All times are local unless otherwise stated.

Karangetang (Indonesia) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Karangetang Sangihe Volcanic Arc	CVGHM reported that during 21-23 March incandescent material from Karangetang was ejected 50-75 m above the crater. Lava flows traveled as far as 2 km and collapses from the lava-flow fronts generated avalanches that moved down the flanks up to 300 m further. On 24 March lava was incandescent in areas 1.5 km away from the crater. Incandescent material from the lava-flow fronts rolled an additional 200-500 m down the flanks. Incandescent material was again ejected 75 m above the crater. Later that day, due to decreased seismicity and a decline in the lava-flow effusion rate, the Alert Level was lowered to 3 (on a scale of 1-4). Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)
Kilauea (United States) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Kilauea Hawaiian-Emperor Hotspot Volcano Group	HVO reported that at Kilauea's east rift zone small areas of incandescence in Pu'u 'O'o crater were visible through the web camera during 23-24 March. The lava lake in the deep pit within Halema'uma'u crater was crusted over; frequent rockfalls produced a few brown-tinged plumes. On 25 March the lava lake reappeared as lava streamed across and eventually covered the floor of the pit. The next day lava returned to Pu'u 'O'o crater about 20 days after the crater floor collapsed on 5 March. Lava slowly filled the deepest parts of the crater forming a lava lake. The lava lake within Halema'uma'u crater again crusted over. During 27-29 March the lava lake in Pu'u 'O'o crater circulated and was fed from two closely-spaced sources in the W center of the lake. Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Rabaul (Papua New Guinea) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Rabaul Bismarck Volcanic Arc	Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 29 March an ash plume from Rabaul caldera's Tavurvur cone rose to an altitude of 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted more than 53 km NW. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
San Miguel (El Salvador) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
San Miguel Central America Volcanic Arc	Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET) reported that during a survey of the San Miguel crater on 9 and 16 March observers noted pulses of gas rising 200 m from the crater. On 12 March the number and amplitude of earthquakes increased. RSAM values rose the next day to 121 units per day on average, up from normal values around 50 units per day. RSAM values continued to fluctuate during the next few days and reached as high as 319 units on 19 March, 414 units on 20 March, and 234 on 21 March. On 18 and 20 March, local residents felt vibrations and heard minor rumbling. Observations on 25 March indicated that gas plumes rose 100 m from the crater. On 28 March SNET noted that seismicity had gradually decreased during the previous few days, and was as low as 80 RSAM units on 27 March. Access to areas within a 2-km-radius remained restricted. Source: Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET)

