Report on Bezymianny (Russia) — 30 August-5 September 2017
Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 30 August-5 September 2017
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2017. Report on Bezymianny (Russia) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 30 August-5 September 2017. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Bezymianny
Russia
55.972°N, 160.595°E; summit elev. 2882 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
KVERT reported that during 28-30 August a thermal anomaly over Bezymianny was identified in satellite images. A lava flow continued to flow down the W flank of the dome; incandescence from the dome was visible at night. The Aviation Color Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale).
Geological Summary. The modern Bezymianny, much smaller than its massive neighbors Kamen and Kliuchevskoi on the Kamchatka Peninsula, was formed about 4,700 years ago over a late-Pleistocene lava-dome complex and an edifice built about 11,000-7,000 years ago. Three periods of intensified activity have occurred during the past 3,000 years. The latest period, which was preceded by a 1,000-year quiescence, began with the dramatic 1955-56 eruption. This eruption, similar to that of St. Helens in 1980, produced a large open crater that was formed by collapse of the summit and an associated lateral blast. Subsequent episodic but ongoing lava-dome growth, accompanied by intermittent explosive activity and pyroclastic flows, has largely filled the 1956 crater.