All times are local unless otherwise stated.

Asamayama (Japan) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Asamayama Northeast Japan Volcanic Arc	On 21 January, JMA reported that a thin ash blanket was seen on the NW crater rim of Asama. According to news articles, JMA raised the Alert Level from 2 to 3 on 1 February after detecting ground deformation and increased seismicity. An eruption the next day produced an ash plume that rose to an altitude of 4.2 km (13,800 ft) a.s.l. Ash fell in nearby communities and was detected as far away as eastern Chiba, 170 km SE. Based on analysis of satellite imagery, pilot observations, and information from JMA, the Tokyo VAAC reported that on 2 February ash plumes rose to altitudes of 3-4.6 km (10,000-15,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE. Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), The Japan Times, Associated Press, Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Redoubt (United States) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Redoubt Alaska Peninsula Volcanic Arc	AVO reported that during 27 January-3 February seismic activity at Redoubt remained elevated above background levels. On 27 January, observers reported continued muddy discharge from points on the Drift Glacier, below the summit crater. A diffuse steam plume was possibly identified on satellite imagery on 29 January. An overflight the next day revealed increased fumarolic activity, an enlargement of melt features in the summit glacier, and increased runoff from along the margins of the Drift Glacier. During 31 January and 1-2 February, steam plumes were intermittently seen on the web camera rising above the summit. Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)

Aira (Japan) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Aira Ryukyu Volcanic Arc	Based on information from JMA, the Tokyo VAAC reported that during 28 January and 1-3 February explosions and eruptions from Sakura-jima produced plumes that rose to altitudes of 1.8-3.4 km (6,000-11,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE, S, and SW. Source: Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Barren Island (India) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Barren Island Andaman Volcanic Province	Based on analysis of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 31 January an ash plume from Barren Island drifted about 55 km S. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Chaiten (Chile) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Chaiten Southern Andean Volcanic Arc	Based on web camera views, SERNAGEOMIN reported that during 28 January-2 February Chaitén's Domo Nuevo 2 continued to grow and produce block-and-ash flows. On 28 January, a dense ash plume that rose 500 m above the lava dome was immediately followed by a block-and-ash flow that traveled W. The Alert Level remained Red. Based on SIGMET notices and web camera views, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that during 28 and 30-31 January, and 1 February ash plumes from Chaitén rose to altitudes 1.8-2.4 km (6,000-8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E and NE. Sources: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN), Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Fuego (Guatemala) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Fuego Central America Volcanic Arc	INSIVUMEH reported that on 30 January and 3 February, multiple explosions from Fuego produced gray plumes that rose to altitudes of 4.1-4.7 km (13,500-15,400 ft) a.s.l. and drifted S and SE. Some explosions produced rumbling sounds and shock waves. Fumarolic plumes rose 100 m above the crater. On 30 January, incandescent material was ejected 50-100 m above the crater and avalanches from the crater rim traveled down multiple ravines. Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)
Karymsky (Russia) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Karymsky Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that seismic activity at Karymsky was at background levels during 23-30 January. Analysis of satellite imagery revealed a weak thermal anomaly in the crater on 23 and 24 January; clouds prevented observations on other days. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange. Based on information from KVERT and KEMSD, the Tokyo VAAC reported that during 2-3 February eruptions produced plumes that rose to altitudes of 3.4-3.7 km (11,000-12,000 ft) a.s.l. Ash was not identified on satellite imagery. Sources: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Kilauea (United States) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Kilauea Hawaiian-Emperor Hotspot Volcano Group	HVO reported that during 28 January-3 February lava flowed SE through a tube system from underneath Kilauea's Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) and rootless shield complex, reaching the Waikupanaha and Waha'ula ocean entries. Explosions at the ocean entry were seen on 28 January. Incandescence originated from the Prince lobe, the flow that feeds the Waha'ula ocean entry. Thermal anomalies suggesting surface flows were noted on the coastal plain. The vent in Halema'uma'u crater continued to produce a predominantly white plume that drifted mainly SW; occasional shifts in the wind caused poor air quality at the summit and surrounding areas. Small amounts of newly ejected tephra, including rock dust, spatter, and Pele's hair, were collected. Incandescence was intermittently seen from the vent, and sounds resembling rushing gas and rockfalls were sometimes heard in the vicinity of the crater. The sulfur dioxide emission rate at the summit was 1,100 tonnes per day on 30 January and 1,500 tonnes on 2 February; the 2003-2007 average rate was 140 tonnes per day. Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Klyuchevskoy (Russia) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Klyuchevskoy Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that seismic activity at Kliuchevskoi was at background levels during 22-24 and 28 January, and above background levels during 25-27 January. Diffuse steam-and-gas plumes were noted. Analysis of satellite imagery revealed a weak daily thermal anomaly in the crater. The Level of Concern Color Code was lowered to Yellow. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Pacaya (Guatemala) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Pacaya Central America Volcanic Arc	INSIVUMEH reported that on 30 January and 3 February white and blue fumarolic plumes from Pacaya's MacKenney cone drifted S and SW at a low altitude. One lava flow, 75-100 m long, traveled down the SW flank. Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)
Rabaul (Papua New Guinea) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Rabaul Bismarck Volcanic Arc	Based on analysis of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 28-30 January ash plumes from Rabaul caldera's Tavurvur cone rose to altitudes of 1.8-4.3 km (6,000-14,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted ESE and SE. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Santa Maria (Guatemala) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Santa Maria Central America Volcanic Arc	INSIVUMEH reported that on 30 January and 3 February fumarolic plumes drifted 100 m above Santa María's Santiaguito lava dome complex. Explosions produced plumes that rose to altitudes of 2.6-3.2 km (8,500-10,500 ft) a.s.l. and drifted W, SW, and S. Avalanches that were periodically incandescent descended the S and W flanks of Caliente lava dome. Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)
Sheveluch (Russia) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Sheveluch Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that seismic activity at Shiveluch was above background levels during 22-30 January. Based on interpretations of seismic data, ash plumes rose to altitudes of 7 km (23,000 ft) a.s.l. on 22 January and to an altitude of 4 km (13,100 ft) a.s.l. on the other days during the reporting period. Weak gas-and-steam activity was noted during 23-24 and 26-27 January. Analysis of satellite imagery revealed a large daily thermal anomaly over the lava dome. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange. Based on information from KEMSD, the Tokyo VAAC reported that eruptions on 30 January and 1 February produced plumes that rose to altitudes of 4.9-5.5 km (16,000-18,000 ft) a.s.l. Sources: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Soufriere Hills (United Kingdom) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Soufriere Hills Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc	MVO reported that during 23-30 January activity from the Soufrière Hills lava dome was at a low level; seismicity was low, rockfalls were minimal, and lava-dome incandescence at night was absent. The Hazard Level remained at 4. Source: Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO)
Tungurahua (Ecuador) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Tungurahua Northern Andean Volcanic Arc	The IG reported that although visual observations were limited due to cloud cover, ash-and-steam and ash plumes from Tungurahua drifted NE, W, and SW during 27 January-2 February. Incandescence in the crater was occasionally seen and roaring noises were noted. Ashfall was reported in areas on the SW flank during 30 January, and 1-2 February. Source: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN)
Ubinas (Peru) | 28 January-3 February 2009 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Ubinas Central Andean Volcanic Arc	Based on a SIGMET notice, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that on 31 January an ash plume from Ubinas rose to an altitude of 6.7 km (22,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW. Ash was not seen on satellite imagery. Source: Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

