KVERT reported that a moderate explosive eruption at Zhupanovsky continued during 13-20 March. A webcam recorded incandescence from the crater on 15 March. Satellite images detected ash plumes drifting 350 km NE and S at an altitude of 7 km (23,000 ft) a.s.l. on 12 and 15 March. A thermal anomaly was also detected during 14-17 March. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange.

Geological Summary. The Zhupanovsky volcanic massif consists of four overlapping stratovolcanoes along a WNW-trending ridge. The elongated complex was constructed within a Pliocene-early Pleistocene caldera whose rim is exposed only on the eastern side. Three of the stratovolcanoes were built during the Pleistocene. An early Holocene stage of frequent moderate and weak eruptions from 7,000 to 5,000 years before present (BP) was followed by a period of infrequent larger eruptions that produced pyroclastic flows. The last major eruption took place about 800-900 BP. Recorded eruptions have consisted of relatively minor explosions from Priemysh, the third cone from the E about 2.5 km from the summit peak.

Source: Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT)