All times are local unless otherwise stated.

Chirpoi (Russia) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Chirpoi Kuril Volcanic Arc	SVERT reported that satellite images over Snow, a volcano of Chirpoi, showed a thermal anomaly on 23 and 25 December. Cloud cover obscured views on other days during 22-29 December. The Aviation Color Code remained at Yellow. Source: Sakhalin Volcanic Eruption Response Team (SVERT)
Colima (Mexico) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Colima Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt	Based on satellite image analyses and Colima University, the Washington VAAC reported that on 24 December a gas cloud from Colima contained small amounts of ash and drifted NE and E. Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Etna (Italy) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Etna Sicily Volcanic Province	INGV reported that starting at 1750 on 28 December Etna's New Southeast Crater (NSEC) produced a short but intense eruption characterized by lava fountains, lava flows, and an ash plume that drifted E and caused ash and lapilli fall in Milo, Fornazzo, South Alfio, and Giarre. Inclement weather prevented observations of the summit area so the erupting crater was not identifiable. Two lava flows traveled E and NE, towards the Valle del Bove. Tremor began to decrease at 1930, and indicated that the eruption was over at 2100. Source: Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV)
Gamalama (Indonesia) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Gamalama Halmahera Volcanic Arc	Based on satellite observations, ground reports, and wind data, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 24-25 December ash plumes from Gamalama rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted almost 30 km SW. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (Tonga) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Tofua Volcanic Arc	According to a news article, fisherman had reported an eruption at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai on 19 December. A photographer in Tongatapu captured a photo of a steam plume rising from the area on 30 December and noted that steam plumes had been visible since 24 December; dense clouds on the horizon prevented views before then. Terra MODIS imagery from 29 December also showed white plumes and areas of discolored water near the islands. Sources: Matangi Tonga Online, NASA MODIS Rapid Response System
Sabancaya (Peru) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Sabancaya Central Andean Volcanic Arc	Based on reports from INGEMMET, the webcam, and satellite images, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that on 27 December water vapor and gas plumes from Sabancaya possibly contained small amounts of ash. Source: Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

Asosan (Japan) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Asosan Nankai Volcanic Arc	JMA reported that, based on seismicity and infrasound data, the eruption from Asosan’s Nakadake Crater that began on 25 November continued intermittently during 22-26 December. Plumes rose 1 km above the crater and incandescent material was sometimes ejected onto the crater rim. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-5). Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)
Bagana (Papua New Guinea) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Bagana Solomon Volcanic Arc	Based on analyses of satellite imagery and wind data, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 29 December an ash plume from Bagana rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted almost 95 km NE. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Bardarbunga (Iceland) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Bardarbunga Iceland Neovolcanic Rift Volcanic Province	During 24-30 December, IMO maintained Aviation Colour Code Orange due to continued activity at Bárdarbunga’s Holuhraun eruptive fissure. The lava was flowing through a closed channel to the E edge of the lava field, about 15 km from the crater. Lava was also flowing N. Seismicity remained strong and local air pollution from gas emissions persisted. The lava field covered 82.8 square kilometers as of 29 December. Source: Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO)
Kilauea (United States) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Kilauea Hawaiian-Emperor Hotspot Volcano Group	During 24-30 December HVO reported that Kilauea’s 27 June NE-trending lava flow continued to be active. A narrow lobe of lava that had broken away from the W edge of the flow field below the crack system advanced, and by 30 December the front was about 800 m above the intersection of Pahoa Village Road and Highway 130, and 604 m from the Pahoa Marketplace. The circulating lava lake occasionally rose and fell in the deep pit within Halema'uma'u Crater. Gas emissions remained elevated. The plume from the vent continued to deposit variable amounts tephra onto nearby areas; smaller particles may have been dropped several kilometers away. At Pu'u 'O'o Crater, glow emanated from several outgassing openings in the crater floor. Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Manam (Papua New Guinea) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Manam Bismarck Volcanic Arc	RVO reported that activity at both Manam's Southern Crater and Main Crater was low during 1-26 December; white vapor emissions rose from both craters. Diffuse gray ash clouds rose at most 200 m from Southern Crater during 21-22 December. Source: Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO)
Popocatepetl (Mexico) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Popocatepetl Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt	CENAPRED reported that during 24-30 December seismicity at Popocatépetl indicated continuing emissions of water vapor and gas, which occasionally contained ash during 27-30 December. Cloud cover sometimes prevented views of the crater. Incandescence from the crater was visible some nights. During 24-25 December there were 6-7 explosions detected by the network. An explosion on 26 December generated an ash plume that rose 3.5 km above the crater and drifted NE. Six explosions were detected on 27 December; those at 1258 and 2036 produced ash plumes that rose 0.8-1.5 km and drifted NE. An explosion at 2348 generated a plume with low ash content that rose 0.5 km and drifted S. An explosion on 29 December produced an ash plume that rose 2 km and drifted NE. On 30 December there were 10 explosions that all produced ash plumes that rose 1 km and drifted NE; one of the explosions generated an ash plume that rose 2 km. The Alert Level remained at Yellow, Phase Two. Source: Centro Nacional de Prevencion de Desastres (CENAPRED)
Sheveluch (Russia) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Sheveluch Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that during 19-26 December lava-dome extrusion onto Sheveluch’s N flank was accompanied by incandescence, hot avalanches, and fumarolic activity. A strong explosion on 20 December generated an ash plume that rose to an altitude of 6 km (19,700 ft) a.s.l. Satellite images detected a thermal anomaly over the dome during 19-21 and 23-25 December, and ash plumes drifting 370 km E during 20-21 December. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Shishaldin (United States) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Shishaldin Aleutian Ridge Volcanic Arc	AVO reported that seismicity at Shishaldin continued to be slightly elevated over background levels during 23-30 December. Nothing significant was observed in partly-to-mostly cloudy satellite and web camera images. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange and the Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch. Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
Sinabung (Indonesia) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Sinabung Sunda Volcanic Arc	Based on satellite images, webcam views, and weather models, the Darwin VAAC reported that an ash plume from Sinabung drifted almost 30 km SW on 24 December. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Zhupanovsky (Russia) | 24 December-30 December 2014 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Zhupanovsky Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that an eruption at Zhupanovsky likely continued during 19-26 December. Intense steam-and-gas emissions were observed on 24 December. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)

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.

Some of the documents on this server may contain live references (or pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that USGS does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.

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)