Weekly Reports Archive

Since the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report began in November 2000, there have been 20,652 individual reports over 1,244 weeks (average of 17 per week) on 338 different volcanoes.

Use the dropdowns to choose the year and week for archived Weekly Reports.

 News Feeds and Google Placemarks

 Criteria & Disclaimers

The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report does not necessarily include all volcanic activity that occurred on Earth during the week. More than a dozen volcanoes globally have displayed more-or-less continuous eruptive activity for decades or longer, and such routine activity is typically not reported here. Moreover, Earth's sea-floor volcanism is seldom reported even though in theory it represents the single most prolific source of erupted material. The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report summarizes volcanic activity that meets one or more of the following criteria:

- A volcano observatory raises or lowers the alert level at the volcano.
- A volcanic ash advisory has been released by a volcanic ash advisory center (VAAC) stating that an ash cloud has been produced from the volcano.
- A verifiable news report of new activity or a change in activity at the volcano has been issued.
- Observers have reported a significant change in volcanic activity. Such activity can include, but is not restricted to, pyroclastic flows, lahars, lava flows, dome collapse, or increased unrest.

Volcanoes are included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section of the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report if the activity occurs after at least 3 months of quiescence. Once a volcano is included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section, updates will remain in that section unless the activity continues for more than 1 month without escalating, after which time updates will be listed in the "Continuing Activity" section. Volcanoes are also included in the "New Activity/Unrest" section if the volcano is undergoing a period of relatively high unrest, or increasing unrest. This is commonly equal to Alert Level Orange on a scale of Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, where Red is the highest alert. Or alert level 3 on a scale of 1-4 or 1-5.

