 the Level of Concern Color Code was raised to Yellow. On 31 July, KVERT reported that activity had remained low since 13 July, and thus lowered the Level of Concern Color Code to Green.

Figure 2. Ash cloud from Ebeko blowing towards Severo-Kurilsk, Paramushir Island, on 14 March 2009. Photographed by Tania Kotenko (IV&S).

Figure 3. A photo showing an Ebeko explosion on 18 March 2009. Photographed by Leonid Kotenko (IV&S).

Hazards and impacts on Severo-Kurilsk. Kotenko and Kotenko (2009) discussed the environmental impacts of Ebeko on Severo-Kurilsk. Threats include lahars, ashfalls, atmospheric poisoning from volcanic gases (particularly during periods of strong fumarolic activity), and the pollution of potable water supplies. Narrow river gorges descending the volcano can direct volcanic gas into Severo-Kurilsk, which lies in a lowland, accentuating the air pollution problem. The study noted the stresses on inhabitants during strong fumarolic activity of the kind seen during the 2- to 3-year-long intervals leading to eruptions. Historical eruptions occurred in 1793, 1833-34, 1859, 1934-35, 1967-71, and 1987-90.

Reference. Kotenko, Tatyana, and Kotenko, Leonid, 2009, Status of Ebeko volcano (Paramushir Island) and environmental impact of its eruptions, [in Russian] in Volcanism and Geodynamics: Content of 4th Russian symposium on volcanology and paleovolcanology: Yevgeny Gordeev (chief editor), IV&S Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, 23-29 September 2009, v. 2, p. 613-617 [ISBN 978-5-902424-05-5].

Information Contacts: Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, 9 Piip Blvd., Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia (Email: kvert@kscnet.ru, URL: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/); Olga Girina (KVERT); Leonid Kotenko, Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (IV&S); Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Tokyo, Japan (URL: http://ds.data.jma.go.jp/svd/vaac/data/); RIA Novosti (URL: http://en.rian.ru/).

July 2011 (BGVN 36:07) Cite this Report

Gas-and-steam plumes and ash plumes in 2009 and 2010

Our most recent report on Ebeko (BGVN 34:08) described intermittent activity from mid-2005 to mid-2009, primarily plumes that sometimes deposited minor ash. Ebeko lacks a dedicated seismometer; therefore, the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) generally monitors the volcano with visual and satellite observations (figure 4). Intermittent plumes continued in 2009-2010.

Figure 4. Topographic map of Paramushir Island (Ebeko volcano sits at the extreme NE end and town of Severo-Kurilsk is nearby). From National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tactical Pilotage Chart ONC-E10C, as provided by McGimsey and others (2005).

Activity during October 2009. Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Tokyo VAAC reported two possible eruption plumes from Ebeko in October 2009. The first plume, reported on 15 October 2009, rose to an altitude of 10.7 km and drifted NE. The second plume, on 26 October, rose to an altitude of 8.8 km and drifted E.

KVERT reported that on 26 October a gas-and-steam plume was seen by observers in Severo-Kurilsk (figure 4), a town about 7 km E of Ebeko. The plume rose about 300 m above the crater and drifted 1-2 km NNE. Gas-and-steam plumes rose 250 m above the crater and drifted 2 km E on 28 October and NNE on 29 October 2009.

Activity during June-July 2010. KVERT reported that activity increased on 2 July according to observers in Severo-Kurilsk (figure 5). Explosions produced ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 1.8 km and drifted SSE. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Yellow. On 23 July, KVERT reported that the Aviation Color Code was lowered to Green. Visual observations and satellite data indicated no activity from the volcano during 16-23 July.

Figure 5. Photograph of an ash explosion from Ebeko on 2 July 2010 taken from the town of Severo-Kurilsk. Photo taken by Leonid Kotenko.

Information Contacts: Kamchatka Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (KVERT), Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, 9 Piip Blvd., Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683006, Russia (URL: http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/); Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Tokyo, Japan (URL: http://ds.data.jma.go.jp/svd/vaac/data/).