All times are local unless otherwise stated.

Aira (Japan) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Aira Ryukyu Volcanic Arc	JMA reported that small-scale explosions from Showa Crater (Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) were detected during 28-29 August. An ash plume rose 800 m above the crater on 29 August. Small explosions occurred at Minamidake Crater on 30 August. The Alert Level was lowered to 3 (on a 5-level scale) on 1 September. Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)
Cotopaxi (Ecuador) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Cotopaxi Northern Andean Volcanic Arc	According to IG, fieldwork revealed that the volume of material ejected since the onset of the eruption at Cotopaxi was an estimated 56,000 cubic meters on 14 August and 19,500 cubic meters during 15-21 August. Thermal images obtained during overflights on 18 and 26 August revealed a significant increase in the temperatures of emissions (150 degrees Celsius on 26 August) and at different areas in the crater. Since the onset of continuous tremor on the evening of 22 August there had been very few breaks in ash-and-gas emissions. During 25-31 August ash-and-steam emissions were observed rising at most 2 km above the crater and drifting NW, W, and SW. Based on Washington VAAC reports, IG noted on 26 August that the plume rose as high as 9 km (29,500 ft) a.s.l. Ashfall was reported in a wide area to the WSW, millimeters thick in some areas. During 25-26, 28, and 30-31 August areas reporting ashfall included Manabi (El Carmen, 165 km W), Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas (95 km NW), Pastocalle, Santa Ana, Cerro Azul, Azachul, Leonidas Plaza (40 km N), Bahia de Caraquez (220 WNW), Charapotó (230 W), Pichincha, Rocafuerte (225 WSW), Machachi (25 km NW), Tambillo (33 km NNW), Aloag (28 km NNW), and Chaupi. The mayor of Sigchos, in the Province of Cotopaxi, noted impacts on livestock, crops, and greenhouses. A small lahar descended the W flank on 28 August. Emissions later in the day on 31 August were mostly water vapor and gas, with low amounts of ash. Source: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG-EPN)
Klyuchevskoy (Russia) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Klyuchevskoy Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that a webcam recorded crater incandescence at Klyuchevskoy at 0344 on 28 August, indicating the onset of Strombolian activity. Strong gas-and-steam emissions were visible during the previous one or two days. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Yellow. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Nevado del Ruiz Northern Andean Volcanic Arc	Servicio Geológico Colombiano’s (SGC) Observatorio Vulcanológico and Sismológico de Manizales reported that during 25-31 August seismicity at Nevado del Ruiz increased; the network detected a large number of long-period earthquakes, and several episodes of tremor associated with gas-and-ash emissions. Water-vapor-and-gas plumes rose 2 km above the crater and were sometimes tinged gray due to the presence of ash. Volcano-tectonic (VT) events occurred at depths between 0.77 and 6.77 km. The largest VT event was recorded at 0144 on 27 August, was a local M 1.1, and was 2.8 km SW of Arenas Crater at a depth of 4.69 km. Periods of very-high-energy tremor were detected on 31 August. According to a news article, La Nubia airport ceased operations on 31 August due to ash emissions. Sources: Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC), W Radio
Piton de la Fournaise (France) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Piton de la Fournaise Reunion Hotspot Volcano Group	OVPDLF reported that the eruption at Piton de la Fournaise fluctuated during 26-27 August, causing variations in the height of the lava fountains and emissions. One vent remained active, and lava flows from that vent traveled at least as far as 3.5 km. At daybreak on 28 August a small plume rose 400 m and drifted S; inclement weather prevented views during most of the day. During an overflight the next day, scientists observed two growing cinder cones housing lava lakes and lava fountains. An 'a'a lava flow was active, and a large gas plume rose 3 km. Source: Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise (OVPF)
Sabancaya (Peru) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | New Activity / Unrest Cite this Report
Sabancaya Central Andean Volcanic Arc	The Buenos Aires VAAC reported that on 26 August a pilot observed an ash plume from Sabancaya rising to an altitude of 6.1 km (20,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifting E. Satellite images and the webcam showed gas-and-water-vapor plumes with possible diffuse ash coincident with a temporary and small increase in seismicity. Source: Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)

Cleveland (United States) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Cleveland Aleutian Ridge Volcanic Arc	AVO reported that elevated surface temperatures in satellite images were periodically detected over Cleveland during 26 August-1 September. A small earthquake swarm was detected near Cleveland starting at 1103 on 29 August. A few, small, local earthquakes were detected during 30 August-1 September, likely a continuation of the swarm. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange and the Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch. Source: US Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)