It is important to note that volcanic activity meeting one or more of these criteria may occur during the week, but may not be included in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report because we did not receive a report.

1. The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is intended to provide timely information about global volcanism on a weekly basis. Consequently, the report is generated rapidly by summarizing volcanic reports from various sources, with little time for fact checking. The accuracy of the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is dependent upon the quality of the volcanic activity reports we receive. Reports published in the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network are cover longer time periods and are more carefully reviewed, although all of the volcanoes discussed in the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report are not necessarily reported in the Bulletin. Because of our emphasis on rapid reporting on the web we have avoided diacritical marks. Reports are updated on the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report web page as they are received, therefore information may be included regarding events that occurred before the current report period.

2. Rapidly developing events lead to coverage that is often fragmentary. Volcanoes, their eruptions, and their plumes and associated atmospheric effects are complex phenomena that may require months to years of data analysis in order to create a comprehensive summary and interpretation of events.

3. Preliminary accounts sometimes contain exaggerations and "false alarms," and accordingly, this report may include some events ultimately found to be erroneous or misleading.

4. Many news agencies do not archive the articles they post on the Internet, and therefore the links to some sources may not be active. To obtain information about the cited articles that are no longer available on the Internet contact the source.

5. USGS Disclaimer Statement for this Website:

Information presented on this website is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. We strongly recommend that USGS data be acquired directly from a USGS server and not through other sources that may change the data in some way. While USGS makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data such as names, telephone numbers, etc. may change prior to updating. USGS welcomes suggestions on how to improve our home page and correct errors. USGS provides no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of furnished data.

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For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this website are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act. Information may also be used for authorized law enforcement investigations. (Last modified September 21, 1999.)

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, USA
URL: https://volcano.si.edu/reports_weekly.cfm

 Acronyms and Abbreviations

a.s.l. - above sea level

AVO - Alaska Volcano Observatory

AVHRR - Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

CENAPRED - Centro Nacionale de Prevencion de Desastres (México)

CONRED - Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres

COSPEC - Correlation Spectrometer

CVGHM (formerly VSI) - Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation

CVO - Cascades Volcano Observatory (USGS)

GMS - Geostationary Meteorological Satellite

GOES - Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

GVO - Goma Volcano Observatory

GVP - Global Volcanism Program (Smithsonian Institution)

HVO - Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS)

ICE - Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (Costa Rica)

IG - Instituto Geofísico (Ecuador)

IGNS - Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (New Zealand) - now GNS Science

INETER - Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales (Nicaragua)

INGEMMET - Instituto Geológical Minero y Metalúrgico (Peru)

INGEOMINAS - Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería (Colombia)

INGV-CT - Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - Sezione di Catania (Italy)

INSIVUMEH - Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia e Hidrologia (Guatemala)

IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (France)

JMA - Japanese Meteorological Agency

KEMSD - Kamchatkan Experimental and Methodical Seismilogical Department

KVERT - Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team

M - magnitude

METEOSAT - Meteorological Satellite

MEVO - Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory

MODIS - Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

MVO - Montserrat Volcano Observatory

MWO - Meteorological Watch Office

NEIC - National Earthquake Information Center

NIED - National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (Japan)

NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOTAM - Notice to Airmen

OVDAS - Observatorio Volcanologico de los Andes del Sur (Chile)

OFDA - Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance

ONEMI - Oficina Nacional de Emergencia - Ministerio del Interior (Chile)

OVPDLF - Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise (France)

OVSICORI-UNA - Observatorio Vulcanologico y Sismologico de Costa Rica, Universidad Nacional (Costa Rica)

PHIVOLCS - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philippines)

RSAM - Real-time Seismic Amplitude Measurement

RVO - Rabaul Volcano Observatory

SERNAGEOMIN - Servicio Nacional de Geologia y Mineria (Chile)

SIGMET - Significant Meteorological Information

SNET - Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (El Salvador)

SVERT - Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (Russia)

USAID - US Agency for International Development

USGS - United States Geological Survey

UTC - Coordinated Universal Time

VAAC - Volcanic Ash Advisory Center

VAFTAD - Volcanic Ash Forecast Transport And Dispersion

VDAP - Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (USGS)

VHP - Volcano Hazards Program (USGS)

VRC - Volcano Research Center (Japan)