The Kamchatka Six: Russia’s volcanoes rock and rumble 24 August 2009

‘Six Kamchatka volcanoes exhibit activity simultaneously for the first time in sixty years’, announces a story in Vostok Media today: ‘”This is a rarity. For the first time in sixty years the six volcanoes show activity”, Kamchatka scientists from the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology stated. At present they are trying to figure out the reasons behind the increase of activity of the Kamchatka volcanoes’.

But which six volcanoes? The map above (adapted from the AVO activity map) shows the alert levels for the Kamchatka volcanoes, as reported by the Kamchatka Volcanoes Emergency Response Team (KVERT). The Vostok Media story lists Shiveluch, Kliuchevskoi, Bezymianny, Karymsky, Koryaksky and Gorely as the six active volcanoes in question. The last-named, they explain, may erupt soon: ‘Scientists agree that Gorely volcano might soon erupt for the first time in twenty two years. Water temperature of the lake located on top of the volcanic mountain is rising, which may well indicate oncoming eruption’.

However, Gorely isn’t active at the moment, and KVERT rate it Green. Shiveluch and Koryaksky are at Orange, and Kliuchevskoi, Karymsky and Bezymianny are at Yellow. Also at Yellow alert (since the end of July) is Kizimen: KVERT reports today that ‘Activity of the volcano continues. Strong explosive eruption possible in case of further seismicity increasing. Seismicity was above background levels on August 15 and 17-20; and at background levels in the other days of this week’ … so perhaps Kizimen rather than Gorely should have been in the Kamchatka Six.