Colima (Mexico) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Colima Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt	Based on satellite images, webcam views, and notices from the Mexico City MWO, the Washington VAAC reported that during 27-30 August some of the daily ash emissions from Colima rose to altitudes of 4.3-6.1 km (14,000-20,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW, WSW, W and NW. Source: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Dukono (Indonesia) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Dukono Halmahera Volcanic Arc	Based on analyses of satellite imagery and wind data, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 26 August-1 September ash plumes from Dukono rose to altitudes of 2.1-2.7 km (7,000-9,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted as far as 110 km SE, E NE, N, and NW. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Karangetang (Indonesia) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Karangetang Sangihe Volcanic Arc	Based on analyses of satellite imagery and wind data, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 28 August an ash plume from Karangetang rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 55 km ENE. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Karymsky (Russia) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Karymsky Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that moderate explosive activity at Karymsky continued during 21-28 August. Satellite images detected a thermal anomaly on the volcano during 21 and 24-25 August. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Kilauea (United States) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Kilauea Hawaiian-Emperor Hotspot Volcano Group	HVO reported that seismicity at Kilauea remained at background levels during 26 August-1 September. The lava lake continued to circulate and spatter in the Overlook vent. Webcams recorded multiple incandescent outgassing vents within Pu'u 'O'o. On 27 August lava erupted from a vent on the NE side of the crater floor and slowly spread out; the flow was active until about midnight. A large breakout also occurred on the NE flank from a lava tube supplying distant flows; lava traveled 580 m before stopping. On 29 August a very small and short-lived flow emerged from a vent on the SE portion of the crater floor. The June 27th NE-trending lava flow continued to be active in three areas with surface flows within 4-8 km NE of Pu'u 'O'o Crater; smoke plumes from burning vegetation marked the most distal flows. Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Lewotobi (Indonesia) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Lewotobi Sunda Volcanic Arc	PVMBG reported that white plumes were observed rising 15 m above Lewotobi during periods of clear weather from 17 July to 25 August. Seismicity decreased significantly during 1-25 August. The Alert Level was lowered to 1 (on a scale of 1-4). Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)
Lokon-Empung (Indonesia) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Lokon-Empung Sangihe Volcanic Arc	According to the Darwin VAAC, PVMBG reported that on 30 August an ash plume rose from Lokon-Empung to an altitude of 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. Ash was not identified in satellite images. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Manam (Papua New Guinea) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Manam Bismarck Volcanic Arc	Based on observations of satellite imagery and wind data analyses, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 26-27 and 31 August ash plumes from Manam rose to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 35-75 km NW, N, and NE. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)
Pacaya (Guatemala) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Pacaya Central America Volcanic Arc	CONRED reported that tremor at Pacaya which began on 16 June continued to be elevated at least through 18 August. INSIVUMEH reported that white-and-blue gas plumes were accompanied by a small gas emission on 1 September; the plume drifted W. Sources: Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED), Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH)
Sheveluch (Russia) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Sheveluch Eastern Kamchatka Volcanic Arc	KVERT reported that during 21-28 August lava-dome extrusion onto Sheveluch’s N flank was accompanied by fumarolic activity, dome incandescence, and hot avalanches. Satellite images detected an almost daily thermal anomaly over the dome. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange. Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)
Shishaldin (United States) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Shishaldin Aleutian Ridge Volcanic Arc	AVO reported that seismicity at Shishaldin continued to be elevated over background levels during 26 August-1 September, indicating that low-level eruptive activity confined to the summit crater continued. Cloud cover often prevented satellite and webcam observations; elevated surface temperatures were periodically detected in satellite 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) | 26 August-1 September 2015 | Continuing ActivityCite this Report
Sinabung Sunda Volcanic Arc	Based on weather models and satellite images, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 29-30 August an ash plume from Sinabung rose to an altitude of 4.3 km (14,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NW. Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (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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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)