Aira (Japan) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Aira Ryukyu Volcanic Arc	Based on information from JMA, the Tokyo VAAC reported that during 23-26 and 29 March explosions from Sakura-jima produced plumes that rose to altitudes of 1.2-2.4 km (4,000-8,000 ft) a.s.l. and occasionally drifted E, SE, and S. On 26 March, a pilot observed an ash plume that rose to an altitude of 3.4 km (11,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE. Source: Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Bagana (Papua New Guinea) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Bagana Solomon Volcanic Arc	Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 25-28 March ash plumes from Bagana rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 35-100 km NW, W, and SW. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Bulusan (Philippines) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Bulusan Eastern Philippine Volcanic Arc	Based on notices from the Manila airport (RPLL), the Tokyo VAAC reported that during 25-26 March ash from Bulusan was observed. PHIVOLCS reported that cloud cover prevented ground-based observations. Sources: Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Karymsky (Russia) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Karymsky Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported moderate seismic activity at Karymsky during 18-25 March. Seismic data indicated that possible ash plumes rose to an altitude of 3.5 km (11,500 ft) a.s.l. A thermal anomaly was detected in satellite imagery during 19-24 March. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Kirishimayama (Japan) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Kirishimayama Ryukyu Volcanic Arc	Based on notifications from JMA, the Tokyo VAAC reported that an eruption from Kirishima's Shinmoe-dake (Shinmoe peak) on 23 March produced a plume that rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE. Subsequent notices that day stated that the ash had dissipated. An eruption on 29 March produced a plume that rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE. Source: Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Kizimen (Russia) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Kizimen Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that during 18-25 March seismicity from Kizimen was high, with many shallow volcanic earthquakes and volcanic tremor continuing to be detected. Satellite images showed a large bright thermal anomaly daily on the volcano. Ash and gas-and-steam plumes drifted 313 km N and E during 17 and 19-24 March. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange. Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Tokyo VAAC reported that during 25-29 March ash was detected in satellite imagery. Sources: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Planchon-Peteroa (Chile) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Planchon-Peteroa Southern Andean Volcanic Arc	Based on a SIGMET notice, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported ash from an eruption of Planchón-Peteroa on 26 March. Ash was not observed in satellite imagery. Source: Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Popocatepetl (Mexico) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Popocatepetl Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt	Based on information from the Mexico City MWO, analyses of satellite imagery, and web-camera views, the Washington VAAC reported that on 26 March an ash-and-gas plume from Popocatépetl drifted ESE and SE. A subsequent notice that day stated that the ash had dissipated approximately 140 km SE. On 27 March a small ash plume drifted almost 150 m E. Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Santa Maria (Guatemala) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Santa Maria Central America Volcanic Arc	INSIVUMEH reported that on 24 March a loud explosion from Santa María's Santiaguito lava dome complex was followed by a pyroclastic flow that descended the E flank. A few hours later an explosion produced an ash plume that rose 600 m above Caliente dome and drifted W. Based on a METAR notice, information from INSIVUMEH, and analyses of satellite imagery, the Washington VAAC reported a diffuse ash plume on 28 March. Explosions reported by INSIVUMEH during 27-28 March produced ash plumes that rose 300-600 m above the dome and drifted over nearby farms and villages. Block avalanches descended the flanks. Sources: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)
Sheveluch (Russia) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Sheveluch Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that during 18-25 March seismic data at Shiveluch indicated that possible ash plumes rose to an altitude of 5.8 km (19,000 ft) a.s.l. A thermal anomaly on the lava dome was observed daily in satellite imagery, and ash plumes drifted 373 km SE and N during 18-20 March. Ground-based observers noted that ash plumes rose to an altitude of 6 km (19,700 ft) a.s.l. on 22 March. The Tokyo VAAC reported that on 23 March an eruption detected in satellite imagery and reported by KEMSD produced a plume that rose to an altitude of 6.7 km (22,000 ft) a.s.l. Subsequent notices that day stated that ash then dissipated. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange. Sources: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Soufriere Hills (United Kingdom) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Soufriere Hills Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc	MVO reported that during 18-25 March activity at the Soufrière Hills lava dome was at a low level. A small lahar occurred in the Belham valley (NW) on 19 March. A relatively large pyroclastic flow traveled likely in excess of 2 km down the Tar River valley to the E and a resulting ash plume drifted W over uninhabited areas. The pyroclastic flow was related to the degradation of the lava dome on the E side as recent observations noted undercutting and overhanging areas on that side. The Hazard Level remained at 3. Source: Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO)
Tengger Caldera (Indonesia) | 23 March-29 March 2011 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Tengger Caldera Sunda Volcanic Arc	CVGHM reported that during 22-25 March brownish-gray ash plumes from Tengger Caldera's Bromo cone rose 400-800 m above the crater and drifted SW, NE, and E. Incandescent material was ejected 300 m above the crater, and landed as far as 500 m away during 22-23 March, 300 m away on 24 March, and 250 m away on 25 March. Roaring and booming was also noted. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4). Residents and tourists were not permitted within a 2-km-radius of the active crater. Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 27-28 March ash plumes rose to an altitude of 4.3 km (14,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 55 km NE. Sources: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)

Weekly Reports Archive

Since the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report began in November 2000, there have been 20,627 individual reports over 1,243 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)